RAK ICC Fees 2026: Full Cost Breakdown for IBCs, Foundations & Renewals

What is RAK ICC and who is it for?

RAK ICC (Ras Al Khaimah International Corporate Centre) is the offshore corporate registry of Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven emirates of the UAE. It registers international business companies — commonly called IBCs — and Foundations that hold assets, own shares, protect wealth or trade internationally, rather than operate day-to-day inside the UAE. Because these are offshore vehicles, RAK ICC fees are among the lowest of any UAE structure, which is exactly why founders compare them before committing to a mainland or free-zone company incorporation route.

A RAK ICC company gives you 100% foreign ownership, a confidential register (shareholders and directors are not published), no mandatory minimum paid-up capital, and no requirement for a physical office or audited accounts simply to incorporate. In return, it cannot trade or invoice inside the UAE, cannot sponsor residence visas, and can only be formed and maintained through a licensed registered agent. RAK ICC offers five company types — Company Limited by Shares, Company Limited by Guarantee, Unlimited Company, Restricted Purpose Company and Segregated Portfolio Company — plus Foundations for succession and asset-protection planning.

This guide lists every official 2026 RAK ICC fee, taken from the RAK ICC Fee Schedule effective 1 January 2026. One important note before the numbers: these are RAK ICC's own government charges. Your registered agent's professional service fee is separate and quoted on top. If you are weighing offshore against an onshore Dubai company setup, keep that distinction in mind when you compare quotes.

How much does it cost to set up a RAK ICC company in 2026?

It costs AED 3,250 to incorporate a one-year RAK ICC IBC in 2026, AED 6,700 for a two-year term and AED 9,600 for three years. Paying for a longer term up front locks in the rate and lowers your average annual cost, because the per-year price falls with each additional year.

A few incorporation add-ons are worth knowing. If your company will itself act as a corporate service provider, the fee is AED 6,750. Each portfolio inside a Segregated Portfolio Company is AED 1,500, and registering additional share classes (up to three) is a one-off AED 1,750. Companies that require enhanced due diligence — typically higher-risk ownership or activities — carry a differential price of AED 7,000 on top of the standard fee. Re-domiciling a foreign company into RAK ICC (transfer-in) is AED 3,250, and a 90-day name-reservation extension is AED 550.

What are the RAK ICC renewal fees and late-renewal penalties?

RAK ICC renewal costs AED 3,950 for one year, AED 7,250 for two years or AED 10,650 for three. You get a one-month grace period after expiry; after that, penalties climb from +10% to +50%, and the company is struck off in the sixth month.

The strike-off is not instant. At the start of the sixth month after expiry the Registrar issues a strike-off notice, and a further one-month period follows during which you can make written representations or complete the renewal with all penalties. If nothing is done within six months of expiry, the company is formally struck off the register — which is why a simple diarised renewal date is the cheapest compliance control you have.

How much does a RAK ICC Foundation cost?

A RAK ICC Foundation costs AED 1,500 to register and AED 1,500 to renew, plus an annual licence fee of AED 750. High-risk cases requiring enhanced due diligence carry a differential price of AED 8,500.

A Foundation is an orphan structure — it has no shareholders and is governed by a charter and by-laws and run by a council. It is widely used for succession planning, family wealth and asset protection, holding shares or property so that ownership passes according to the founder's wishes rather than through probate. Any fee not specifically listed for Foundations follows the standard company fee schedule, and amending the charter and by-laws is charged per clause (AED 600 each). Because a Foundation often sits at the top of a wider structure, it pairs naturally with a mainland or free-zone operating company — our team can map the whole structure during your UAE company formation.

What are the RAK ICC amendment, transfer and certificate fees?

Common RAK ICC changes are priced per action: transferring shares costs AED 1,250 (AED 1,750 with a corporate shareholder), adding or removing a director costs AED 750, and a company name change costs AED 1,500. Certificates — Good Standing at AED 750 and Incumbency at AED 1,000 — are the documents banks most often ask for.

Most founders meet these fees at the bank-onboarding stage. A bank opening an account for your RAK ICC company will usually request a Certificate of Incumbency (AED 1,000) confirming the current directors and shareholders, and sometimes a Certificate of Good Standing (AED 750). Changing your registered activity is AED 600, a change of registered agent is AED 1,500, and a simple system-only address update is just AED 100. Where more than three shareholders or directors are involved, an extra AED 200 (individuals) or AED 400 (corporates) applies per additional person.

What does RAK ICC liquidation or strike-off cost?

Closing a RAK ICC company costs AED 1,500 for either a formal liquidation or a voluntary strike-off, plus AED 850 for the Certificate of Dissolution. Leave a company dormant and unrenewed and you pay a late-notification penalty of AED 600 a year until it is struck off.

A voluntary strike-off simply removes the company from the register, while a liquidation is a formal wind-up that appoints a voluntary liquidator (registering the notice of appointment costs AED 275). Either way, closing a company properly — rather than letting it lapse into penalties and eventual strike-off — protects the ultimate beneficial owners and closes off future liability. If your RAK ICC company held UAE assets or a free-zone subsidiary, you may also need a liquidation audit report for that entity; Fastlane prepares free-zone audit and liquidation reports from AED 1,499. And if the company ever carried on taxable activity, remember to close out any UAE Corporate Tax obligations before dissolving.

