Register a company in Dubai Studio City

The company part, largely yes. DDA takes applications online through TECOM's portal or through the community's relationship manager, and its service pages describe only those two channels. A power of attorney signed abroad is notarised and attested up to the UAE Embassy, as is a corporate shareholder's resolution, because the UAE is not in the Apostille Convention. Visas are different: once the entry permit is issued, you fly in for the medical test and Emirates ID. We plan that trip with you.

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 to AED 40,000 a year for the licence, depending on the DSC segment, plus AED 10 + AED 10 in Knowledge and Innovation Dirham fees per transaction. The licence fee recurs at every yearly renewal. Share capital, office or studio rent and visas are separate; TECOM's price lists put the establishment card at AED 2,000, and because its pages disagree on visa prices, we quote the current figure for your case.

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 above 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 resident company elect to be treated as having no taxable income, but a Qualifying Free Zone Person cannot claim it. Corporate tax registration with the FTA is free and due within three months of incorporation; registering late costs AED 10,000.

Only on qualifying income, and only while it is 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. Film and TV production, broadcasting and streaming are not on the federal list of Qualifying Activities, and transactions with individuals are excluded activities. In our reading, that leaves mainly fees from other free zone companies at 0%; a subscription sold to viewers, or work for mainland and foreign clients, is non-qualifying. Breach a condition and the status is lost for that tax period and the next four.

Two official sources disagree, so we budget high. DDA's Decision No. 1 of 2021 sets AED 1,000,000 for satellite or terrestrial TV and radio, and AED 50,000 for every other DSC segment, streaming and production included. The DSC FAQ quotes a minimum refundable capital of AED 10,000, which in our reading applies to activities outside DSC's own segments, such as general consultancy. Shares must be fully paid when issued, normally in cash, and DDA may ask for a bank reference. A branch of an existing foreign or UAE company needs no minimum capital. We confirm your figure with DDA before you file.

The DSC FAQ says it usually takes 7 working days once all documents and payments are in: 4 for initial approval and 3 to issue the licence. DDA's own service pages allow 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 bank account come after it.

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 your application stands. Plan the capital alongside: shares must be fully paid when they are issued.

Visas follow the space you lease: one employee per 80 sq ft, per the DSC FAQ. DSC's offices run from 700 to 1,300 sq ft, which works out at 8 to 16 employees on that rule. DSC lists co-working space without prices or a visa allowance, and TECOM's in5 centres and D/Quarters desks are in other districts. The establishment card comes first; axs, which has a service centre in DSC, then handles employee visas, and family and domestic help can be sponsored too.

Not on the DSC licence alone: the DSC FAQ says you can operate only within the free zone, and DDA fines activity outside it without the required approvals AED 20,000. Dubai's Executive Council Resolution No. (11) of 2025 opens routes with the zone's approval: 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). The permit covers non-regulated activities, and media work under the Media Council's rules may not fit, so we check yours first. Mainland revenue is subject to 9% corporate tax and needs separate records; a licensed mainland distributor is the other route.

Usually 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 the activity must match the DDA licence; radio and TV broadcasting is one of its examples. Broadcasters also register each channel with DDA for a fee. Filming is a separate matter: Executive Council Resolution No. (50) of 2014 makes the Dubai Film and TV Commission the only body that licenses media filming in the emirate, free zones included, and fines filming without a permit AED 25,000. We confirm what the regulators require for your activity before you file.