Practitioner Q&A Index
1,708 questions, answered.
Every question answered across the Neo Legal site, organised into 13 topics. Choose a topic for the full answers, or search the list of pages below to find where a subject is covered.
1,708Q&As
312Source Pages
13Topics
Showing all 312 pages
VARA Licensing and Supervision
135 answers · 25 pages
Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority: who needs a licence, the activities, capital, fees, key people, the application stages and life under supervision.
Crypto and Digital Asset Business
192 answers · 27 pages
Running a crypto business from the UAE outside the VARA application itself: exchanges, brokers, custody, stablecoins, tokenisation, market making, and the ADGM, CMA and RAK DAO regimes.
Token Issuance and Offshore Companies
193 answers · 34 pages
Issuing a token and the vehicles used to do it: BVI, Cayman, Panama and Marshall Islands companies and foundations, token classification, SAFTs and sale documents.
Financial Services Licensing
215 answers · 42 pages
DFSA, FSRA, Central Bank and CMA licensing for fund managers, brokers, advisers, payment firms, insurers and banks in DIFC, ADGM and onshore UAE.
AML and Compliance
55 answers · 10 pages
UAE anti-money laundering law in practice: policies, the MLRO, goAML reporting, sanctions screening, audits, inspections and fines.
Corporate, Commercial and M&A
150 answers · 30 pages
Company formation, free zone or mainland, shareholders' agreements, commercial contracts, negotiation, outsourced general counsel, acquisitions and capital raising.
UAE Tax and Tax Residency
93 answers · 18 pages
Corporate Tax, the Qualifying Free Zone Person regime, VAT, transfer pricing, tax residency certificates, CRS and treaty planning.
Family Office, Wealth and Succession
128 answers · 24 pages
Family offices in DIFC and ADGM, foundations, wills, succession, the Golden Visa and relocating wealth to the UAE.
China Desk
120 answers · 20 pages
Questions from Chinese companies, founders and families: setting up in the UAE, ODI, banking, document legalisation, holding structures, wealth and residence.
Australian Desk
56 answers · 11 pages
Questions from Australians moving to or doing business in the UAE: ATO residency, exit taxes, companies, super and the Dubai set-up.
Construction and Real Estate
111 answers · 24 pages
Construction contracts, payment recovery, retention, delay and defects, and UAE property transactions and disputes.
Sports, Creators and Entertainment
229 answers · 39 pages
Athlete and club contracts, image rights, creator and influencer deals, advertiser permits, talent agencies, gaming and intellectual property.
The Firm and General UAE Law
31 answers · 8 pages
Neo Legal, how we work, and questions that cut across practice areas.
VARA Licensing and Supervision
- VARA lawyer in Dubai.10
- VARA Licence in Dubai End-to-End Licensing Advisory9
- VARA Regulatory Supervision Services8
- Can I run a crypto business in Dubai without a VARA licence?6
- CMA vs VARA: which UAE virtual asset licence do you need?6
- Do I need a VARA licence?6
- How long does a VARA licence take?6
- How much does a VARA licence actually cost?6
- How to choose the best VARA licensing law firm6
- Licensing a crypto exchange in the UAE: concept to VARA launch5
- Neo Legal advises Animoca Brands on its VARA VASP licence4
- Received an email from VARA? What to do in the first 72 hours.6
- The VARA Broker-Dealer licence, activity by activity.6
- The VARA IDQ — what it asks, and how to answer it5
- VARA MLRO and Approved Persons — key personnel6
- VARA office space and physical presence — what is actually required5
- VARA paid-up capital requirements6
- VARA penalties for operating without a licence6
- VARA virtual asset issuance: a practitioner's guide to the new rulebook.1
- VARA vs ADGM (FSRA) vs RAK DAO5
- VARA's $250M proprietary trading threshold — explained5
- What is a Net Liquid Asset (NLA)?3
- What is a VARA Category 1 token?3
- What is a VARA licence?3
- What is TGRAF?3
Crypto and Digital Asset Business
- ADGM Crypto License: FSRA requirements, capital and timeline8
- CMA Crypto License UAE — the federal path for virtual asset service providers11
- Crypto derivatives licensing in the UAE6
- Crypto Exchange License UAE — the complete regulator comparison10
- Crypto lawyer in Dubai.11
- Institutional Web3 Counsel — senior advisory for the institutional crypto industry10
