Register a company in Dubai Production City

The company part, largely yes. DDA takes applications online through TECOM's portal or through DPC's partner relationship manager, and a power of attorney signed abroad is notarised and attested up to the UAE Embassy, because the UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention. Visas need you in the country: after the entry permit you come in for the medical test and the Emirates ID application. The registered office has to be in the zone, so the lease is settled before the visa trip.

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 DPC segments (AED 20,000 for Publishing, AED 25,000 for signage fabrication or paper packaging), plus AED 10 + AED 10 in Knowledge and Innovation Dirham fees per transaction. The licence fee recurs at every yearly renewal, and the segment's share capital is paid in on top. DPC publishes no rents, so premises are quoted for your case.

It depends on the segment, and the official pages disagree. DDA's Decision No. 1 of 2021 sets AED 50,000 for Publishing, Printing Consumables and most other DPC segments, AED 100,000 for Printing Press, machinery and paper packaging, and AED 500,000 for signage fabrication. DPC's FAQ still says AED 10,000; in our reading that fits only activities outside the DPC segments, such as consultancy. Shares must be fully paid when issued, normally in cash, and DDA may ask for a bank reference. A branch of an existing company needs no minimum capital.

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. VAT is 5%; registration is compulsory once taxable supplies and imports pass AED 375,000 a year and optional from AED 187,500. Withholding tax is 0% and there is no personal income tax. Small business relief (revenue up to AED 3 million, tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029) lets a small company elect to be treated as having no taxable income, but a Qualifying Free Zone Person cannot claim it. The return, and any tax, is due within nine months of the period end.

Only on qualifying income, and only while it stays 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. Income from another free zone company that is the real recipient qualifies unless the activity is excluded. From mainland or foreign clients, income qualifies only for Qualifying Activities, such as manufacturing, processing or logistics, and transactions with individuals are excluded. Neither DDA nor DPC says which DPC activities qualify, so we test yours against Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025 before you rely on 0%. Breach a condition and the status is lost for that tax period and the next four.

DPC's FAQ says about 7 working days once 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 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 the bank account come after it. Corporate tax registration with the FTA is due within three months of incorporation.

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. The share capital must be fully paid when the shares are issued, so we plan the bank route and the capital together.

Visas follow the space you lease. DPC's FAQ allows roughly one employee per 80-100 sq ft, and we confirm the exact quota against your lease. The establishment card comes first, then employee visas through axs, which also handles family sponsorship. TECOM's in5 and GoFreelance pages both list the establishment card at AED 2,000 but give different visa prices, so we quote current visa costs for your case. Startups admitted to in5 Media get subsidised pricing for up to four visas.

Not on the DPC licence alone. DPC's FAQ says you can operate only within the free zone, and DDA can fine work outside it without the required approvals AED 20,000. The FAQ points to a DED licence at the same location under Law No. 13 of 2011. Dubai's Executive Council Resolution No. (11) of 2025 adds a branch licence (one year; AED 10,000 a year for a branch run out of the free zone) or a temporary permit (up to six months, AED 5,000), each with DDA's approval. The permit is for non-regulated activities, and Dubai's Media Office says revenue under it is subject to 9% corporate tax and needs separate records. A licensed mainland distributor is the other route.

Often not. DDA Circular 630 (August 2025) says companies carrying out media activities under Federal Decree-Law No. (55) of 2023 need a licence from the competent authority or the UAE Media Council, and names newspapers, printed publications and the reprinting of publications among them. Newspaper publishers also register each title with DDA, for a fee, and what you actually do has to match the activity on your DDA licence. We confirm the Media Council's requirements for your activity before you file.