Key points
Global Tax Consulting and GenZone now work together for clients moving from the UK to Dubai, so the UK tax exit and the Dubai setup are planned in the right order.
✓ We handle your UK tax exit: your residence position, split year treatment, the five-year rule and what to tell HMRC.
✓ GenZone handles your Dubai setup: company, trade licence, residency visa, Emirates ID and UAE banking, plus a US LLC if you need one.
✓ Dubai's 0% personal income tax does not end your UK tax position. HMRC decides that under its own rules.
✓ The two firms are separate, independent businesses, and you can use either one on its own.
Most people planning a move from the UK to Dubai spend months researching the Dubai side: the right free zone for their business, the visa application and reliable banking. Very few give the same attention to leaving the UK tax system properly, which is often where the problems start.
Dubai's 0% personal income tax does not end your UK tax obligations. HMRC decides whether you are still a UK taxpayer under its own rules, looking at things like the days you spend in the UK and the ties you keep here, not where your business is set up or your trade licence was issued. Getting both sides right, in the right order, is what makes the move go smoothly. For the wider picture, see our guide to 📖 moving to the UAE from the UK.
That is why we have partnered with GenZone, one of Dubai's leading business setup firms. GenZone has helped founders from over 50 countries set up more than 1,500 companies in the UAE and form over 800 US LLCs. From today, clients moving from the UK to Dubai can have their UK tax exit handled by us and their Dubai setup handled by GenZone, with both teams working together.
Why we partnered with GenZone
We advise people leaving the UK every week. The clients who run into trouble rarely get the Dubai paperwork wrong. They get the order wrong: taking a large dividend before their UK residence position is settled, keeping a UK home, or coming back for too many board meetings in their first year abroad.
GenZone sees the same pattern from the other side. Its founders, Kevin McKenzie and Shayan Nasiri, moved to Dubai from Canada themselves, and the firm has handled thousands of setups for UK, Canadian, Australian and European entrepreneurs over the past few years. Their clients kept asking a question a Dubai setup firm should not answer alone: "What happens to my UK tax?"
So we now work together. Global Tax Consulting does not set up Dubai companies, and GenZone does not give UK tax advice. Each firm sticks to what it does best, so no critical step is missed.
"The licence is the easy part. The hard part is leaving the UK properly, and that requires a UK tax adviser, not a setup company guessing at HMRC rules. With Global Tax Consulting, our UK clients get both sides done right, in the right order."
Kevin McKenzie, Co-Founder of GenZone
Who handles what
We handle the UK side: your residence position under the 📖 Statutory Residence Test, whether 📖 split year treatment applies in the year you leave, the timing of dividends, asset sales and any company closure around the 📖 five-year rule, and what to tell HMRC, followed by your UK tax returns once you have moved.
GenZone handles the Dubai side: your free zone or mainland company and trade licence, your residency visa and Emirates ID, your UAE business bank account and, if you need one, a US LLC with US banking. Once you are trading in the UAE, GenZone also handles your UAE corporate tax, VAT and accounting, and can help you hire staff in Dubai as your business grows.
Image 1: who handles your UK tax exit and who handles your Dubai setup
What needs doing | Who handles it |
|---|---|
Your residence position under the Statutory Residence Test | Global Tax Consulting |
Split year treatment in the year you leave | Global Tax Consulting |
Timing of dividends, asset sales and any company closure around the five-year rule | Global Tax Consulting |
What to tell HMRC, and your UK tax returns after you move | Global Tax Consulting |
Free zone or mainland company and trade licence | GenZone |
Residency visa and Emirates ID | GenZone |
UAE business bank account | GenZone |
A US LLC and US banking, if you need them | GenZone |
UAE corporate tax, VAT and accounting once you are trading | GenZone |
Global Tax Consulting and GenZone are separate, independent businesses, and each is responsible for its own services.
How the partnership works
GenZone gets most clients fully set up in Dubai within three to four weeks. Your UK planning should start before that, so everything is in place from day one.
