Cyprus now - UAE or Panama next?

Current situation:

• Resident in Cyprus (non-dom) for several years
• Company in Cyprus (selling IT services which is the majority of revenue + physical products, but products stored in other EU countries + USA)
• Company has VAT registrations for several EU countries
• Paying 12.5% corporation tax + 2.7% dividend tax on first 180k EUR / year
• Receiving a small salary from the company, and the rest as dividends
• Earning mid 6 figures EUR per year

Interested in a legal option for lower tax (I started thinking: for this amount of tax, living in Monaco would possibly be cheaper!), and trying to understand valid and more cost efficient patterns with minimal residency requirements (as planning to move often, spending less than 3-6 months in each country). For the short-term, willing to experience somewhere new - especially if that helps us in the longer term. Longer term, would like to be resident some place with nature, like Panama, Costa Rica, etc - in case we (me and my lady) want to spend >6 months in one place.

My sketch of a plan (work in progress”¦):

1. Move (with my partner) to Dubai with the new "remote-working visa"
2. When resident in Dubai, corporate income tax on Cyprus company would be 0%, based on what I read here: "A non-resident company is a company where the management and control is exercised outside of Cyprus”¦ A non-resident company is taxable at 0% on its worldwide income" - a saving of high 5-figures EUR per year, and freedom to travel elsewhere from here.
3. In Dubai, we could set up a freezone company, and move my main clients to invoice from here. If needed, create some substance in UAE (e.g. buy some rental property, or add a local 'manager'?).
4. Later, in a year or so, set up a company in Panama and acquire permanent residency in Panama using Friendly Nations Visa, but still receive most income through dividends from UAE freezone company - 0% tax from UAE and Panama?

Does the above plan make sense? The ultimate object is to minimize tax burden, be resident in an interesting country, be able to invoice clients from a company in a reputable country, and have few constraints on needing to e.g. stay half a year each year in any one place.

I'm assuming: there's probably a simpler way? Could we e.g. just go directly to Panama, and set up a UK LLP, or USA pass-through LLC?

Are there significant costs I'm not considering such as e.g. social insurance costs, or the need to maintain an apartment or employees, etc? Will I have issues using e.g. Transferwise, Interactive Brokers etc from Panama / UAE / or alternative country suggestion?

Advice greatly appreciated - I'm very motivated to understand the steps needed to improve on my current situation.

CaptK said:

Since your willing to move, set up a Dubai mainland company. It's easier than a freezone and has all the benefits and more. You don't need to buy but right now there is bargains to be had.
It kills all your problems in one go and saves you a lot of money.

It negates all the VAT and accounting that you are doing and all in one place.
Residency requirements mean you only need to be in the UAE for 24 hours once in every 180 days.

Thanks @CaptK - can you help unpack that for me please?

For a mainland company I've read that I'd need a min. 200 sqft office space and 51% shares to a UAE citizen. Freezone seemed like the cheaper and simpler option... but what is it I'm not understanding? - I'm keen to learn.

"You don't need to buy but right now there is bargains to be had." <- you're referring to ready made companies that I could just purchase, rather than setting up a new one?

For VAT - we still need to store products in various EU countries, and so we'd need to keep the VAT hassle, which is partly why I was thinking to also keep the Cyprus company.

One good option for UAE could involve just a simple residency option - perhaps using the remote-working visa or gofreelance.ae ? Then keeping the Cyprus company open (which will also avoid me needing to make new arrangements with my clients), but paying 0% if the Cyprus company then becomes "non-resident" because all the directors would be resident in UAE. I understand that'd still involve an accountant in Cyprus, but I'm ok with that as a first step - it'd still be a huge saving.

Thoughts and suggestions appreciated.

CaptK said:

I meant deals on buying a place renting.

Understood thanks and agreed, I was surprised at how cheap rentals are. I'm seeing many for 15k AED, some with 'one month free'... I'm guessing 15k is some kind of fixed minimum.

My real aim is to pay out for the minimum, and not currently planning on spending much time in UAE - e.g. a few weeks in the year (can easily stay in a hotel for this duration), and spend most of the year staying in various other countries for 3-6 month stays.

Is renting a requirement?

CaptK said:

An investor visa could work with a company would cost you maximum 10K all inclusive set up and 4K max renewal.

Thanks - I looked into this, and seems reasonable. This is a service you offer to get this set up ?

CaptK said:

This will give you an office with enough sqf to have upto 10 employees.

I don't actually need an office (because me and team work remotely) - I'd just be paying out for an empty office if needed to either:

1. establish residency (it seems this is a requirement to have a mainland company?)
2. create 'substance' - e.g. if I rented the cheapest possible office space in Dubai, would that help give me an option to e.g. spend more than 6 months in Panama and get tax free income ? I'm not currently seeing UAE as a long term option to 'live', but more as a stepping stone to be able to set up a tax efficient company, and live in other places.

CaptK said:

Banking is easier and getting things done is so much easier.

This is appealing. Ideally with Transferwise also

CaptK said:

Yes keeping the Cyprus company and sending profits to the UAE would work perfectly.

For this you're thinking: invoice the Cyprus company from my Dubai company?

Or could I just move my residency, and get taxed at 0% by Cyprus because the Cyprus company would become non-resident (by virtue of the directors becoming Cyprus non-resident)?