Can two companies use the same Ejari à Dubaï?

It is generally unsafe to assume that one Ejari issued in the name of Company A can be submitted unchanged for Company B.

The Ejari normally identifies a particular tenant. If Company B is not named in the underlying contract or supported by an approved sharing, sublease or occupancy arrangement, it may have no documented right to use the premises.

A licensing authority may reject the application where:

The correct solution is not to alter or informally reuse the existing document. It is to establish which approved occupancy structure the licensing authority will accept for the second company.

Both companies carry out work at the same premises. They may have separate rooms, desks, employees, records and signage.

Both licences display the same building and unit address, subject to authority approval.

Both companies are named or otherwise legally recognised under the occupancy documents, where the landlord and registration system permit it.

A tenancy certificate issued solely to one legal entity is submitted for another entity without a supporting right of occupancy. This is the arrangement most likely to cause licensing or conformité difficulties.

Two companies may share a location without literally using the same Ejari certificate in the same way. The second company might instead hold an approved sublease, office-sharing permit or business-centre agreement.

Is There One Dubaï-Wide Rule?

A mainland company licensed through Dubaï's Département de l'Économie et du Tourisme follows the applicable mainland licensing and premises requirements. Each Zone franche applies its own company and property rules.

A landlord's NOC, for example, may satisfy the property owner but not the licensing authority. Similarly, a licensing authority's preliminary acceptance does not override a lease that prohibits subletting.

Dubaï tenancy law is especially important where Company A is the principal tenant and Company B will occupy part of its office.

Article 24 of Dubaï Law No. 26 of 2007 provides that, unless the lease states otherwise, a tenant may not assign the use of or sublease the property to a third party without the landlord's written consent.

The law also permits a landlord to seek eviction where a tenant sublets the property or part of it without written approval. Dubaï Law No. 26 of 2007

Examples include:

Allowing Company B to install signage or receive inspections at Company A's office without approval

Common ownership does not, by itself, eliminate the need for landlord consent or licensing approval. Company A and Company B remain separate legal persons.

Potentially, but only through a structure accepted by the mainland licensing authority and permitted by the lease and landlord.

The authority may examine:

Possible routes can include:

The fact that both companies are mainland entities does not guarantee approval.

Common ownership can make an office-sharing application more commercially understandable, but it does not automatically legalise it.

For example, one individual may own:

The companies are still separate legal entities with separate licences, liabilities, invoices, employees, bank accounts and tax records.

The authority may request evidence such as:

Related ownership may support the business rationale, but the premises arrangement must still be documented correctly.

A parent and subsidiary may be more likely to have a legitimate operational reason for sharing premises. Nevertheless, each entity should have a documented right to use the address.

A compliant arrangement may require:

If one company pays all rent and charges a portion to the other, the accounting treatment should be documented. Intercompany charges may also constitute related-party transactions for Impôt sur les sociétés purposes.

The companies should not merge their accounting merely because they share a location.

Sister companies are entities controlled by the same shareholder or parent. They may be permitted to share premises under an approved related-company or group arrangement.

The authority may want to understand:

An informal statement that both companies "belong to the same owner" is not a substitute for official approval.

Unrelated businesses may occupy the same larger commercial premises in certain approved circumstances, particularly through:

This is usually more difficult where one ordinary operating company rents an office and informally allows another unrelated company to use part of it.

The original tenant should not act as a commercial office provider unless its licence, lease and property approvals allow it to do so.

An authorised business centre can provide a more structured way for several companies to use the same broader premises.

Each client company may receive:

Businesses should verify:

A business-centre agreement is not automatically interchangeable with a conventional commercial Ejari.

Free Zones commonly offer flexi-desk or co-working options for companies that do not initially require a conventional private office.

These arrangements may support:

Each Zone franche sets its own rules. A flexi-desk issued by one Zone franche generally cannot be assumed to support a company licensed by another Zone franche or a mainland authority.

A founder with two Zone franche companies may require two separate facility agreements even when both businesses use the same co-working location.

Zone franche companies must follow the property rules of their licensing authority.

Some Free Zones recognise:

DMCC, for example, expressly distinguishes physical leased units from business-centre and shared-unit arrangements in its licensing guidance. For conventional leased units, an Ejari number may be mandatory, while approved business centres and shared units may use relevant lease documents instead. DMCC licence-renewal guidance

This illustrates why businesses should not apply one general rule to every Dubaï Zone franche.

Can a Mainland Company and Zone franche Company Share an Office?

A Zone franche company is licensed through its Zone franche authority, while a mainland company is licensed under the mainland framework. Each company's authority must accept its operating location.

Questions include:

Does the Zone franche permit the company to use that external address?

