Register a company in Dubai Silicon Oasis

Partly. The consultation, application, business plan and UBO forms can be prepared from abroad, and documents from abroad are notarised and, where DSO marks them, attested by the UAE Embassy in the country of origin, since the UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention. But DSO takes specimen signatures of authorised individuals in the zone, Dtec asks all partners to visit once the initial application is approved and the fees are paid, and visa applicants do the medical test and Emirates ID in the UAE. Plan at least one trip.

Our registration work starts from $2,900; with a UAE bank account set up, from $5,400. Zone fees come on top: DSO publishes no general price list, so we quote its fees for your case. Dtec, the startup campus inside DSO, publishes AED 18,000 for year 1 of its Flexi Desk plan (company setup, up to 2 visas) without saying whether the licence fee or VAT is included. DSO prices its plans annually, and the subsidised Dtec licence ends after five years.

DSO publishes no official setup timeline, so we do not invent one. The order is fixed: consultation, documents and approval of the initial application, the lease, the licence, then residency and banking. Once we know your documents and premises, your quote carries a dated plan. Two federal clocks are published: corporate tax registration within three months of incorporation, and 20 business days for the FTA to process a complete application.

Federal corporate tax: 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above it. A Qualifying Free Zone Person pays 0% on qualifying income and 9% on the rest, if it keeps adequate substance in the zone, has audited financial statements, follows the transfer pricing rules and keeps non-qualifying revenue within 5% of total revenue or AED 5,000,000, whichever is lower. VAT is 5%, with registration mandatory above AED 375,000. Withholding tax is 0% and there is no personal income tax. The zone's own 50-year zero tax rate is a local rule and applies without prejudice to federal tax.

Often not on all its income. Software development and IT services are not on the list of Qualifying Activities in Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025. Income from other free zone companies that are the beneficial recipients can qualify; fees from mainland or foreign clients for these services generally do not, and qualifying intellectual property income is assessed separately. Once non-qualifying revenue passes 5% of total revenue or AED 5,000,000, whichever is lower, the company stops being a QFZP from the start of that tax period and for the next four. A QFZP cannot claim small business relief (revenue up to AED 3,000,000, tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029), so a small company should compare both routes before its first return.

Shareholders do not: they can be UAE or non-UAE nationals, people or companies. The company does need a manager who is a natural person resident in the UAE (DIEZA Regulation 48), at least one director who is a natural person, and a secretary, who can be a company. If the manager already holds a UAE residence visa under another sponsor, DSO asks for that sponsor's no-objection letter. This is the requirement founders abroad most often discover late, so we confirm with DSO how it applies to your structure before you pay any zone fee.

Not on the free zone licence alone: it covers operations inside the free zone. Dubai's Executive Council Resolution No. (11) of 2025, which DSO lists on its legislation page, sets the routes - a branch licence (AED 10,000 a year for a branch operating out of the free zone) or a temporary permit for specific activities (up to six months, AED 5,000), each with the free zone's approval. The Free Zone Mainland Operating Permit, launched in October 2025 for eligible companies holding a Dubai Unified Licence, costs AED 5,000 per six months. Otherwise a licensed mainland distributor or a mainland company is the route. Mainland revenue is taxed at 9% and needs separate records.

Banks set their own criteria, and the account follows the licence. We shortlist the UAE banks and EMIs that fit your profile, build the KYC file (source of funds, contracts, business plan) and support the bank meeting in person or by video where the bank allows. If DSO asks for a share capital letter, it must come from a local bank. The opening timeline is the bank's, and we tell you where you stand at each stage.

Startups and SMEs with technology at the core of the business; access is competitive and reserved for high-impact companies. Dtec's plans include company setup in the DSO free zone: Flexi Desk AED 18,000 (up to 2 visas), Fixed Desk AED 24,200 (up to 3 visas), furnished private offices from AED 47,820, all for year 1. Hot-desk members must use the desk at least 36 hours a month, and the subsidised licence stops after five years. Dtec does not say what its prices include, so we confirm the full bill before you apply.

No. IFZA operates inside Dubai Silicon Oasis and issues its own FZCO licences, with its own packages - for example 0 to 3 visa allocations without office space - and no published fee schedule. A DSO licence comes with a DSO lease, from a flexi desk to a warehouse. The location is shared; the licensing route, price list and visa rules are not. We compare both for your case.