Register a company in Dubai South

Yes, for the company itself. Dubai South says incorporation can be completed digitally, and the Business Hub notes that in many cases you can set up without UAE residency and add visas later. The trips come with residence: the medical test and Emirates ID biometrics are done in person. The Ministry of Economy and Tourism's 2021 profile of the zone still asked for the investor to approve signatures in person, so we confirm the signing route for your file before you book anything.

Our registration work starts from $2,900; with a UAE bank account set up, from $5,400. Zone fees come on top: the Business Hub lists its trade licence from AED 12,500 with flexi-desk access, and the final figure moves with business groups, visas and extra services. Residence visas are a separate package - from AED 3,750 per person in the Business Hub's own guide, updated in September 2026.

Officially, a DWC LLC: that is the name on Dubai South's site, and the Ministry of Economy and Tourism's 2021 registrar profile lists DWC-LLC and DWC-Branch. A Business Hub article from October 2026 uses FZE and FZCO names instead, and the current shareholder and officer rules are unconfirmed. We confirm the form, its name and the officer roles with the zone before you sign.

Corporate tax is 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above it. A Qualifying Free Zone Person pays 0% on qualifying income, such as income from other free zone companies or from logistics services and aircraft leasing, and 9% on the rest, provided it keeps substance in the zone, follows the transfer pricing rules, has audited accounts and keeps non-qualifying revenue within 5% of the total or AED 5,000,000, whichever is lower. Sales to individuals are an excluded activity, so a shop selling mainly to consumers pays the standard rates. VAT is 5%, withholding tax 0%, and there is no personal income tax.

Dubai South's own figure, from April 2026, is a trade licence within one business day once incorporation is done digitally, and the Business Hub speaks of same-day issue for eligible businesses after the documents are approved. Third-party approvals and the security check can add time. Visas follow the licence, and corporate tax registration is due within three months of incorporation. We set out the full timing in your quote.

Two banks have partnered with Dubai South to help free zone companies open corporate accounts, Mashreq and Ruya Bank, and eligible licences receive an instant IBAN; opening the account is still subject to each bank's own assessment. We compare those routes with other UAE banks and EMIs for your profile, prepare the KYC file and tell you where the application stands.

Not on the free zone licence alone. Federal guidance says a free zone company reaches the mainland through a licensed distributor or its own mainland branch or company. In Dubai, Executive Council Resolution No. (11) of 2025 sets three routes, each approved by the free zone authority: a branch in the emirate, a branch operating out of the free zone (AED 10,000 a year) and a permit for specific activities of up to six months (AED 5,000). The permit is for eligible companies holding a Dubai Unified Licence, its revenue is taxed at 9% and kept in separate records, and goods moved into Dubai's customs area are treated as imports.

There is no visa quota per desk, office or warehouse in the material we read, so we size it with the zone for your plans. Its terms separate the visa allocation fee, which only assigns the quota, from the fees for each visa. The Business Hub handles investor, employee, dependent and Golden visas: an entry permit or eVisa from the GDRFA, then the medical test, biometrics and Emirates ID. For longer investor residence, the Green visa asks for a contribution of at least AED 1,000,000 and the Golden visa a company valued at AED 2 million or more.

No. It is the Business Hub's starting price for the licence with flexi-desk access. Visa allocation and visa fees, the establishment card, a bigger workspace and every renewal come on top, and we found no complete public fee list, so we itemise each charge with the zone before you pay. Refunds are narrow: a rejected licence application costs AED 2,000 of what you paid, and a payment of AED 2,000 or less is not refunded at all.

Licence, establishment card and visa renewals; UBO details kept current under Cabinet Resolution No. 109 of 2023; a corporate tax return, with any tax paid, within nine months of each year-end. Audited accounts are required for a QFZP or with revenue above AED 50,000,000. We have not found Dubai South's own audit and annual-return rules, so we confirm them with the zone.