Business Valuation in Dubai
The UAE is one of the most active markets in the region for buying and selling a business. But there's one thing specific to this market: whether your company is mainland or free zone changes how much money a buyer actually keeps after the deal — and that changes the valuation itself.
Mainland or free zone: why it changes the price
In the UAE, these two types of company pay tax differently. A mainland company: no tax on profit up to AED 375,000, 9% on anything above that. A free zone company: can pay 0% tax, but only on income from sales outside the UAE or to other free zone companies. If a free zone company also has clients inside the UAE, that part of its income is still taxed at 9%. This matters directly to a buyer: they don't look at profit before tax — they look at what's actually left after tax. So when valuing a business, it matters exactly how much of its revenue is taxed and how much isn't.
Per UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 on the Taxation of Corporations and Businesses ("Corporate Tax Law"), Article 18, and UAE Ministry of Finance guidance.
Currency
Most UAE deals are priced in dirhams (AED). In ValueUp you can enter your numbers directly in AED — no need to convert to dollars yourself.
We don't use the same risk number for every country
A business in the UAE carries a different level of risk for a buyer than one in, say, Russia or Egypt — because of local laws, the economy, and politics. That directly affects how much a buyer is willing to pay. Our calculation accounts for this: valuing a UAE business uses its own risk adjustment, not one average number for every country.
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What a buyer checks in the UAE
Many UAE businesses run on the owner's personal relationships — with key clients, the landlord, the bank. If you disappeared for 3 months, would the business survive? That's the first thing a serious buyer checks. Our report has a whole section just for this — Owner Dependency.
Find out what your business is worth
Free quick check, 6 questions. Full access — $29 one-time, no subscription.
Key terms in plain words
- Value Score
- A 0–100 score showing how ready a business is to be sold. Calculated by an algorithm across 20 factors.
- Value Gap
- The gap between what the business is worth today and what it could be worth after its weak spots are fixed.
- Multiple
- The number your earnings (for example EBITDA) are multiplied by to get the value of the business.
- EBITDA
- Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation — the main measure of operating profit.
- Due diligence
- The buyer’s check of a business before a deal: finances, contracts, legal cleanliness, dependence on the owner.
Common questions
Does ValueUp work for free zone companies?
Yes — you specify the company's structure and tax status in the questionnaire, as part of the input data used for the calculation, same as for any other company.
Is this an official valuation for a DIFC court or regulator?
No. It's an indicative valuation built on the ValueOS methodology, useful for deal prep and negotiation. For court, a regulator, or formal due diligence, you need a valuation from a UAE-licensed valuer.
What currency is the report in?
You choose the currency in the questionnaire — AED or any other.
Related reading
What a business valuation is, the 3 methods behind it, and how ValueUp computes a Business Value Score across 20 factors — no advisor, no waiting.
PricingValue Up costs $29 one-time — the full report on your business: a valuation range by three methods, a Value Score across 20 factors, a 12-month value-growth plan and the PDF. No subscription.
FAQBusiness diagnostic · 20 factors · 3 methods