Setup a Business in the DMCC Free Zone

Dubai free zones are special economic zones established by the government to enhance the flow of foreign direct investment and attract foreign entrepreneurs and investors to set up a business in their territory. It offers various incentives and tax exemptions owing to which foreign business owners set up their businesses in the Dubai-free zones.

The DMCC free zone is the largest and one of the most reputed free zones in the world. It provides business owners and entrepreneurs with various benefits, such as 100% foreign ownership, 100% exemption from paying personal or corporate income tax, and 100% repatriation on profits. The DMCC business setup has a quick and easy registration process and provides an opportunity to connect with over 24000 companies from 180 different countries established in the zone. Moreover, it provides you with easy access to the Middle East, Asia, and Africa markets. Setting up a business in the DMCC free zone will help you build credibility and reputation among your clients and investors and give you exposure to the global market. With its strategic location, you can easily expand your business to the international markets. The DMCC free zone provides you with excellent infrastructural facilities for transport, technology, and health, including flexible office solutions. It can provide you with shared office spaces if you are a small business owner and high-rise building if you have a big MNC. Lastly, it gives you an option to choose from a wide range of business activities such as consultancy, trading, health and pharmaceutical activities, professional services, IT services, food and beverages, etc.

The cost for the registration of a DMCC free zone business setup is around AED 9000 to AED 10000. It is only the registration cost and there are many other costs involved in a DMCC free zone business setup such as visas, licenses, office spaces etc.

There are several documents required for a DMCC free zone business setup such as a copy of the passport, filled application form, residential address proof (bank statement or an electricity bill), a business plan, any additional approval based on your business activity, copies of the important documents of the parent company in case of a branch office.

An FZ-LLC is a limited liability company with its own separate entity, while a branch office is nothing but an extension of the parent company only. It is not a separate entity and operates under the name of its parent company only.

You can set up a limited liability company as well as a free zone establishment in the DMCC free zone, but first, you need to understand some differences between the two. A free zone establishment is similar to a sole proprietorship, i.e., only a single individual owns and operates the business. He or she is solely responsible for all the profits and liabilities of the company. Moreover, the owner of an FZE has unlimited liability, i.e., his or her personal assets, like a house or car, which can be used for the repayment of business debts. On the other hand, an FZ-LLC limits the liability of its owners or members and safeguards their personal assets from the liability of the company. This implies that only the company's assets can be utilised to repay its debts and not the personal assets of the owners or members of the FZ-LLC.

You need to select a business activity in which you will be conducting your business in the DMCC free zone. The allowed business activities in the zone are professional services, trading activities, food and beverages like restaurants or catering business, real estate activities like property management or development, consultancy services like management or legal consultancy, healthcare like pharmaceutical trading, construction and engineering activities, industrial manufacturing activities and IT services like E-commerce or software development.

The process of DMCC free zone business setup is easy but quite lengthy. Initially, you need to select a name for your business and check it with the official DMCC website. After choosing the name, you should select a business activity in which you will be conducting your business. There are several business activities for you to choose from, such as IT services, healthcare and pharmaceutical activities, food and beverages, professional services, consultancy services, industrial manufacturing activities, construction activities, and trading activities. The next step is to select a business structure for your DMCC free zone business setup, i.e., Free zone establishment, FZ-LLC and a branch office. Now, you should obtain the initial approval from the DMCC authorities before moving ahead with the process. The next steps include finding a local bank to open a business bank account to conduct financial transactions for your office and also looking for a physical office space to conduct your business operations. You might need to obtain additional approval from the government authorities based on the type of your business activity. Finally, pay the specified fees and submit the required documents to the DMCC authorities to obtain your business trade license. Our experts will complete all the steps listed above for your DMCC-free zone business setup smoothly and efficiently at affordable prices. You just need to connect with us and relax in the comfort of your home. We will handle the rest.

You can setup a limited liability company (FZ-LLC), a free zone establishment (FZE) and a branch office in the DMCC free zone.