📞 Free strategy call with GenZone. You explain your business, income and timeline. GenZone outlines the right Dubai structure and flags the UK points to discuss with us.
Your UK exit plan with Global Tax Consulting. We confirm your residence position for the year you leave, whether split year treatment applies, how the five-year rule affects any dividends or sales, and what to tell HMRC.
Your Dubai setup with GenZone. GenZone's Dubai company setup service includes your trade licence, a two-year residency visa, Emirates ID and bank application support. Most of it is done remotely, with one trip to Dubai of two to three days.
Ongoing support from both teams. We file your UK tax returns for any income that stays taxable in the UK. GenZone handles your licence and visa renewals, UAE corporate tax and accounting.
Where a US LLC fits
Many UK founders we advise sell to American customers or need US payment platforms such as Stripe, Amazon US, Shopify Payments or a USD bank account. GenZone also forms US LLCs for non-residents, which can be set up alongside your Dubai company.
What a US LLC can and cannot do for you depends on your residence position:
➡️ While you are UK resident: a US LLC does not take your income out of UK tax. UK residents are taxed on their worldwide income, and HMRC's treatment of US LLC profits can be complex, so take advice before you form one.
➡️ After you become non-UK resident: income with no UK source generally falls outside UK tax, so a US LLC can sit alongside your Dubai company without a UK charge. UK-source income stays taxable, and the five-year rule still applies if you come back to the UK.
➡️ Alongside your Dubai company: many founders run their business through a UAE free zone company and use a US LLC for US clients and banking. GenZone advises on how the two structures work together, including the UAE corporate tax position.
GenZone's US LLC service includes Wyoming or Delaware formation, an EIN within three to five days, US bank account support, and the annual IRS filings required for foreign-owned LLCs (Form 5472 and a pro forma Form 1120). Plans start from $499 a year.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to use both firms?
No. You can use Global Tax Consulting for your UK exit with any Dubai setup firm, or use GenZone on its own. The partnership simply means both sides are planned together from the start, so less gets missed.
Will I still pay UK tax after moving to Dubai?
Possibly, on UK-source income. Once you are non-UK resident, the UK generally stops taxing your overseas income and gains, but UK rental income and some other UK income can stay taxable. Your non-resident status is decided by the Statutory Residence Test, not by your UAE visa.
Should I set up my Dubai company before or after I leave the UK?
You can form the company before you leave, but plan its first contracts and any payments to you around your departure date. We confirm the best timing for your residence position before GenZone starts the setup.
Can I keep my UK limited company?
Yes, but a UK-incorporated company stays UK tax resident, so its profits are still subject to UK corporation tax. We advise on whether to keep, close or restructure it, and GenZone sets up the UAE company that takes on new business. See our guide to 📖 running a UK company from abroad.
Do I need a US LLC as well?
Only if you sell to US customers or need US banking and payment processors. If you do, GenZone can form one at the same time as your Dubai company.
How much does it cost?
Our UK services are quoted at a fixed fee before we start work. GenZone's all-inclusive Dubai free zone packages, usually including one visa, start from about $8,500, and its US LLC plans start from $499 a year.
Planning your move to Dubai?
If you are planning to move from the UK to Dubai, start with a free 30-minute call with GenZone to map out your Dubai structure, and we will build your UK exit plan alongside it. 📞 Book your free call with GenZone here.
Last reviewed on 3 November 2026 by Emma McDermott, ATT, founder of Global Tax Consulting, in line with the law in force at that date.
How Global Tax Consulting can help
Plan your move before you go
Our exit plan establishes your residence position, times your departure and disposals, and plans for the five-year return window. Every plan is prepared and signed off by Emma McDermott, ATT.
➜ Your residence position established for the year you leave
➜ Departure and disposals timed around the residence line
➜ Split-year treatment and the five-year return window planned
➜ Treaty claims and returns handled when it is time to file
Typical fee
£1,000 to £4,000
Fixed before we start. Straightforward years sit at the lower end.
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“From day one, Emma has given me complete 360-degree support through my tax situation.”
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