- RWA tokenisation in Dubai & the UAE6
- Set up and license a virtual asset firm in Dubai.12
- The CMA virtual asset license: the federal layer.12
- ADGM's crypto mining guidance: who needs which licence6
- Bots, signals and copy-trading: which licence, if any?6
- CMA Chairman Resolution 16 of 2026: the federal onshore market opens to virtual assets7
- DFSA Tokenisation Regulatory Sandbox.5
- Dirham stablecoins: the regime behind the headlines6
- How much does a CMA virtual asset licence cost?6
- How to set up a virtual asset company in Dubai (2026): step by step.6
- Licensing a crypto OTC desk in Dubai and the UAE.6
- The CMA's eight virtual asset activities, explained.6
- The listing legal opinion, explained.6
- Tokenised aircraft & superyachts.6
- Tokenised diamonds & gemstones.6
- Tokenised infrastructure & airport slots.6
- Tokenised intellectual property.7
- Tokenised private credit & litigation finance.6
- Tokenised real estate under VARA: how to fractionalise Dubai property.6
- What is a VASP?3
- What is a VASP? Virtual asset service providers in the UAE, explained.6
Token Issuance and Offshore Companies
- Incorporate your token company without leaving your desk.8
- Offshore company setup. BVI. Cayman. Panama. Marshall Islands.7
- Token issuance from the BVI.10
- Token issuance lawyers, from incorporation to listing.10
- A BVI issuer with a Dubai team: the VARA question.6
- BVI Business Company formation.7
- BVI Business Company: a practitioner's setup guide.4
- BVI vs Cayman5
- Cayman company formation.7
- Cayman Exempted Company: the institutional default explained.4
- Do you need a licence to issue a token?6
- Does a BVI token issuer need VASP registration?6
- Incorporating offshore without getting on a plane.6
- Market-maker agreements: the terms to push back on.6
- Marshall Islands company formation.7
- Marshall Islands DAO LLC: the Web3 incorporation pathway.4
- Marshall Islands vs Cayman for token issuance5
- No company, no shield.6
- Offshore token issuance: BVI vs Cayman vs Marshall Islands vs Panama.4
- Panama company formation.7
- Panama Private Interest Foundation: a step-by-step setup guide.4
- Panama vs BVI5
- The BVI token launch, step by step.6
- The Cayman foundation company for token projects.6
- The hybrid BVI + Cayman structure for serious crypto founders6
- The token sale document stack, done properly.6
- Token issuance from Panama: corporation or foundation?6
- UAE (DIFC/ADGM) vs Cayman vs BVI Holdco5
- Utility token or security: where the line is drawn.6
- What is a BVI Business Company?3
- What is a Cayman Exempted Company?3
- What is a Marshall Islands DAO LLC?3
- What is a Panama Private Interest Foundation?3
- Why tokens launch from the BVI.6
Financial Services Licensing
- Banking & Finance.6
- Financial services licensing in the UAE6
- Payments licensing in the UAE6
- UAE Financial Services Licensing Advisory5
- ADGM Exempt Fund.4
- ADGM FSRA RegLab.3
- ADGM Qualified Investor Fund.5
- CBUAE Payment Token Services Regulation.6
- CBUAE Stored Value Facility (SVF).5
- DFSA Category 1 banking licence.7
- DFSA Category 2: dealing as principal.6
- DFSA Category 3A: brokerage licence.6
- DFSA Category 3B: custody & trustee.5
- DFSA Category 3D: money services.6
- DFSA Category 4: advisory & arranging.6
- DFSA Category 5: Islamic financial institution.5
- DFSA CP 173: the biggest rewrite of DIFC fund rules in 16 years6
- DFSA Innovation Testing Licence (ITL).6
- DFSA vs FSRA vs CBUAE vs CMA5
- DIFC & ADGM for Indian fund managers.5
- DIFC Exempt Fund.5
- DIFC for US RIA spin-outs.5
- DIFC Hedge Fund.5
- DIFC Innovation Market & Explorer.4
- DIFC Investment Crowdfunding.4
- DIFC Qualified Investor Fund.5
- DIFC Variable Capital Company (VCC).5
- DIFC Venture Studio Launchpad.4
- DIFC vs ADGM — the complete 2026 comparison5
- Do I need a CMA licence?6
- Going public in the UAE: the listing routes6
- The CBUAE's September 2026 reset: SME protection and operational risk.6
- The CMA Category 5 licence: promotion and introducing in the UAE.6
- The CMA licence application process: stages, file contents and timeline.6
- UAE CMA fines for unlicensed companies6
- UAE licence finder.10
- What is a DFSA licence?3
- What is a VCC?3
- What is an FSRA licence?3
- What is an RPS Licence?3
- What is an SVF?3
- What is Whitelisting?3
AML and Compliance
- AML compliance counsel in the UAE8
- AML inspections, findings and fines: how to respond5
