• Reduce the client’s personal exposure to the risks and liabilities inherent with owning investment property.
• Isolate income from a property or specific properties, simplifying bookkeeping and taxes.
• Reduce the effective level of any withholding taxes on the income and capital gains.
• Flexibility of transferring the shares upon selling the property.
• Reduce inheritance tax through structuring the assets through a RAK ICC Holdco.
• Ability to open a local or an international bank account for the RAK ICC Holdco to receive rental income or for administering the real estate’s fees and payments to any property managers.

Usage of holding company (Holdco)

Liability Protection

Placing operating companies and the assets they use in separate entities provides a liability shield. As a result, the debts of each subsidiary belong to that subsidiary. A creditor of the subsidiary cannot reach the assets of the holding company or another subsidiary.

For instance, our entrepreneurs’ horse farm is struggling and has been unable to pay its trainer and veterinarian. They can sue and reach the assets of the subsidiary that owns the horse farm but not the assets of the subsidiaries that own the restaurant and apartment building, or the holding company.

Control Assets for Less Money

A holding company needs to control its subsidiaries but doesn’t necessarily need to own all shares or membership interests. That allows the holding company to obtain control of another company and its assets at a lower cost than if it had acquired all of the subsidiary’s ownership interests.

Lower Debt Financing Costs

A holding company that has financial strength can often obtain loans for a lower interest rate than its operating companies could themselves, particularly where the business in need of capital is a start-up or other venture considered a credit risk. Subsequently, the holding company can obtain the loan and distribute the funds to the subsidiary.

Foster Innovation

Because operating companies are separate entities, there is less risk in investing in start-ups or other ventures that seem risky. For example, when one major global business restructured and formed another entity as its holding company, one of the reasons cited for doing so was that the shareholders were concerned about the risks from investments in non-core areas (e.g., robotics, life sciences, and medical research). By restructuring, those investments were separated from its core and profitable functions.

Day-To-Day Management Not Required

A holding company can own businesses in a variety of unrelated industries. It does not matter if the owners and managers of the holding company don’t know about those businesses because each subsidiary has its own management to run the day-to-day operations.

For Individual Shareholders and Ultimate Beneficial Owners:

• Certified copy of in force passport
• Certified copy of current utility bill or local authority tax bill or tenancy agreement or residency certificate showing address of current permanent residence or bank statement.

For Corporate Shareholders:

• Certified copy of Certificate of Incorporation or Registration and any trade license or equivalent
• Certified copy of Memorandum & Articles of Association
• Current Certificate of Incumbency or Register Extracts
• Current Certificate of Good Standing
• Certified copy of passport of the authorized signatory of the corporate shareholder
• Name of shareholders and ultimate beneficial owners (as defined in regulation 26 of the RAK ICC Registered Agent
  Regulations 2018)
• Certified copy of corporate resolution approving the incorporation of the RAK ICC company

For Trusts as Shareholders

• Trust deed
• Current certified Register Extract for the Trust
• Details of all additions to the trust (if any)
• Certified copies of passports of settlor, protector & beneficiaries
• Corporate Trustee – as for Corporate Shareholders above
• Individual Trustee – as fo+A12r Individual Shareholders above

For Foundations as Shareholders

• Certified copy of Certificate of Incorporation or Registration and any Trade license or equivalent
• Foundation regulations and charter
• Foundation minutes approving the incorporation of the RAK ICC company
• Current Certificate of Good Standing
• For foundation council members and protectors who are natural persons – see For Individual Shareholders above

For Individual Directors

• As for Individual Shareholder above
• Consent letter from the director & secretary

For Corporate Directors

• Resolution of corporate directors/secretaries accepting the appointment as directors/secretaries of the company

• Registration: 5 working days
• Renewal: 3 working days
• Urgent procedure: 24h

A RAKICC Business Company must have a Registered Agent in the UAE, and a Registered Office which must be maintained by the Registered Agent in the UAE to which all official communications and notices to the company must be addressed. The Registered Agent must maintain the particulars of the beneficial owners of the company.

BACT is licensed by the RAKICC authorities to offer a full range of company formation and Registered agent services.