Dubai CommerCity free zone company setup: FZCO capital from AED 1,000
Dubai CommerCity is Dubai's free zone for e-commerce, next to Dubai International Airport. We set your company up there and quote the zone's fees with our fixed fee.
Dubai CommerCity Umm Ramool, Dubai
- 2.1 million Square feet beside Dubai International Airport
- AED 1,000 Minimum share capital of an FZCO
- 20 Activities at most on one license
What Dubai CommerCity is and who is behind it
2.1 millionSquare feet built for online trade
Dubai CommerCity, DCC for short, is the free zone Dubai built for online trade. Its authority calls it the first in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia dedicated to digital commerce. It was established in April 2021 on 2.1 million square feet in Umm Ramool, next to Dubai International Airport.
AED 3.2 bnA joint venture of DIEZ and Wasl
The zone is a joint venture of the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority, DIEZ, and Wasl, a semi-government property group, with an investment of AED 3.2 billion. DIEZ's three zones were 96% occupied in the first half of 2026. Bayut and dubizzle, Arvato and BEUMER Group work from this one.
3 clustersBusiness, Logistics and Social
The zone has 3 clusters: Business for offices, Logistics for warehouses and fulfilment centres, Social for shops and restaurants. The first two are bonded: goods from abroad enter and wait there under customs supervision, with no duty paid on entry.
Dubai CommerCity has been on the Federal Tax Authority's list of designated zones for VAT since 1 January 2021.
Which businesses Dubai CommerCity suits, and when DAFZA, Dubai South or Meydan fits better
Stock waits in a bonded fulfilment centre next to Dubai International Airport. An operator picks, packs and ships each order, and a last-mile service delivers it the same day or the next.
Parcels pass through DCC Way, the zone's transit platform, with a customs team on site. In May 2026 the zone deepened its link to Dubai Customs' cross-border platform, which automates the route from order to clearance to delivery.
A Smart Desk is a serviced workstation with internet, utilities and a shared lounge. The zone also issues a freelance license to one person.
Cargo that needs the airport itself belongs at DAFZA. Dubai South has its own e-commerce district beside Al Maktoum airport. A consultancy that wants a printed fee takes Meydan Free Zone, where AED 12,500 a year covers the desk. A service company with no stock takes DWTC Free Zone.
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Dubai CommerCity offices and warehouses
Offices for lease, bills paid by the zone
Offices are for lease only, and one license can hold two or more premises. The zone pays the electricity, air conditioning and water of an office and keeps it cleaned and maintained, and the buildings stay open 24 hours.
Whole floors to fit out, and the Social Cluster
A larger tenant fits out a shell-and-core floor to its own design, and the Social Cluster adds shops, restaurants, a food hall and kiosks.
| Premises | What it is | Who takes it |
|---|---|---|
| Smart Desk | Serviced workstation, shared lounge and pantry | Freelancers and new companies |
| Coworking space | Hot desks, dedicated desks and private pods | Start-ups and remote teams |
| Premium or fitted office | Furnished or fitted, ready to move in | SMEs and representative offices |
| Dedicated warehouse | Private store, temperature control available | Retailers and logistics providers |
| Multi-client warehouse | Shared store run by a logistics operator | Sellers with changing stock |
| Fulfilment centre | Picking, packing and dispatch | Online shops |
Dubai CommerCity licenses, activities and company forms
For a company that sells goods and services online and takes payment digitally.
A trade license permits the import, export, re-export, storage and distribution of the products it names. General trading extends this across unrelated product lines.
Consulting and other professional work take the service license. The industrial license allows light production, packing and assembly in the zone.
The base license carries three activities from one industry group. For a fee the company adds more, to a ceiling of 20 activities from four groups.
An FZCO has 1 to 50 shareholders, people or companies, and share capital from AED 1,000. A branch needs no capital. A PLC is the form for a company that will list its shares.
A DCC company applies for a second license from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and needs no further office for it.
Dubai CommerCity license cost: the zone's package and our fee
The zone prints no tariff, so the exact figure for your activities and premises is in your quote. Our lines are before VAT, and DET charges the mainland permit.
Dubai CommerCity company with its license, our fee
Fixed in your quoteYou get the figure in writing by the end of the next working day.
Get a quote- The zone's package for your activities and size
- in your quote
- Smart Desk, office or warehouse lease
- in your quote
- Residence visa, each
- from AED 3,000
- Mainland operating permit, six months
- AED 5,000
- Accounting, a month
- from $350
Corporate tax and VAT for an online business in Dubai CommerCity
9%Corporate tax above AED 375,000
A Dubai CommerCity company pays UAE corporate tax: nothing on the first AED 375,000 of taxable income, 9% on the rest. On election, Small Business Relief brings the tax to nil while revenue is AED 3 million or less, in tax periods that end by 31 December 2029.
