Register a company in DWTC Free Zone

Yes, for the company itself. DWTC says forming a company can be done online from anywhere in the world: you open an account on its Business Setup Portal, file the pre-approval form with the UBO section and passport copies, and complete the final documents and the lease after initial approval. If a foreign company is a shareholder, its papers must first be attested by the UAE Embassy in its home country. Visas are different: each adult applicant takes a medical test and applies for an Emirates ID in the UAE, so plan a trip for that stage.

Our registration work starts from $2,900; with a UAE bank account set up, from $5,400. Zone fees come on top: DWTC's on-demand licensing page lists the Professional, Commercial, Event Management and E-Commerce licences at AED 12,000, General Trading and Single Family Office at AED 24,000, and Multi Family Office at AED 34,000. Visas, workspace and add-ons are chosen separately in DWTC's calculator, so we take the current figures for your selection and show each line in the quote.

Read it as the licence price, not the total. DWTC shows its licence prices with a currency sign that we read as the dirham symbol, and it does not say whether the figure is yearly or what it covers. Its calculator adds visas, workspace and add-ons as separate choices, and signing a lease is its own step before the licence is issued. We get DWTC's current figures for your licence type, visas and workspace and list each one before you pay.

No, whatever the zone's '0% taxes' line suggests. DWTC's 2015 law grants a 50-year tax exemption, but federal corporate tax applies to free zone companies: 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above. A Qualifying Free Zone Person pays 0% on qualifying income, meaning income from transactions with other free zone companies or from qualifying activities such as trading qualifying commodities, holding shares, wealth and investment management or headquarter services to related parties, and 9% on the rest. It also needs adequate substance, audited accounts and non-qualifying revenue within 5% of total revenue or AED 5,000,000, whichever is lower. Consulting fees from mainland or foreign clients count towards that non-qualifying limit. There is no personal income tax, and VAT is 5%.

Not on the free zone licence alone. Federal rules send mainland business through a licensed distributor or a mainland branch or company. In Dubai, Executive Council Resolution No. (11) of 2025 adds a branch licence (AED 10,000 a year for a branch operating out of the free zone) and a temporary permit (AED 5,000, up to six months), each needing the free zone authority's approval. Income from a mainland branch or the permit is taxed at 9%, and the company keeps separate records for it. We check which route fits your activity before you sign.

DWTC lists seven steps without processing times, so we put the timing in your quote once your licence type and documents are known. The order is fixed: the application goes in through the Business Setup Portal, initial approval follows, then the final documents and the lease, and the licence after that. If a foreign company is a shareholder, start its embassy attestation early. Corporate tax registration is due within three months of incorporation, and the FTA processes it within 20 business days of a complete application.

You can apply, and the bank decides. After initial approval DWTC issues a letter so a UAE corporate account can be opened, which is where a paid-up capital deposit would go, and it lists bank account opening assistance among its services. Each bank or EMI sets its own criteria and timeline; expect questions on the business plan, contracts and source of funds. Our Company + Bank Account package covers the shortlist, the KYC file and the meeting, and we tell you where the application stands.

It depends on the workspace you sign for. DWTC's on-demand model runs from a licence with no visas up to six visas with workspace, and the lease is signed before the licence. You can choose offices in One Central, Rashid Tower or Convention Tower, or business centres with hot desks, flexi desks and private offices, but DWTC's office pages give no visa ratios, so we confirm the quota for the space you pick. Expo Village home-business packages come with 1, 3, 5 or 7 visas. A residence visa lapses if the holder stays outside the UAE for more than 180 days in a row, with some exceptions.

One owner, person or company: an FZE. Two to ten owners: an FZCO. Both need at least one manager and can have up to five directors. A company that already holds a valid UAE licence can open a UAE Branch, whose activity must match the parent's, and an overseas company can open a Foreign Branch under its own name. Capital is the open question: DWTC's guides offer a paid-up share capital option backed by a bank certificate but state no amount, so we confirm what DWTC expects for your form and activity before you file.

Licence renewal through DWTC's Member Portal, where visa and permit requests are filed too; we confirm the licence term for your case. The UBO register stays with the company: changes are recorded within 15 days, and the data goes to the registrar within 60 days of licensing. Corporate tax registration is due within three months of incorporation (AED 10,000 penalty if late), and the return and any tax within nine months of the year-end. A QFZP needs audited financial statements, as does any taxable company with revenue over AED 50,000,000. DWTC's own audit and annual-return rules are not in its setup guides, so we check them for your licence.