DMCC free zone company setup: Basic Biz package at AED 35,484
DMCC, Dubai's commodities free zone, sells its Basic Biz package, a license with a flexi-desk, for AED 35,484. Our packages for the application and the visas start at AED 2,150.
DMCC Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
- AED 35,484 Basic Biz package: license and flexi-desk
- 7–14 Working days to the license
- AED 20,285 DMCC license alone, a year, at cost
What the DMCC free zone is and who runs it
2002The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre
DMCC is the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, a free zone that the Government of Dubai set up in 2002 to bring commodity trade through the emirate. It is a government authority, and its territory is two districts: Jumeirah Lakes Towers and Uptown Dubai.
15%Of the foreign investment that enters Dubai
DMCC accounts for 15% of the foreign direct investment that enters Dubai. Gold, diamonds, tea, coffee and energy are its first trades. Technology, gaming, crypto and AI firms now have centres of their own.
100%Foreign ownership of a member company
A member company is 100% foreign-owned and is formed by individuals, by a parent company as a subsidiary, or as a branch. It keeps a registered office inside the zone, from a flexi-desk upwards, and a share capital of AED 50,000 or more.
More than 26,000 companies from 180 countries are members, with over 90,000 people working in them.
DMCC compared with DIFC, Meydan and IFZA
| Compared | DMCC | DIFC | Meydan | IFZA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Jumeirah Lakes Towers and Uptown Dubai | The financial centre, central Dubai | Nad Al Sheba | Dubai Silicon Oasis |
| Entry cost | AED 35,484, Basic Biz package | AED 29,380 to incorporate and AED 44,070 a year | AED 12,500 a year | AED 12,900 a year |
| Share capital | AED 50,000 or more | Any amount above zero | None paid up | None paid up |
| Office | Required, from a flexi-desk | Required, inside the centre | Flexi-desk in the fee | Flexi-desk in base packages |
| Made for | Commodities, trade, crypto, growing teams | Funds, fintech, holding structures | Services and online business | Services, trading, holding |
| License in | 7 to 14 working days | 2 to 4 weeks | 1 to 3 working days | 5 to 7 working days |
DIFC company setup Meydan Free Zone company setup IFZA free zone company setup
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Who DMCC suits, and who pays less in another zone
Gold, diamonds, tea, coffee, agro goods and energy: the trades DMCC was founded for, carried on a trading license.
Each of the three centres sells a package at AED 31,000 with a license and a co-working space, and takes half off the renewal fees of the second year. The crypto package is for activities that need no VARA license.
A parent company opens a subsidiary or a branch. The Prime Plus package for medium and large businesses costs AED 40,145.
Visas follow the office, one for every 9 square metres, so a company grows from a flexi-desk to a full office on the same license.
A Dubai license costs about a third as much at Meydan Free Zone or IFZA: from AED 12,500 a year with a flexi-desk and no share capital to show.
Financial services belong in DIFC, the centre with its own regulator and courts.
What DMCC company setup costs, package by package
The package lines are DMCC's published prices, paid to DMCC at cost. Our three packages, Smart, Business and VIP, and the accounting are our prices, before VAT, the same on every license: Smart is AED 2,150 for the company, AED 1,450 for a visa and AED 1,800 for the bank account.
Our packages for a DMCC company, DMCC's fees apart
from AED 2,150Get a quote- Basic Biz: license and flexi-desk, for individual owners
- AED 35,484
- Jump Start: license, flexi-desk and 1 visa
- AED 43,780
- Prime Plus, for medium and large businesses
- AED 40,145
- Gaming or AI Centre: license and co-working
- AED 31,000
- JLT Resident, for people who live in the district
- AED 29,205
- Jump Start paid for 3 years
- AED 96,000
- Our fee for a residence visa, each, plus DMCC's own visa fee
- from AED 1,450
- Accounting, a month
- from AED 1,300
DMCC license cost: AED 20,285 a year, the other fees and the second year
Outside the packages DMCC charges fee by fee. The list below is its own, and a package bundles most of it.
| Fee | DMCC charges | When |
|---|---|---|
| Application | AED 1,035 | Once |
| Registration | AED 9,020 | Once |
| Articles of association | AED 2,020 | Once |
| License | AED 20,285 | Every year |
| Establishment card | AED 1,825 | Every year |
| Flexi-desk | AED 15,000 to 20,000 | Every year |
AED 20,285The license alone, and a first year in all
The license alone costs AED 20,285 a year, paid to DMCC at cost. With the other fees and the desk DMCC puts a first year at AED 35,000 to 50,000. The second year repeats the license, the establishment card and the desk: AED 37,110 to 42,110 on this list. In the Crypto, Gaming and AI centres the renewal fees of that year are halved. A license can also be taken for 2, 3 or 5 years at once.
