About the Founder

Gareth Jones

Founder, Start Business Services FZ CO

I’ve been helping business owners since 2009 and started Start Business Services in 2021 to bring everything under one roof. We work with UK, Irish, Australian and other international business owners opening up in Dubai and the UAE — from residence visas to bank accounts.

Opening up a business in Dubai isn’t the hard part. The hard part is getting the bank to actually open an account for it after you’ve set everything up. So we check with the bank compliance team to make sure the business makes sense to the bank before we submit an application. Reverse engineering really works for this.

Background

I read Economics at SOAS University of London — BSc International Economics (1997–2001), then an MSc in International Business Administration with International Economics (2001–2003, Distinction). My professional background before this firm was legal, not sales. That shapes how we run things — we treat the licence as the easy part, and put the work into the structure, the banking, and what comes after the setup.

UK-side work — Statutory Residence Test, post-non-dom planning, exit timing — runs alongside our UK tax advisers, not passed off to a separate firm.

What we handle in-house

  • Setting up the company — IFZA Silicon Oasis is our usual go-to; mainland and DIFC/ADGM where they fit
  • Residence visa, Emirates ID, tax residency certificate
  • Personal and business bank accounts — direct with the bank compliance team from start to finish
  • UAE accounting — bookkeeping, VAT returns, corporate tax, management accounts, payroll — handled by our in-house accountant
  • UK side: Statutory Residence Test analysis, post-non-dom planning, exit timing — handled by our UK tax advisers
  • Annual audit (where required) and liquidation — coordinated with external firms we work with regularly

Editorial focus

I write on the site about the decisions that determine whether a UK to UAE move works in practice — UK residence, management and control of UAE companies, checking the bank before the setup, and what comes after the setup.

The editorial position is anti-hype. The licence is the easy part of any UAE setup.

Selected articles

Connect

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/garethwj

For enquiries: via the contact page or email gareth@dubaistartbusiness.com.

Working with Start Business Services

Best for people who are past the “is the UAE a good idea” stage and into “how do I do this properly.” Usually established business owners. Not every business works in the UAE. We’re upfront about that.

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