Register a company in Dubai Internet City

Mostly. The DDA takes applications online through the axs portal, and a representative can file for you under a power of attorney notarised in your country and attested by the UAE embassy, because the UAE is not part of the Apostille Convention. Corporate shareholders need the same chain for their resolution. The residence visa is the step that needs you in Dubai: after the entry permit is issued, you fly in for the medical test and the Emirates ID.

Our registration work starts from $2,900; with a UAE bank account set up, from $5,400. Zone fees come on top: AED 3,500 to register and AED 15,000 a year for a one-segment licence, and AED 10,000 for each extra standard segment. Add AED 10 + AED 10 in Knowledge and Innovation Dirham fees per transaction and a lease of at least a year, which DIC prices on enquiry. The licence renews every year at the tariff. Visas need the company's establishment card (AED 2,000 on TECOM's pages) plus visa fees that TECOM's own pages quote differently, so we confirm them in your quote.

DIC quotes 7 working days once all documents and payments are in: 4 for initial approval and 3 for the licence. The DDA's own service page allows 10 working days for provisional approval and 2 for registration, so we plan on 7 to 12 working days. The establishment card and visas come after the licence. Corporate tax registration with the FTA is due within three months of incorporation, and the FTA's processing time is 20 business days.

Only on qualifying income, and only as a QFZP that keeps substance in the zone, audited accounts and transfer-pricing records. As we read the rules, DIC's activities - software, internet, telecoms, IT services, data centres - are not on the Ministry of Finance's list of Qualifying Activities. Income from other free zone companies can qualify. Fees from foreign clients count as non-qualifying revenue, and mainland work, which needs a permit or branch anyway, is taxed at 9%. Once non-qualifying revenue passes 5% of revenue or AED 5,000,000, whichever is lower, the company loses QFZP status for five tax periods. It then pays 0% up to AED 375,000 of taxable income and 9% above, or claims small business relief while revenue stays within AED 3,000,000, for tax periods ending by 31 December 2029.

VAT at 5%, with registration compulsory above AED 375,000 of taxable supplies and imports and optional above AED 187,500. Withholding tax is 0%, and the UAE has no personal income tax on salaries or dividends. The corporate tax return is filed, and any tax paid, within nine months of the end of the tax period, and records are kept for seven years. Groups with global revenue of €750 million or more in two of the four preceding years fall under the domestic minimum top-up tax, which lifts their effective rate to 15% for financial years from 1 January 2025.

DIC allocates one visa for every 60 sq ft of leased commercial space, so the lease decides the number. The DDA sponsors employees under an agreement with the company and can cap how many it sponsors. TECOM's D/Quarters coworking sells desks with one or more work permits, but it sits in Dubai Media City and Dubai Science Park, and whether a DIC licence may use it is not published, so we confirm it before you plan on it. Startups admitted to in5 have the sponsorship agreement fee waived for up to four visas in their first three years.

Not on the DIC licence alone: it covers business inside the free zone, and the DDA fines activity outside the zone without meeting its requirements AED 20,000. The routes are DIC's dual licence for FZ-LLCs, a branch licence or a temporary permit under Dubai's Executive Council Resolution No. 11 of 2025, or a licensed mainland distributor. Under that resolution a branch licence operating out of the free zone costs AED 10,000 a year and the permit AED 5,000 for up to six months. A branch or permit needs separate accounts for that work, and for a QFZP the mainland income is taxed at 9%.

We found no DIC or DDA rule on account opening, so each bank applies its own criteria and timetable. Expect questions on the source of funds and your contracts, and possibly a meeting. The AED 10,000 capital has to be paid up in full, and the Registrar decides what evidence it accepts. Our Company + Bank Account package shortlists UAE banks and EMIs for your profile and builds the KYC file; we also prepare you for the meeting, in person or by video where the bank allows.

The licence renews online each year at the tariff. Audited accounts go to the DDA through axs within six months of the year-end, with a summary sheet, and a missed filing costs AED 10,000. The company holds a members' meeting every calendar year (a sole shareholder can sign written resolutions), keeps its UBO details current on axs and files the corporate tax return within nine months of the end of the tax period. E-invoicing has fixed dates: companies under AED 50 million of revenue appoint an accredited provider by 31 March 2027 and go live by 1 July 2027.

Tech activities grouped into segments: software; internet and multimedia; telecommunication and network; IT services. Each holds up to five activities, such as developer, consultancy or solution provider, and data centres add a segment with three. General-segment licences such as consultancy or a regional headquarters are available too, at AED 15,000 a year each. A single professional can take an ICT freelancer permit for AED 7,500 a year instead of a company. Manufacturing does not fit here: DIC itself points manufacturers to Dubai Industrial City.