AED 50,000The share capital stays the company's money
The share capital of AED 50,000 stays the company's own money: after setup it is refunded or spent on the business. A cheaper Dubai license is priced line by line in Dubai free zone license cost in 2026.
180 daysPrime Plus conditions and the Uptown package
Prime Plus keeps provisional approval valid for 180 days instead of 90 and freezes the license renewal price. It takes 20% off additional activities and lets you add shareholders, directors and activities free for 3 months after issue. DMCC lists bank account opening as complimentary and takes the package in full in advance. Owners in Uptown Dubai get the Uptown Homeowners package free: a license, 12 months of co-working and a 2-year visa.
DMCC license types and activities, crypto among them
Import, export, distribution and sale of the goods written on the license.
Professional and consulting work, from marketing to IT.
Buying and selling across several product categories under one license.
Manufacturing: natural materials turned into finished goods.
DMCC's list runs past 1,000 activities. We match yours to it before the application goes in.
VARA regulates virtual assets on Dubai's mainland and in its free zones, DIFC excepted. Eight activities, exchange, custody and brokerage among them, need its license on top of DMCC's. A company that trades its own funds or builds blockchain software takes VARA's no-objection certificate instead.
DMCC business setup: the office, the visas and what is done remotely
A registered office in the zone
Every DMCC company has its address in Jumeirah Lakes Towers or Uptown Dubai: a flexi-desk, a serviced office or space of its own.
Visas by desk and by floor area
A flexi-desk in a business centre carries 1 to 3 visas, and the Basic Biz package 1. A physical office carries one visa for every 9 square metres.
Applied for from abroad
The application, the identity check by video call and the signatures all happen online.
One trip to Dubai
The visa fingerprints, the Emirates ID and most banks want the founder in person, and we fit them into a single visit.
DMCC company formation, step by step
- 1–2 days1
License, activities, office
You tell us the business and the team you plan. We choose the license type, the package and the desk or office.
- 2–5 working days2
Pre-approval application
We file the online application with your passport, address proof and business details. DMCC reviews it and checks your identity by video call.
- then3
Signature and payment
You sign the company documents in DMCC's portal, and the fees and the office are paid.
- day 7 to 144
License
DMCC issues the electronic license and an introduction letter for the bank.
- 1–2 weeks5
Establishment card and visas
We obtain the establishment card, the company's immigration file, and the visas for the owner and the staff.
- usually 2–4 weeks6
Bank and tax
The application for a business bank account in the UAE goes in with the license and DMCC's letter. We register the company for corporate tax and, from AED 375,000 of turnover, for VAT: VAT registration in the UAE.
Documents for a DMCC application
Documents
Each owner and director
- Passport copy
- Photo on a white background
- Address proof under 3 months old
- UAE visa and Emirates ID, for residents
A parent company
- Certificate of incorporation
- Certificate of good standing
- Memorandum and articles
- Register of directors and shareholders
- Board resolution for the DMCC company
- ID and address of each beneficial owner (UBO)
You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.
See the platformQuestions about DMCC free zone company setup
What does DMCC stand for?
Dubai Multi Commodities Centre. The free zone was set up in 2002 for commodity trade, in Jumeirah Lakes Towers and Uptown Dubai, and now has more than 26,000 member companies in trade, services, technology and crypto.
Is DMCC owned by the government?
It is a Government of Dubai authority, established in 2002. The authority runs the free zone and licenses the companies in it.
Is DMCC a qualifying free zone?
DMCC states that its companies pay 0% corporate tax on qualifying income as the Cabinet decisions define it. A company earns that rate as a Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP), and its other income is taxed at 9%: the conditions are in our guide to corporate tax in the UAE.
How much does it cost to set up a company in DMCC?
Basic Biz costs AED 35,484 and Jump Start, which adds one visa, AED 43,780, both paid to DMCC. Our packages start at AED 2,150 on top. Across all its packages DMCC puts initial setup costs at AED 10,345 to AED 84,515. Our page on free zones in the UAE sets the fees of 22 zones side by side.
How much does a DMCC trade license cost?
AED 20,285 a year at DMCC's standard tariff, before the desk and the one-off registration fees. With a flexi-desk in the Basic Biz package it costs AED 35,484, and a license can be taken for 2, 3 or 5 years at once.
How many visas can a DMCC company get?
One with the Basic Biz package, up to 3 on a business-centre desk, and one for every 9 square metres of office. Jump Start, at AED 43,780, includes the first visa, and our fee for each visa starts at AED 1,450 on top of DMCC's.
Can a DMCC company trade on the Dubai mainland?
It invoices mainland businesses from the zone. For work on the mainland itself Dubai's Free Zone Mainland Operating Permit costs AED 5,000 for six months, and a shop or a showroom takes a mainland company.
Get a quote for your UAE company
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Updated 9 November 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