Does the mainland authority recognise the proposed occupancy?

Is the building inside or outside the Zone franche?

Does the landlord permit both companies?

Can the Zone franche company conduct its licensed activities from that location?

Does the arrangement create or evidence an onshore place of business?

Are separate licences, permits or branch arrangements required?

Will the companies have employees working outside the Zone franche?

Could the arrangement affect the Zone franche company's tax analysis?

A Zone franche company should not treat a mainland office address as a routine mailing change without obtaining advice and approval.

Can a Zone franche Company Use a Mainland Company's Ejari?

If the Ejari is solely in the mainland company's name, the Zone franche company has not independently demonstrated that it is entitled to occupy the premises.

The Zone franche authority may require:

The correct solution depends on the Zone franche, activities and commercial arrangement.

A mainland company cannot assume that a Zone franche office will satisfy mainland premises requirements.

The premises may be within a jurisdiction where office space is reserved for companies licensed by that Zone franche. The Zone franche authority, property owner and mainland licensing authority would all need to permit the arrangement.

A company seeking this structure should establish:

A residential tenancy should not normally be treated as a substitute for an approved commercial office.

A property must be used consistently with:

Dubaï tenancy law permits eviction where property is used for a purpose different from the purpose for which it was leased or contrary to applicable planning, construction and land-use regulations. Dubaï tenancy law

Working occasionally from home is not the same as registering a residential unit as the official operational premises of multiple companies.

The practical answer is often that each legal entity needs its own accepted proof of occupancy. That does not always mean two conventional Ejari certificates.

The licensing authority should confirm which form of documentation is required before the companies sign or amend the lease.

Even where sharing is permitted, the premises must be suitable for both businesses.

Authorities may consider:

A small office that supports one consultancy and one visa may not support two companies and ten employees.

The applicant should not rely on a universal minimum size. Space requirements may differ by authority, building and activity.

If the two companies perform materially different activities, separate premises may be required even when they share ownership.

Certain activities are supervised by autorités in addition to the licensing body.

These regulators may impose dedicated-space, security, privacy, signage, accessibility or inspection requirements.

A general landlord NOC will not replace an industry regulator's approval.

Authorities may consider:

Sharing one office does not mean the companies share one immigration file. Each company generally maintains its own:

An employee sponsored by Company A should not automatically be treated as an employee of Company B.

Can Employees Work for Both Companies?

A receptionist informally serving both companies may appear straightforward, but the legal employer and the basis for recharging costs should be documented.

A shared address is not automatically unacceptable to a bank. However, it may attract additional questions.

A bank may ask:

Why do the companies use the same address?

Are the actionnaires related?

Is the office genuine and operational?

Is the business centre authorised?

Does each company have a valid occupancy agreement?

Are the companies financially and operationally separate?

Which employees belong to each company?

Are transactions expected between the entities?

Is the address used by many unrelated businesses?

Can the bank conduct a site visit?

Is the workspace appropriate for the declared turnover and activity?

Companies should keep available:

Neither Ejari registration nor an office-sharing approval guarantees bank-account acceptance.

Two companies sharing an office remain separate taxable persons unless they form an approved Tax Group or another specific legal treatment applies.

Each company should separately assess:

If Company A pays the rent and charges Company B for office use, the arrangement should be supported by a written agreement and commercially reasonable allocation method.

The existence of common ownership does not allow expenses to be moved freely between entities.

A Zone franche company seeking Qualifying Zone franche Person treatment must meet all applicable statutory conditions. This includes maintaining adequate substance in the relevant Zone franche.

FTA guidance explains that adequate substance involves conducting core income-generating activities in the Zone franche and maintaining appropriate assets, qualified employees and operating expenditure in relation to those activities. FTA Guide on Zone franche Persons

A shared office or flexi-desk does not automatically satisfy or fail the substance test. The assessment depends on the company's activities, income and operational facts.

A Zone franche company working substantially from a mainland office should obtain tax advice rather than assuming its 0% treatment remains unaffected.

Where one company recharges rent, utilities, administrative support or other services to another company, TVA consequences may arise.

The companies should consider:

Property approval and tax treatment are separate questions. A valid tax invoice does not make an unauthorised sublease lawful.

Shared costs should be allocated consistently and supported by evidence.

Costs may include:

Possible allocation methods include:

The method should reflect the commercial reality and be applied consistently.

An office arrangement accepted at incorporation may still need to remain valid at renewal.

Problems can arise if:

DMCC, for example, requires relevant lease documentation for licence renewal and distinguishes between conventional leased units and approved business-centre or shared-unit arrangements. DMCC renewal requirements

Both companies should monitor their licence, tenancy and occupancy expiry dates independently.

