Pick the licensed activities that describe what your company will actually do and invoice for, from the official activity list of your licensing authority. The activity decides your licence type, whether other authorities must approve it, what office you need and part of your cost, so choosing carefully avoids amendments and delays later.
Why the activity matters
- Licence type: activities fall into categories such as commercial, professional or industrial, each with its own licence.
- Approvals: some activities, for example in healthcare, education, food or financial services, need approval from another authority before the licence is issued.
- Jurisdiction: not every free zone offers every activity, and some activities are only available on the mainland.
- Banking: banks review your activities when opening an account, so they should match your real business.
How to choose
- Describe your business in one sentence: what you sell, to whom, and how you deliver it.
- Search the official activity list of your licensing authority for the closest match. Activity names are specific, so the obvious word is not always the right entry.
- Group related activities: many licences can include several related activities, which can cover planned services without a second licence.
- Check approvals and office rules for each activity before you apply.
- Think one or two years ahead: adding an activity later is possible but means a licence amendment.
Common mistakes
- Choosing a broad-sounding activity that does not actually cover the service you invoice for.
- Adding many unrelated activities, which can trigger extra approvals and questions from banks.
- Picking a jurisdiction first and finding the activity is not offered there.
Next step
We match your business to the right activities and jurisdiction as part of company formation. Book a consultation and tell us what you plan to do.
This guide is general information. Activity lists and approval rules change; we check the current list for your case.
