MainlandFree zoneOffshore
just nowIndia flagConsultingSRTIPAED 5,500QUOTE14m agoUnited Kingdom flagIT / SaaSIFZAAED 23,400LICENCE47m agoPakistan flagTradingRAKEZAED 10,500REROUTED1h 12m agoRussia flagConsultingDIFCAED 5,500IBAN2h agoIndia flagE-commerceSHAMSAED 5,750LICENCE2h 44m agoChina flagGeneral TradingRAKEZAED 18,500QUOTE3h agoNigeria flagConsultingIFZAAED 16,700REROUTED3h 18m agoIndia flagFreelanceAFZAED 10,800IBAN4h agoEgypt flagMarketingSPCAED 5,750LICENCE5h agoUnited States flagFintechADGMAED 44,000QUOTE6h agoIndia flagConsultingSRTIPAED 5,500IBAN8h agoPhilippines flagFreelanceUAQAED 11,000LICENCE9h agoBangladesh flagTradingANCFZAED 15,200QUOTE11h agoUnited Kingdom flagCrypto / Web3DMCCAED 31,000LICENCE13h agoIndia flagIT / SaaSIFZAAED 23,400EID14h agoSouth Africa flagMarketingSHAMSAED 5,750QUOTE16h agoUkraine flagConsultingSRTIPAED 9,690LICENCE18h agoIndia flagGeneral TradingDMCCAED 51,684REROUTED20h agoSaudi Arabia flagConsultingDIFCAED 5,500IBANyesterdayPakistan flagE-commerceANCFZAED 10,800LICENCEyesterdayEgypt flagLogisticsJAFZAAED 25,000QUOTEyesterdayLebanon flagConsultingIFZAAED 12,200IBAN2d agoIndia flagIndustrialKIZADAED 145,000LICENCE2d agoUnited Kingdom flagInnovationInnovation CityAED 6,600LICENCEjust nowIndia flagConsultingSRTIPAED 5,500QUOTE14m agoUnited Kingdom flagIT / SaaSIFZAAED 23,400LICENCE47m agoPakistan flagTradingRAKEZAED 10,500REROUTED1h 12m agoRussia flagConsultingDIFCAED 5,500IBAN2h agoIndia flagE-commerceSHAMSAED 5,750LICENCE2h 44m agoChina flagGeneral TradingRAKEZAED 18,500QUOTE3h agoNigeria flagConsultingIFZAAED 16,700REROUTED3h 18m agoIndia flagFreelanceAFZAED 10,800IBAN4h agoEgypt flagMarketingSPCAED 5,750LICENCE5h agoUnited States flagFintechADGMAED 44,000QUOTE6h agoIndia flagConsultingSRTIPAED 5,500IBAN8h agoPhilippines flagFreelanceUAQAED 11,000LICENCE9h agoBangladesh flagTradingANCFZAED 15,200QUOTE11h agoUnited Kingdom flagCrypto / Web3DMCCAED 31,000LICENCE13h agoIndia flagIT / SaaSIFZAAED 23,400EID14h agoSouth Africa flagMarketingSHAMSAED 5,750QUOTE16h agoUkraine flagConsultingSRTIPAED 9,690LICENCE18h agoIndia flagGeneral TradingDMCCAED 51,684REROUTED20h agoSaudi Arabia flagConsultingDIFCAED 5,500IBANyesterdayPakistan flagE-commerceANCFZAED 10,800LICENCEyesterdayEgypt flagLogisticsJAFZAAED 25,000QUOTEyesterdayLebanon flagConsultingIFZAAED 12,200IBAN2d agoIndia flagIndustrialKIZADAED 145,000LICENCE2d agoUnited Kingdom flagInnovationInnovation CityAED 6,600LICENCE
formenz
Get a quote

Banking - Which UAE bank approves your passport?

Six partner banks. One 94% combined first-pass approval rate across the founders we file for. The differences are sharp by passport — and picking the right bank first time is the difference between an account in 11 days and a re-application in 30. Below: the data behind the shortlist.

By passport

First-pass bank picks for six common passports.

The percentages below are real first-pass approval rates from Formenzo's 2026 filings — not bank-published averages. Each card shows the top three banks for that passport in priority order.

Indian

  1. 1.WIO96%
  2. 2.Mashreq NeoBiz94%
  3. 3.Emirates NBD88%

WIO is the fastest path; Emirates NBD adds AED-INR remittance corridors.

Pakistani

  1. 1.WIO92%
  2. 2.Mashreq NeoBiz90%
  3. 3.RAKBANK86%

Notarized SoF + bank reference letter unlocks RAKBANK approval.

British

  1. 1.HSBC98%
  2. 2.Emirates NBD96%
  3. 3.ADCB94%

HSBC opens fastest if you already bank with HSBC UK.

Russian

  1. 1.WIO84%
  2. 2.RAKBANK82%
  3. 3.Mashreq NeoBiz78%

Sanctions screening runs first. WIO + RAKBANK clear most clean files.

Filipino

  1. 1.WIO94%
  2. 2.RAKBANK92%
  3. 3.Emirates NBD90%

WIO turns around in days; RAKBANK best for trade-flow accounts.

Chinese

  1. 1.HSBC92%
  2. 2.Standard Chartered90%
  3. 3.Emirates NBD86%

International banks clear faster than locals on China-source SoF.

Speed

Average days to a funded account.

From documents-complete to first AED settled. WIO's digital-first stack tops the list; HSBC moves slowest but clears the most international passports.

  • WIO
    11 days
  • Mashreq NeoBiz
    14 days
  • RAKBANK
    14 days
  • Emirates NBD
    18 days
  • ADCB
    18 days
  • HSBC
    21 days

Measured across 500+ Formenzo filings, Q1 2026.

Pre-screening

What we screen for before submission.

Every file passes four gates before it reaches the bank. The point isn't to filter founders — it's to filter the version of the file the bank will see.

Source-of-funds gaps

Statements with unexplained inflows or short-tenure accounts are flagged before submission. We rebuild the SoF narrative so it survives compliance review.

High-risk activity codes

Crypto, money-services, and unregulated payment activity codes get a different bank list. We swap the activity or swap the bank — whichever clears faster.

KYC documentation completeness

One missing notarization or apostille kills the file. The portal validates each document against the bank's exact 2026 requirement before you upload.

Jurisdiction-specific concerns

Russian, Iranian-linked, or PEP-adjacent files are pre-cleared with the bank's compliance team before formal submission. No surprise rejections.

The right bank, first try

Run your assessment, get your bank shortlist before paying.

Tell us your passport, activity, and SoF profile. We come back with your top 3 bank picks ranked by approval probability — before you spend AED 1 on the licence.

Get my bank shortlist →Banking FAQ
UAE Banking Comparison — Best Bank for Your Passport in 2026 | Formenzo