- DNFBP AML obligations: real estate, corporate services, auditors and precious metals5
- Outsourced MLRO and compliance support: what the UAE regulators allow5
- Sanctions screening and targeted financial sanctions: the UAE regime in practice5
- Suspicious transaction reports: when to file, how goAML works and the tipping-off trap5
- The 2025 UAE AML law: what changed for your policies5
- The independent AML review: testing the programme before the regulator does5
- VARA AML compliance: what a licensed VASP must run5
- VARA Business Risk Assessment guidance: AML/CFT good practice for VASPs7
Corporate, Commercial and M&A
- Agency lawyer in Dubai.7
- Contract and business negotiation lawyers in Dubai6
- Contract drafting lawyers in Dubai6
- Corporate & Commercial Law in the UAE.6
- International Structuring.6
- M&A & Capital Markets.6
- M&A counsel in Dubai6
- Your outsourced general counsel in Dubai6
- ADGM Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).6
- ADGM SPV nexus and substance.5
- Buying a business in the UAE: share deal or asset deal?6
- Contractor and consultancy agreements: keeping the work, and the relationship, yours3
- DIFC Prescribed Company.5
- Earn-outs: bridging the valuation gap6
- Earnouts and MAC clauses in UAE M&A — what actually works5
- Governing law and dispute clauses: where a UAE contract is decided3
- Heads of terms in the UAE: when a non-binding document binds you3
- How to negotiate a commercial contract in the UAE3
- Negotiating a joint venture with a UAE partner3
- Outsourced general counsel: what a legal retainer should cover3
- PE & VC deal terms in the Gulf6
- Shareholders' agreements in the UAE: the clauses that matter4
- Sharjah raises the decent living standard to AED 20,000.6
- SPA warranties & indemnities: how risk is actually allocated6
- The new UAE capital markets framework — 2026 view5
- UAE due diligence: the red flags that kill deals6
- UAE for UK asset managers post non-dom.6
- UAE Free Zone vs Mainland5
- What is a Prescribed Company?3
- What is an SPV?3
UAE Tax and Tax Residency
- Tax & Wealth Structuring.6
- Tax counsel in the UAE6
- Corporate Tax deadlines & penalties: the calendar that bites6
- CRS in the UAE: when you are reported, and when you are not.6
- Crypto reporting arrives in 2027.6
- Exit taxes compared: what leaving costs before Dubai pays off6
- Tax for UAE family offices: 0% income and the Pillar Two trap6
- The five QFZP conditions — holding the 0% UAE rate6
- The UK Temporary Repatriation Facility — 12% to 15%6
- Transfer pricing in the UAE: what every group actually needs6
- UAE e-invoicing: the deadlines have started6
- UAE Small Business Relief — the AED 3M election6
- UAE VAT for services & digital businesses: the traps6
- What is a Free Zone Person?3
- What is a UAE TRC?3
- What is OECD Pillar Two?3
- What is QDMTT?3
- What is UAE Corporate Tax?3
Family Office, Wealth and Succession
- Family office lawyer in Dubai6
- Golden Visa counsel in the UAE6
- Private Wealth & Family Office Legal Services8
- The Digital Wealth Family Office5
- ADGM Restricted Scope Company.5
- DIFC Foundation vs ADGM Foundation5
- Dubai vs Singapore for HNW Families5
- Family office & the Golden Visa: residency for the whole family6
- Family office vs trust — when to use which5
- Family office: DIFC vs ADGM vs Singapore6
- How UAE foundations are taxed: the Family Foundation election6
- Single vs multi-family office, and the DFSA line6
- Structuring a family office: the vehicles beneath it6
- Succession planning for families in the UAE6
- The ADGM foundation: what it protects, and how7
- The DIFC family office regime, explained6
- The family constitution, and why it holds6
- The Golden Visa in 2026: what actually changed6
- The UAE Family Business Law, and the 2026 reforms6
- UAE Golden Visa — days, residency, and the tax connection6
- UAE wills for non-Muslims: DIFC vs ADGM — which is right for your estate?1
- What is a DIFC Foundation?3
- What is a Single Family Office?3
- What is the UAE Golden Visa?3
China Desk
- China Desk 中国业务部7
- UAE company formation for Chinese clients8
- China Securities joins DIFC: why Chinese businesses are setting up in the UAE8
- China's Document 42 and the narrow road offshore.6
- Chinese crypto holders relocating to Dubai6
- Chinese stamp tax, IIT and the wealth transfer to the UAE6
- CRS & Chinese tax residency after moving to the UAE6
