RAK International Corporate Centre
The international corporate registry of Ras Al Khaimah, serving as a leading offshore and private-wealth structuring jurisdiction.
RAK International Corporate Centre (RAK ICC) is the Ras Al Khaimah registry responsible for incorporating and administering International Business Companies. It was created by Decree No. 12 of 2015, amended by Decree No. 4 of 2016, consolidating two older and separately run Ras Al Khaimah registries into one authority.
Those predecessors were RAK International Companies, which had sat within RAK Free Trade Zone, and RAK Offshore, which had sat within RAK Investment Authority. Merging them mattered practically as well as administratively: before the consolidation, two registries in the same emirate offered overlapping offshore products under different rulebooks, which made the jurisdiction harder to explain to international advisers than it needed to be.
What RAK ICC companies can and cannot do is the detail most often missed. They are registered for international business, and they do not generally trade in the UAE local market and do not confer residence visas on their shareholders. A company that needs to invoice UAE customers or sponsor staff is looking at a free-zone or mainland licence instead, from a different authority such as RAKEZ.
On scale, RAK ICC's own site has cited a figure of around 40,000 incorporations, while third-party advisers have published lower numbers such as 30,000-plus registered entities. Neither figure carries a clear as-at date, so we report the official number as the better-sourced of the two and flag that it is not independently audited here.
Key facts
| Registered entities | 40,000+ |
|---|---|
| Services | IBC formation, SPVs, private wealth structures |
| Jurisdiction | Common law, English-language courts |
| Specialist centre | Private Wealth & Business Centre |
| Established | 2015, by Decree No. 12 of 2015 (amended by Decree No. 4 of 2016) |
| Formed from | RAK International Companies (ex-RAK FTZ) + RAK Offshore (ex-RAK Investment Authority) |
| Company type | International Business Companies (IBCs) |
| Incorporations | approx. 40,000 per RAK ICC's own figure; no stated as-at date |
| Does not provide | UAE local-market trading rights or residence visas |
Frequently asked questions
What is RAK ICC?
RAK International Corporate Centre is the Ras Al Khaimah registry that incorporates and administers International Business Companies. It was created in 2015 by decree, merging two earlier Ras Al Khaimah registries into a single authority with one rulebook for offshore incorporation.
Can a RAK ICC company trade in the UAE?
Generally no. RAK ICC companies are registered for international business and do not normally trade in the UAE local market. If you need to invoice UAE customers or sponsor employees, you are looking at a free-zone or mainland licence from a different authority, such as RAKEZ.
Does a RAK ICC company give you a UAE residence visa?
No. RAK ICC incorporation does not confer residence visas on shareholders or directors. That is one of the main practical differences between an RAK ICC company and a free-zone company, and it catches out people who conflate the two.
How many companies are registered with RAK ICC?
RAK ICC's own figure is around 40,000 incorporations, while some third-party advisers publish lower numbers such as 30,000-plus. Neither comes with a clear as-at date, so the official figure is the better-sourced of the two but is not independently verified here.
What was RAK ICC before 2015?
Two separate registries: RAK International Companies, which sat within RAK Free Trade Zone, and RAK Offshore, which sat within RAK Investment Authority. Decree No. 12 of 2015, amended by Decree No. 4 of 2016, consolidated both into RAK ICC.
What is the difference between RAK ICC and RAKEZ?
RAK ICC is an offshore registry for International Business Companies that do not trade locally or grant visas. RAKEZ is an economic zone issuing free-zone and industrial licences for companies that do operate in the UAE and can sponsor staff. They serve different purposes despite both being Ras Al Khaimah authorities.