Worked example: the real first-year cost of a RAK ICC IBC

A realistic first-year RAK ICC IBC comes to about AED 5,600 in official fees — AED 3,250 to incorporate plus the certificates a bank will ask for — before your registered agent's professional service fee.

Two things to remember about this example. First, the registered agent's professional fee is charged on top and is quoted separately — ask for an all-in figure before you commit. Second, urgent (same-day) processing does not apply to new incorporations, so you cannot pay the AED 1,250 urgent fee to speed up the formation itself; it is reserved for certain other requests submitted before noon. On renewal, timing is where the real money is: renew a one-year company in the third month after expiry and the AED 3,950 fee becomes AED 3,950 + 15% = AED 4,542.50. Leave it to the fifth month and it is AED 3,950 + 50% = AED 5,925.

What are the RAK ICC fines and hidden charges?

Beyond the headline fees, RAK ICC applies fines on a five-level scale from AED 1,000 to AED 20,000 for rule breaches, plus several add-ons that quietly raise the bill — extra shareholders, complex ownership layers and additional activities.

None of these are unusual, but they add up: a two-tier holding structure with four shareholders and four activities can add several thousand dirhams to the sticker price of an incorporation. The lesson is to price the whole structure — ownership layers, activities and the documents you will actually need — rather than just the base incorporation line. Note too that fees are set by RAK ICC and can change without prior notice, so always confirm the current schedule before you file.

Do RAK ICC companies pay UAE Corporate Tax?

Yes — RAK ICC companies are UAE juridical persons and therefore fall within the scope of UAE Corporate Tax. The 9% rate applies to taxable income above AED 375,000; there is no automatic offshore exemption, so a RAK ICC company usually still has to assess its position and, where required, register.

Under Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022, every UAE juridical person is a taxable person unless specifically exempt — being “offshore” does not remove you from scope. Whether you actually owe tax depends on your income: a pure holding company earning qualifying dividends and capital gains may have little or no taxable income, but that is a technical assessment, not a blanket exemption. Whether a RAK ICC company can access the 0% Qualifying Free Zone Person regime is a separate and strictly conditional question that turns on adequate substance, qualifying income and audited financial statements — get advice before assuming it applies. [VERIFY QFZP eligibility for your specific structure]

One thing that has genuinely changed: Economic Substance Regulations (ESR) reporting was abolished for financial years ending after 31 December 2022 under Cabinet Decision No. 98 of 2024, so RAK ICC companies no longer file an annual ESR return. If your RAK ICC company has UAE-taxable activity, you may need to register for Corporate Tax and, in some cases, obtain a tax residency certificate. Before you decide, it is worth reading our UAE Corporate Tax guide and speaking to an FTA-registered agent.

RAK ICC vs a UAE Free Zone company — which should you choose?

Choose RAK ICC when you need a low-cost holding, IP or asset-protection vehicle that never trades inside the UAE. Choose a free zone when you need to invoice UAE customers, sponsor residence visas, lease premises or target the 0% free-zone Corporate Tax rate.

Cost is only half the decision. RAK ICC is cheaper on paper, but a free-zone licence buys you the ability to operate, hire and obtain visas — things an offshore company simply cannot do. If you are not sure which fits, compare UAE free zones side by side, and remember that free-zone companies have their own annual obligations, including approved audit services where the authority requires audited financials. Many groups end up using both: a RAK ICC Foundation or holding company at the top, and a free-zone or mainland company doing the actual business.

How do you register a RAK ICC company?

You register a RAK ICC company through a licensed registered agent in five steps — appoint the agent, choose your company type and name, pass KYC, pay the AED 3,250 incorporation fee and file the Memorandum & Articles, then open a bank account and stay compliant.

1. Appoint a licensed registered agent — a RAK ICC company can only be formed and maintained through an approved agent, who files with the Registrar on your behalf.
2. Choose your company type and reserve a name — select a Company Limited by Shares, by Guarantee, Unlimited, Restricted Purpose or Segregated Portfolio Company, then reserve the name.
3. Complete KYC and due diligence — provide passport copies, proof of address and UBO details; the agent runs KYC and, for higher-risk profiles, enhanced due diligence.
4. Pay the incorporation fee and file the M&A — pay AED 3,250 (1-year) and submit the Memorandum & Articles; the Registrar issues the Certificate of Incorporation.
5. Open a bank account and stay compliant — obtain a Certificate of Incumbency for the bank, maintain the UBO and shareholder registers, and renew before expiry.

The documentation is light — passports, proof of address and UBO information — but the KYC and AML and UBO checks are taken seriously, and higher-risk profiles attract the enhanced-due-diligence differential noted earlier. Fastlane manages the entire RAK ICC filing as part of our UAE company formation service, so the M&A, KYC and bank-ready certificates are handled in one go.