- DIFC & ADGM for Chinese fund managers.6
- DIFC & ADGM Wills for Chinese families6
- Foundations for Chinese families in the UAE: Article 17, holding structures and rules for the next generation8
- Holding structures for complex Chinese shareholdings in the UAE6
- How Chinese businesses set up in the UAE: a complete practitioner's guide.1
- How to start a business in Dubai from China: the step-by-step pathway.7
- Legalising Chinese documents for a UAE company6
- Moving wealth from China to the UAE — the compliant routes6
- Moving your business from China to Dubai: the legal playbook.6
- Opening a UAE bank account for a Chinese-owned company6
- UAE Golden Visa for Chinese nationals6
- What is ODI clearance?3
- Which UAE free zone for a Chinese company?6
Australian Desk
- An Australian law firm, on the ground in Dubai8
- From Australia to the World.5
- Moving to Dubai from Australia8
- ADGM for Australian fund managers.5
- Australian main residence exemption — when you leave for the UAE6
- Australian tax residency after moving to Dubai: the ATO tests most expats get wrong.1
- How to start a business in Dubai from Australia5
- Moving your Australian business to Dubai: what happens to the Pty Ltd5
- Owning a Dubai company while you still live in Australia5
- What is ATO tax residency?3
- Your super and your SMSF when you move to Dubai5
Construction and Real Estate
- Construction counsel in the UAE6
- Construction claims in the UAE: building ones that survive scrutiny6
- Construction disputes in the UAE: DIAC, the courts, and the expert who decides6
- Decennial liability: the ten-year risk you cannot contract out of6
- Dubai's Building Quality and Safety Law: the retroactive compliance wave6
- Dubai's new contractor regime: register, classify, or stop working6
- FIDIC in the UAE: what survives the Civil Code — and what doesn't6
- Off-plan delays and defects in Dubai: what buyers can actually do6
- On-demand bonds: the money moves first, the merits argue later6
- Subcontracting in the UAE: back-to-back done properly6
- The new Civil Code and construction: what changed on 1 June 20266
- The UAE’s new music licensing regime: what every venue must do before 1 December 20266
- Unpaid in UAE construction: how contractors actually recover payment4
- What is a Back-to-Back Subcontract?3
- What is a Muqawala Contract?3
- What is a Pay-When-Paid Clause?3
- What is a Property Escrow Account?3
- What is a Variation Order?3
- What is an Extension of Time?3
- What is an On-Demand Performance Bond?3
- What is Decennial Liability?3
- What is Liquidated Damages?3
- What is Retention Money?5
- What is the Defects Liability Period?3
Sports, Creators and Entertainment
- Athlete & Sports Player Legal Services UAE8
- Creator & Influencer Legal Services UAE8
- Entertainment & live-events lawyer in Dubai8
- Gaming & casino licensing. Curaçao. Malta. Costa Rica. UAE.6
- Gaming licensing counsel from the UAE6
- Influencer & creator lawyer in Dubai7
- Intellectual Property Law in the UAE8
- Sports club & investment lawyer in the UAE5
- Sports lawyer in Dubai7
- Trademark counsel in the UAE6
- Acquiring a football club: a guide for Gulf investors6
- Brand deal red flags: the clauses that hurt creators.6
- Building an influencer marketing agency in the UAE.6
- Creator tax in the UAE, and the in-kind trap6
- Crisis & cancellation6
- Defamation, deepfakes & content takedown6
- Getting out of a bad contract.6
- Getting paid as a creator in the UAE6
- How to move to Dubai as a content creator6
- Launching a creator agency in Dubai6
- Model contracts: what to check before signing.6
- Moving to Dubai as a professional athlete6
- Multi-club ownership: the rules6
- Protecting your name, likeness & brand6
- Setting up a creator business in Dubai6
- Setting up a talent or modelling agency.6
- Should you sign that management contract?6
- Structuring a creator business properly.6
- The agency contract stack for influencer campaigns.6
- The athlete Golden Visa6
- The creator Golden Visa6
- The influencer brand-deal contract6
- The UAE Advertiser Permit: why most creators are non-compliant.1
- UAE influencer two-licence rule and the SCA financial-influencer framework6
- UGC contracts: what UAE creators sign away.6
- What is a Morality Clause?3
- What is an E-Media Licence?3
- What is Multi-Club Ownership?3
- When does a content creator need a lawyer?6
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