Some activities or premises may be inspected before or after licence issuance.

Inspectors may check:

The companies should not create misleading signage that makes two separate legal entities appear to be one company.

Separate premises may be preferable where:

The rental saving should be compared with the cost of licence rejection, penalties, relocation and operational disruption.

The following documents may be requested:

Requirements vary. The documents should be prepared only after confirming the route accepted by the relevant autorités.

Check its use clause, subletting restrictions, occupancy limits and notice requirements.

Ask each licensing authority which tenancy or sharing documents it will accept.

This may be a separate lease, sublease, business-centre agreement or approved office-sharing arrangement.

Collect licences, ownership evidence, floor plans, NOCs and agreements.

Do not move the second company into the premises based only on an informal understanding.

Where required, update the licence commerciale and associated authority records.

Review immigration, Impôt sur les sociétés, TVA, banking, customs and regulatory records.

Put rental and service recharges on a defensible contractual and accounting basis.

Keep the lease, Ejari, licence and sharing approvals valid throughout occupancy.

Companies remain separate legal persons even when they have identical actionnaires.

The licensing authority, building management or regulator may require separate approval.

Unauthorised subletting can expose the tenant and subtenant to eviction and claims.

Each company must comply with the applicable employment and immigration framework.

Rent and service recharges between related companies require proper records.

A company's operating address should correspond with its licensing records.

KPM Global Services can assess whether two businesses may legally and practically operate from the same Dubaï office.

Our support may include:

Approval ultimately rests with the property owner, relevant licensing authority and any other competent regulator.

Yes, in certain approved structures. The lease, landlord, licensing autorités, building rules, office size and business activities must all permit the arrangement.

Not automatically. An Ejari issued solely in one company's name does not by itself give another company the right to occupy the premises.

3. Does each mainland company need its own Ejari?

Each company normally needs independently acceptable evidence of occupancy. This may be a separate Ejari or another approved document such as a sublease, office-sharing permit or authorised business-centre agreement.

Possibly, but common ownership alone is insufficient. The companies may need landlord consent, proof of their relationship and licensing-authority approval.

Potentially. Their corporate relationship may support the request, but each entity still needs a documented and approved right to use the address.

They may be able to do so through an authorised business centre, serviced office, divided unit or approved sublease. Informal desk sharing is risky.

Written landlord consent is normally essential where the arrangement amounts to sharing, assignment or subletting and the original lease does not already permit it.

The arrangement may breach the lease and Dubaï tenancy law. The landlord may have grounds to seek eviction, subject to the applicable legal process.

Not necessarily. The licensing authority, building manager, master developer or sector regulator may require additional approval.

Only where the relevant Zone franche, mainland authority, landlord and property rules permit it. A formal licence, branch, dual-licensing or office arrangement may be required.

It should not be assumed. The Zone franche property rules and mainland licensing requirements must both allow the arrangement.

Often, yes, if the business centre is authorised and issues the documents required for each company. Activity and visa restrictions may still apply.

Usually, each company requires its own Zone franche-approved facility package or agreement. One company's flexi-desk cannot automatically be reused for another entity.

A residential tenancy should not ordinarily be used as commercial premises for two businesses. Property classification, licence rules and tenancy restrictions must be respected.

It may. Visa capacity can be connected to facility type, office size and the licensing authority's rules.

Potentially, if the premises and sharing arrangement are approved. Each worker must remain properly sponsored, permitted and employed.

This requires a proper employment, permit, secondment or service arrangement. Sharing an office does not authorise informal dual employment.

A bank may accept it, but can request detailed occupancy, ownership and operational evidence. Account approval remains entirely at the bank's discretion.

The companies remain separate taxable persons unless an approved tax treatment applies. Shared costs and intercompany charges must be documented correctly.

Potentially. A Qualifying Zone franche Person must satisfy adequate-substance and other conditions. The real operating location should be considered in the tax analysis.

That depends on the legal arrangement. A rent or service recharge may be appropriate, but it must be permitted by the lease and properly treated for TVA, accounting and Impôt sur les sociétés.

Possibly, where the relevant autorités approve the arrangement and both companies hold acceptable occupancy evidence.

A mailing arrangement does not necessarily satisfy licensing or operational-premises requirements. The authority should approve the precise arrangement.

Common documents include both licences, ownership records, the tenancy contract, Ejari, landlord NOC, office-sharing agreement, floor plan and building approval.

It can reduce rent and administrative costs, but only if the arrangement is legally approved. Unauthorised sharing can result in rejection, relocation, renewal problems or tenancy disputes.

Yes. KPM Global Services can review the tenancy, intended activities, company relationship and licensing jurisdictions to identify the most appropriate route.