I'd like information on how to open a restaurant in either Dubai or Kuwait city (depending where i can open it at ease). So if any of you is familiar with Dubai and kuwaiti business rules and regulations, please I kindly ask of you to enlight me on it from A to Z.

A) On whos name can I rent a place ( I mean my own personal name or will i have to hire an arbab and if so how much would i have to pay him and where do you get one?)?

B) How much rent will the retail space cost?

C) Which visa can give me the greatest amount of stay? (If ofcourse i need any.) Note that i am a Canadian citizen.

D) And so forth.

Well I can give some info about UAE, Dubai where I have lived for 28 years and we have our family business with my brothers still running it, so I have some knowledge on the topic.

First of all, it is a very good decision to open up a restaurant in Dubai as it is a tourist haven. Getting beack to your query, the advantage you have is that you are a Canadian citizen so you should be able to get a three month visit visa on arrival at Dubai airport(but it is better to check with your travel agent about this). Now as anywhere else in the world, you need to find the best location for your restaurant.If you want to open up a cafe type restaurant than a shopping mall is the best bet, where it is very busy and will make you money. If you want to open up a big restaurant than I suggest either choose Al-Nasr Square in Deira or nearby there as a lot of tourists and residents go their to eat.Also in Deira there is a road called Al-Riqqa road(copied to resemble the famous French street Champ Elysee) where all the major fast food outlets are operating plus a good number of restaurants.Another major place is around Meena bazaar(shopping area) in Bur Dubai. If you want a more expensive place where the clientele are loaded with money than either choose Jumeirah(posh area) or Sheikh Zayed Road(where there is a good night life too and is always busy).I personally would suggest to open up a restaurant on Al-Riqqa Road where during the Dubai SHopping Festival a carnival is set and tourists throng that place and all the businesses make huge profits.

Coming to your other queries now.

Yes when you start a business, you need to have a local partner(arbab which you already knew about).Now usually they are supposed to have 51% ownership and you get 49%, but thats only on paper, what you do is that agree to a fixed amount with him that you will pay him say Dhs. 20,000 every year. Now it is very important to choose a good local partner, otherwise he may create difficulties for you, for that you need someone in Dubai to refer to a good one.
Now all local arabs can become a local partner, but it is adviseable to choose one working in a high ranking position in a governemtn department(this way he will always assist you in dealing with the government issues which you will have many). Again for this you have to find out from someone in Dubai who can assist you in finding a good one.Because it is a big hassle to change your local partner.

Now when you rent the place you can only rent it in the restaurant's name and not your personal name, but there will be a Trade Agreement signed between you and the local partner showing that you are 49% owner and he is 51% owner. This way, you will get a partner's visa(which will be for 3 years only and will have to be renewed).With this visa you can sponsor your immediate family,that is wife and children under 18.

If you have any other questions let me know and I will try to answer them as best as I can.

Demonslayer, let me first of all thank you for this great amount of information and ofcourse for your precious time to do so. As for questions, i do like to know if theres another way to find a good local arbab other then reference from ex-pats? Also once i find one, which office do i take him to and do you know the exact name of all the forms the arbab and i have to sign? Plus if i'd like to hire staff from Pakistan, how do i get them to work in Dubai? Furthermore, according to your best of knowledge is my investment safe in Dubai, i mean what are my chances of losing all my investment other than business failure? Lastly, i heard from someone that f you buy property in Dubai they give a 99 year visa, is it true? Once again i am greatfull for your time.

First of all, it is a very good decision to open up a restaurant in Dubai as it is a tourist haven. Getting beack to your query, the advantage you have is that you are a Canadian citizen so you should be able to get a three month visit visa on arrival at Dubai airport(but it is better to check with your travel agent about this).

Demon .. on arrival in UAE a Canadian will get 60 days tourist visa stamped on the passport.