5%The most a 0% company may earn from consumers
The 0% regime of a Qualifying Free Zone Person seldom suits a shop that sells to consumers. Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025 makes any sale to a natural person an excluded activity, and revenue of that kind may reach 5% of the total and no more. A wholesaler stands differently: distribution from a designated zone to buyers who resell the goods qualifies.
2021Since then a designated zone for VAT on goods
As a designated zone since 1 January 2021, Dubai CommerCity is treated as outside the UAE for VAT on goods. Stock from abroad carries no VAT while it stays there, and an order delivered to a mainland buyer is an import at 5%.
AED 375,000When VAT registration is due
Services carry 5%. A company whose taxable sales pass AED 375,000 a year registers: VAT registration in the UAE. Our accountants file the returns, and accounting with us is from $350 a month.
Dubai CommerCity compared with DAFZA, Dubai South and Meydan
| Compared | Dubai CommerCity | DAFZA | Dubai South | Meydan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stands at | Umm Ramool, by Dubai International Airport | Inside Dubai International Airport | Al Maktoum International Airport | Nad Al Sheba |
| License a year | Quoted by package | From AED 15,000, and AED 12,000 once | AED 12,500 with a flexi-desk | AED 12,500 with a flexi-desk |
| First year with one visa | In your quote | AED 41,790 with a smart desk, 2023 fees | AED 16,190 before the lease | From AED 22,600 |
| To the license | No time published | 14 to 21 working days | Same day | 1 to 3 working days |
| Warehouses | Dedicated, shared and fulfilment units | Inside the airport boundary | Beside the cargo terminals | None |
DAFZA company setup in Dubai Airport Free Zone Dubai South Free Zone company setup Meydan Free Zone company setup
Company setup in Dubai CommerCity, step by step
- day 11
License and premises
We start from your product, your buyers and the stock you hold, and choose the license, the activities and the desk, office or warehouse.
- then2
Initial approval
We file the application: a business plan, six months of bank statements and a bank reference for a founder, or the profile and audited accounts of a parent company.
- after approval3
Registration and license
A corporate shareholder has its papers notarised, then attested by a UAE embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Signatories give specimen signatures at the zone, which then issues the license.
- 1–3 weeks4
Visas
We open the immigration file and apply for each residence visa. The holder visits Dubai once, for the medical check and the Emirates ID biometrics.
- usually 2–4 weeks5
Tax file and bank application
We obtain the corporate tax number first. The bank then gets the application from us, with the license and the lease.
Documents for Dubai CommerCity company setup
Documents
An FZCO owned by a person
- Application form and business plan
- Passports of the shareholders and the manager
- Six months of personal bank statements
- Original bank reference letter
- Beneficial owner's proof of address
An FZCO owned by a company, or a branch
- Company profile and audited financial report
- Certificate of incorporation
- Memorandum and articles
- Owners' declaration to open the FZCO or branch
- Powers of attorney for manager, director and secretary
- Manager's no-objection letter from a UAE sponsor
You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.
See the platformQuestions about Dubai CommerCity free zone company setup
Is Dubai CommerCity a free zone?
Yes: one of the three free zones under the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority, beside Dubai Airport Freezone and Dubai Silicon Oasis. The zone itself licenses its companies.
Where is Dubai CommerCity located?
The location is 11 17th Street in Umm Ramool, Dubai, next to Dubai International Airport. The zone places its Smart Desks near Emirates metro station.
Which e-commerce license suits an online shop in the UAE?
A company that imports, stores and ships its own stock takes a free-zone e-commerce license, the kind Dubai CommerCity issues. Our guide to the e-commerce license in Dubai sets the free-zone and mainland licenses side by side.
Does Dubai CommerCity publish its license fees?
No. The zone prices a package by the company's activities, size and premises, with pay-as-you-go terms on offer, and we put its figure in your quote. Zones with a printed tariff are listed on free zones in the UAE.
Can a Dubai CommerCity company sell on the Dubai mainland?
Yes. An order for a mainland buyer leaves the zone through customs as an import. For work on the mainland itself the company adds the dual license with DET or the six-month operating permit at AED 5,000: company formation in Dubai.
Do I need a UAE partner to run a fulfilment centre in Dubai CommerCity?
No. The zone's rules give the founder 100% ownership, logistics and fulfilment centres included.
Get a quote for your UAE company
Book a 30-minute call about your company
Your consultant Vladyslav Babaiev Opens in a new tab Business Setup Specialist
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- 30 minutes, free, no obligation to order.
- After the call we email you the checklist of documents for your country.
We reply by the end of the next working day with the cost and the dates for your case. The first call is free and confidential.
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Updated 13 October 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
