Restaurant Business Bank Account Dubai

Core documents include your trade licence, Memorandum of Association, certificate of incorporation, Ejari-registered tenancy contract, passport copies and Emirates IDs for all shareholders, a board resolution authorising account signatories, a UBO declaration, a business plan with projected turnover, and a source-of-funds statement. Make My Restaurant prepares and reviews this full pack before submission to avoid rejection.

Digital-first banks like Wio Business approve within 1-3 business days; mid-tier banks such as RAKBANK and Mashreq typically take 5-7 days. Traditional banks like Emirates NBD and FAB run 10-15 business days. Complex free zone structures or layered shareholding can extend timelines to 4-8 weeks. Our pre-submission document audit and relationship-manager contacts help achieve the fastest possible approval in your bank category.

Yes, but free zone companies face additional due-diligence scrutiny compared to mainland DED-licensed restaurants, and some traditional banks prefer mainland entities. Digital banks such as Wio Business and Mashreq NeoBiz are more free-zone-friendly. For restaurants operating on the UAE mainland (serving dine-in customers directly), a mainland DED licence is strongly recommended as it provides broader bank access, faster approvals, and unrestricted market trading rights.

Bank account opening fees in the UAE range from AED 0 to AED 5,000 depending on the bank. Digital banks such as Wio Business and Mashreq NeoBiz charge minimal or no setup fees. Traditional banks including Emirates NBD and FAB charge AED 1,000 to AED 5,000. Monthly maintenance fees range from AED 99 to AED 500. Our service fee covers document preparation, bank matching, and follow-up until activation.

Yes, but requirements are stricter. Non-resident shareholders must provide notarised and apostilled incorporation documents, a certified source-of-funds statement, and often a signed indemnity letter. Some UAE banks require at least one resident signatory or director. We identify the most non-resident-friendly bank for your ownership structure and prepare the additional documentation required.

Requirements vary significantly by bank. Digital-first banks such as Wio Business and Mashreq NeoBiz currently require AED 0 minimum balance. RAKBANK requires AED 10,000. Mid-tier banks such as Emirates Islamic and CBD sit around AED 25,000 to AED 50,000. Traditional tier-one banks set thresholds from AED 50,000 to AED 500,000. Falling below the agreed threshold typically triggers a monthly penalty fee of AED 200 to AED 500.

Yes. Every major POS and card-payment provider -- Network International, Magnati, PayTabs, and others -- requires a UAE corporate bank account to route card settlements. Without an active account you cannot accept card or contactless payments, which is effectively mandatory for UAE dine-in and delivery operations. We align bank account activation with your POS setup timeline.

Yes. Most UAE corporate accounts support SWIFT transfers for international supplier payments in USD, EUR, and other currencies. Multi-currency account facilities vary by bank -- Emirates NBD, FAB, and ADCB offer strong multi-currency options. We factor your expected import purchasing activity into the bank-matching process so you are not paying high conversion fees on routine supplier transfers.

The most common rejection reasons are incomplete KYC documentation, mismatch between the stated business activity and licence category, unresolved UBO declarations for layered shareholding structures, and insufficient source-of-funds evidence. Our pre-submission document audit resolves each of these before your application is lodged, significantly reducing rejection risk.

Not necessarily. A single legal entity operating multiple outlets can use one corporate account with internal accounting cost centres to track each branch. However, if branches are under separate legal entities -- separate LLCs or free zone companies -- each entity requires its own account. We advise you on the optimal structure when setting up multi-outlet operations.

Yes. We review the rejection reason, address the specific documentation gap or compliance flag that caused it, and resubmit -- often to a different bank better suited to your profile. Many clients come to us after a direct rejection at Emirates NBD or FAB and are successfully activated at RAKBANK, Mashreq NeoBiz, or Wio Business within five to ten working days.