Basically he cannot sit on the counter of a restaurant .. hence, it is quite good for the start of the business as until the time his restaurant license is not started he can keep this 2 months visas valid continously for several more months by exiting to Oman / Bahrain / Kish / Qatar and return back on the same flight. However, once he has found a sponsor / arbab + location (very difficult to get in Dubai) .. than he will have to get either investor visa (valid for 3 years or something similar on the same trading license).

Lastly .. you have to visit yourself & look into the location & Arabab issue, than only you will feel essence of the issue.

Brother the other way is to contact agencies in Dubai who act as business consultants and they will than refer to you their list of locals.This is also a good way to find the locals.Dont worry about the procedures, when you find a local than all you have to do is go to the labour department with your local and there are agents(freelancers who will guide you inside the labour depts for a small fee) outside who will assist you with the forms that have to be typed and all the docs required from you. But if you want I can contact my brother and ask him to find a local partner for you(my fee for that would be only US $1,000. Just Kidding!!!!). But what you have to do is first arrive there and check out the scene.Must7 has just confirmed that Canadians get a 60-Day visa on arrival. So when you come there, you can get in touch with my brother.
Also, it is a very good idea to hire Pakistani staff, olthough there are many Pakistanis in Dubai who would be looking for jobs, unless you have someone in Pakistan already selected.For them you can get employment visas for them once you get your trade license from the labour dept. It is easier to hire Pakistanis from Dubai, which is convenient as you can interview them there only and cheaper too. But thats your choice.
Dubai has a very safe business environment.There are no political trouble and the government is very stable and they always encourage businesses so your investment is safe there.Dubai is successful due to its friendly business environment.And yes, you do get a 99 year visa if you buy a property in Dubai(mostly it is residential). When you but this property, say a house than your immediate family(wife and children) and yourself will get a permanent visa for life until you sell the property.Also, dont thank me for anything bro, it was my duty to help you as a fellow Pakistani brother(plus I will be waiting for my thousand dollars,HA!HA!HA!Again kidding).Just let me know if you want my brother's help and we can take it from there.

Thanks bro I was not sure about Canada, I know UK citizens get 3 monnths visa, so I thought maybe Canadians also get the same.

Demoslayer once again thx for the great amount of information, and brother i am seeking someone who i know in Dubai. Hopefully he'll get me a good arbab, if not then perhaps your bother could help me out on this. I'll let you know through PDF e-mail. And brother as of now, youve pretty much helped alot in solving the core issues, however if more questions comes in mind ill surely ask you.

I have question on that. can you sell the property that you buy to anyone or only to a UAE national. I have heard that you can sell back only to a UAE national and they don't offer good price. Secondly, if you own property you still can't own any business in UAE but can you work there?

Basically what I want to know is if its a good investment to buy an apartment in UAE/Bahrain/Qatar for an expatriate? I have heard a lot of people advising to buy in Bahrain. Qatar property is very expensive and there is a causeway soon to be completed between Bahrain and Qatar that will give Bahrain property a boost!

anyone could confirm that? If anyone can recommend some good project in Bahrain that will be great!

Thanks bro I was not sure about Canada, I know UK citizens get 3 monnths visa, so I thought maybe Canadians also get the same.

Demonslayer ... bro .. apart from holders of GCC residence visa the following country are allowed to enter with Free visa on arrival for 60 days :-

http://www.sharjah-welcome.com/html/sh_visa.htm

Citizens of UK , France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Finland, Malta, Spain, Monaco, Vatican City, Iceland, Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brunei, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong and UK Overseas Passport holders born in China or Hong Kong are granted a visit visa on arrival in the UAE.

Hamdard ... bro ... I have already replied to your question i.e; Freehold property can be sold to other non-U.A.E. locals.

I myself own 2 house in Manazel (Abu Dhabi) i.e; 1 unit 4 bedroom villa + 1 unit studio flat. Also I own 2 commerical properties in Jraf 15 (Ajman). All the above can be sold to other expatriates.

For Dubai, unfortunately I missed the train and could not buy anything up to now and surely do not have anymore the resources to follow the market as since last 3 to 5 years people are saying that the property bubble is suppose to explode ! However, up to now the price is rising .. !!!