Register a company in Dubai Design District

Largely, yes. DDA takes applications online through TECOM's portal or through the community's relationship manager, and a legal representative can apply for you under a power of attorney. The power of attorney, and a corporate shareholder's resolution, are notarised and attested up to the UAE Embassy, because the UAE is not party to the Apostille Convention. The zone's own steps end with signing the Articles and collecting the documents; its FAQ does not say whether that needs you there, so we confirm it for your case. Visas do need you in the UAE, for the medical test and Emirates ID.

Our registration work starts from $2,900; with a UAE bank account set up, from $5,400. Zone fees come on top: DDA charges AED 3,500 to register and AED 15,000 a year for most d3 licence segments (AED 20,000 for fashion, luxury or interior licences that include manufacturing), plus AED 10 + AED 10 in Knowledge and Innovation Dirham fees per transaction. The licence fee comes round again at every yearly renewal, and d3 does not publish office or desk rents, so those are confirmed for your case.

Corporate tax is 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above, for financial years starting on or after 1 June 2023. Registration with the FTA is free and due within three months of incorporation; registering late costs AED 10,000. VAT is 5%, compulsory once taxable supplies and imports pass AED 375,000 a year and optional above AED 187,500. Withholding tax is 0% and there is no personal income tax. Small business relief lets a resident company with revenue up to AED 3 million elect to be treated as having no taxable income, for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029, but a Qualifying Free Zone Person cannot use it. Neither DDA nor d3 states that d3 is a VAT Designated Zone, so we do not plan on it.

Only on qualifying income, and only while it is a Qualifying Free Zone Person: adequate substance in the zone, audited accounts, transfer-pricing compliance, no election into the standard rates, and non-qualifying revenue within 5% of total revenue or AED 5 million, whichever is lower. Manufacturing and processing of goods are on the federal list of Qualifying Activities. Design, marketing, events and beauty services are not, and transactions with individuals are excluded. In our reading, a studio whose clients sit mostly on the mainland or abroad, or a label selling to shoppers, will exceed the de minimis limit, while a workshop manufacturing for retailers can stay within it. Breach a condition and the status goes for that tax period and the next four.

About 7 working days by d3's own count, once all documents and payments are in: 4 for initial approval and 3 to issue the licence. DDA's own service page allows 10 working days for provisional approval and 2 for registration, so we plan on 7-12 working days for the licence itself. Notarising and attesting documents abroad comes before that clock starts; the establishment card, visas and bank account come after it.

That is the Company + Bank Account package. We shortlist UAE banks or EMIs that fit your profile, build the KYC file - source of funds, contracts, business plan - and prepare you for the meeting, in person or by video where the bank allows. Each bank sets its own criteria and timeline, and we tell you where the application stands. Shares must be fully paid when issued, and DDA's Registrar may ask for a bank or professional reference on the funds, so plan how the capital will be paid and evidenced before you file.

No visa quota per square foot or per desk is published for d3, so we confirm the number with the space you lease. The establishment card comes first: TECOM's in5 and GoFreelance price lists both show AED 2,000 for it. DDA-licensed companies then apply for visas through the AXS portal. Those two price lists quote different visa prices for different products, so we give you the current cost for your case. If the company also holds a DED licence, visas on that side are applied for at the immigration offices.

Not on the DDA licence alone: the zone's FAQ says it covers business inside the free zone, and DDA fines work outside it without the required approvals AED 20,000. Three routes lead out. The dual licence adds a mainland licence that DED issues under its own rules and fees, which we confirm per case. Dubai's Executive Council Resolution No. (11) of 2025 offers, with the zone's approval, a branch licence (AED 10,000 a year for a branch run out of the free zone) or a temporary permit for non-regulated activities, design among them (up to six months, AED 5,000). Or you sell through a licensed mainland distributor. Goods can also reach the local market through customs, subject to its approvals, once the licence includes import and export and you hold a local customs code. Revenue earned under the permit is taxed at 9% and needs separate records.

There are separate d3 segments for Fashion, Luxury and Interior, Furniture and Objects, each holding up to five activities. Without manufacturing the licence costs AED 15,000 a year on AED 10,000 of capital; with manufacturing it is AED 20,000 a year and AED 100,000 of capital. A second AED 15,000 segment costs AED 10,000 a year on top, and activities from another cluster are added only at DDA's discretion. Choose the bracket before filing: moving into manufacturing later means a capital increase, which DDA charges AED 3,000 plus AED 500 for the Articles.

If you work alone under your own name - as a fashion designer, stylist, interior designer or textile designer, for instance - DDA's freelance permit is the lighter route: AED 7,500 a year plus the AED 10 + AED 10 levies, issued in your passport name, with no company name and no staff. A visa and the establishment card cost extra. TECOM's GoFreelance does not require freelancers to have an annual audit. Once you need a brand, employees or partners, it has to be an FZ-LLC or a branch, which is what our packages register.