Register a company in Dubai Science Park

Mostly. Applications go in online through the axs portal. A representative can file for you under a power of attorney notarised in your country and attested up to the UAE embassy; an apostille is not enough, because the UAE is not party to the Apostille Convention. Corporate shareholders need the same chain for their resolution and power of attorney. The residence visa is the step that brings you to Dubai: after the entry permit is issued, you come 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 each licence segment, or AED 25,000 for a manufacturing segment, plus AED 10 + AED 10 in Knowledge and Innovation Dirham fees per transaction. Space is leased for at least a year: DSP prices labs, units and offices on enquiry, and D/Quarters, which has floors in DSP HQ, lists desks from AED 1,200 a month. The licence renews every year at the tariff. Visas need the establishment card (AED 2,000 on TECOM's pages), and TECOM's pages quote visa fees differently, so we confirm them in your quote.

DSP 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. We plan on 7 to 12. The establishment card and visas follow the licence; a MOHAP scientific office approval, if you need one, is applied for after registration. Corporate tax registration with the FTA is due within three months of incorporation, and the FTA quotes 20 business days to process it.

Only on qualifying income, and only as a QFZP that keeps substance in the zone, audited accounts and transfer-pricing records. In our reading, manufacturing or processing goods in DSP's manufacturing segments is a Qualifying Activity. Trading pharma, food or devices is not a qualifying commodity trade, and distribution qualifies only in or from a designated zone; we found no official source naming DSP one. Sales to individuals are excluded activities. If non-qualifying revenue passes 5% of revenue or AED 5,000,000, whichever is lower, the status is lost for five tax periods. The company then pays 0% up to AED 375,000 of taxable income and 9% above.

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 does not levy income tax on individuals. The corporate tax return and any tax due are filed within nine months of the end of the tax period, and records are kept for seven years. Goods moved from the zone into Dubai's customs territory are treated as imports. Groups with global revenue of €750 million or more fall under the domestic minimum top-up tax, which lifts their effective rate to 15%, for financial years from 1 January 2025.

DSP allows one employee per 80 sq ft of leased space, so the lease sets the number, and the DDA, which sponsors your staff under an agreement with the company, can cap it. D/Quarters, on floors 13 and 14 of DSP HQ, lists a shared desk with one work permit from AED 1,200 a month and a desk with two from AED 2,500. Each visa needs the company's establishment card first, medical insurance from the employer and the visa holder in Dubai for the final steps.

Not on the DSP licence alone. DSP's own FAQ says you can only operate within the free zone, and the DDA fines activity outside the zone without meeting its requirements AED 20,000. The routes are a licensed mainland distributor, a mainland branch or company, or in Dubai a branch licence or a temporary permit under Executive Council Resolution No. 11 of 2025: AED 10,000 a year for a branch operating out of the free zone, AED 5,000 for a permit of up to six months. The permit launched in October 2025 covers non-regulated activities, so for health products we check whether yours qualifies. For a QFZP, income earned through a mainland branch or the permit is taxed at 9%.

We found no DSP 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 is paid in full, and the Registrar can ask for a bank or professional reference on where it came from. Our Company + Bank Account package shortlists UAE banks and EMIs for your profile, builds the KYC file and prepares you for the meeting, in person or by video where the bank allows.

The licence renews online each year at the tariff. An unpaid late-renewal fee, or a business not started within 90 days of the licence, gives the DDA grounds to suspend or cancel it. Audited accounts go to the DDA through axs within six months of the year-end with a summary sheet; a missed filing costs AED 10,000, doubled if repeated within a year. The company also holds a members' meeting every calendar year and keeps its UBO declaration and Ejari certificate current on axs. Any MOHAP or other approval must stay valid, and the corporate tax return is due within nine months of the tax period's end.

The licence categories allow for it. Six life science fields and all nine energy and environment fields have manufacturing segments, each with one activity at AED 25,000 a year, and an extra segment at that price gets no discount. DSP offers shell-and-core labs, light industrial units and warehouses; rents are on enquiry, and leases run at least a year. Approvals your products need from other authorities are confirmed per case, because we found no official list of them for DSP's segments. Imports need a customs code; without one the company cannot import goods at all.