DMCC company registration, costs, visas and who it suits

Key Takeaways

DMCC's schedule of charges (undated, as of October 2026) lists AED 1,035 for the application, AED 9,020 for registration and about AED 20,000 a year for the licence.
DMCC's own year-one estimate is AED 35,000 to 50,000, yet the schedule lines plus a flexi desk at AED 16,000 to 19,000 can pass AED 50,000.
DMCC does not open the bank account; licensing asks for a bank reference or a capital deposit confirmation.
A DMCC company files audited accounts within six months of year end, prepared by a DMCC-approved auditor (DMCC guideline of 29 April 2025).
The 0% Corporate Tax rate belongs to a Qualifying Free Zone Person on qualifying income, not to every DMCC company (Ministerial Decision 229 of 2025).

DMCC company registration runs on a published schedule of charges, and agents build their quotes from it, adding lines of their own. Telling the two apart is the first job when you weigh DMCC for trading, commodities or a service business, or when you hold a quote you cannot read.

What DMCC is and who it suits

DMCC, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, is a Dubai free zone run by the DMCC Authority, with its website at dmcc.ae. DMCC company setup suits traders in commodities and goods, service companies that want a Dubai address, and businesses placed in its crypto, gaming and AI centres. DMCC states that 100% foreign ownership is allowed.

Regulators sit outside the centres. For virtual assets, the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) is the Dubai regulator whose licence a virtual asset firm needs. The company may not carry on virtual asset activity until it holds that licence (VARA licensing page, as of October 2026). Ask VARA for the steps in writing before you pay for a DMCC licence.

Company types, shareholders and capital

Set-ups run from an individual-owned company to a subsidiary or a branch, and the company limited by shares is the usual form. Companies limited by guarantee came under separate DMCC regulations in 2024. A company needs at least one shareholder, a director and a company secretary, and one person can hold both of the last two roles. Owners of 25% or more are disclosed to DMCC.

No fixed minimum capital appears in DMCC's regulations. Its licence guide of 9 April 2026 says the amount is typically AED 50,000, depending on the business activity, which makes it a usual figure and not a rule. The investor visa has its own test: DMCC guidance of 30 March 2026 asks for 50 shares and AED 50,000 of share capital.

Capital evidence is the point where files stall, advisers commonly report. Applicants pay for the licence first and learn afterwards how DMCC wants the capital shown, and the licence and the investor visa application then wait, with the fees already paid.

What DMCC publishes and the year-one estimate

Each line below is labelled as the DMCC schedule of charges stood in October 2026; DMCC publishes it without a date.

Line	Amount	Label
Application	AED 1,035	Fee schedule.
Registration	AED 9,020	Fee schedule.
Articles of Association	AED 2,020	Fee schedule.
Licence, per year	About AED 20,000, higher with extra activities	Fee schedule.
Establishment card, per year	AED 1,825	Fee schedule.
Flexi desk in a Business Centre, per year	AED 16,000 to 19,000	Fee schedule.
Jump Start flexi package	AED 43,780	Package.

The first five lines (application, registration, Articles of Association, licence and establishment card) add up to about AED 34,000 before any desk. That sum takes the licence as about AED 20,000, because the schedule page prints two slightly different licence figures. It also prints AED 1,015 for the application in another section, so confirm that line with DMCC. DMCC states that its charges carry an AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation fee. A DMCC flexi desk at AED 16,000 to 19,000 takes the total to between about AED 50,000 and AED 53,000. DMCC gave AED 35,000 to 50,000 as its own year-one estimate, including licence, registration and flexi desk (DMCC article, 12 February 2026), so the estimate and the schedule lines do not meet at the upper end.

Ask DMCC or your agent which desk product sits behind any total, and whether VAT is inside it.

Visas, flexi desk and FreelanceUAE

Visa allowances per desk type are not on DMCC's schedule of charges. It lists AED 500 for each additional visa requested plus a non-refundable AED 250 application fee (DMCC schedule, as of October 2026). The allowance depends on the space you hold, so ask for the number that goes with your desk or office in writing.

Employment visas appear on the same schedule: a new two-year employment visa applied for from outside the UAE at AED 2,972.5, and a one-year visa at AED 2,237. Emirates ID typing, a DMCC service, is AED 351.40 for one year. The AED 1,825 establishment card compares with a GDRFA fee of AED 200 plus 5% VAT and AED 20 in levies for Dubai mainland companies (GDRFA, as of October 2026). Free zones price their own services.

FreelanceUAE is DMCC's freelance licence: AED 4,020 for one year without a visa, for one profession and no employees, with processing of 7 to 10 working days (FreelanceUAE, as of October 2026). DMCC states that its visa packages are temporarily on hold, so a quote that bundles a freelance visa needs a written explanation. Bank support through a partner bank asks for a valid UAE visa and the licence. The wider choice of permits is in the guide to the freelance visa and freelance permit.

Bank account and capital evidence

Bank accounts are not something DMCC opens, and its licensing step asks for a bank reference or a capital deposit confirmation. The bank conversation therefore starts before the licence is paid for, not after it (DMCC setup page, as of October 2026).

Banks decide on their own file: the ownership chain, the activity wording and the source of funds. The Central Bank's customer due diligence guidance, listed as in force from 7 November 2025, tells banks to verify customers and beneficial owners and keep records for at least five years. The Central Bank announced updated guidance in April 2026, so read the current version on its rulebook. On 25 December 2025 the Dubai Free Zones Council noted challenges in opening bank accounts for free zone companies and said shared risk-classification standards were being developed (Dubai Media Office).

Audit, Corporate Tax status and renewal

Audited accounts are due within six months of the financial year end, signed by a DMCC-approved auditor (DMCC guideline of 29 April 2025). The licence renews every year, and the licence line of about AED 20,000 rises with extra activities (DMCC schedule, as of October 2026). Check any firm from the audit firms directory against DMCC's approved list before you sign an engagement letter.

On tax, the 0% Corporate Tax rate applies to a Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP), a company that meets the tests, and only on qualifying income (Ministerial Decision 229 of 2025). Non-qualifying revenue must stay within the lower of 5% of total revenue or AED 5,000,000, and a QFZP needs audited financial statements whatever its revenue. A company that fails loses the status for that tax period and the next four.

Commodity traders should note one condition. Trading in Qualifying Commodities (metals, minerals, energy and agricultural commodities with a quoted price) does not qualify where distribution, warehousing, logistics or inventory functions reach 51% or more of revenue. The English text of the decision on the Ministry of Finance website is not an official translation. Before you file, run the QFZP test on your own figures with a corporate tax consultant.

Working on the Dubai mainland from DMCC

Invoicing Dubai mainland customers is not covered by a DMCC licence alone. Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025 (3 March 2025) gives free zone companies three routes in Dubai. One is a mainland branch. Another is a branch operating out of the free zone, commonly called a dual licence, at AED 10,000 a year. The third is a permit of up to six months at AED 5,000. Each needs the free zone's prior approval.

Since 8 October 2025 DET has offered the permit online through Invest in Dubai at AED 5,000 for six months, first for non-regulated activities. It asks for a Dubai Unified Licence (Dubai Media Office, October 2025). The Resolution sets no fee for the mainland-premises branch, which follows DET's general fee rules. Both routes cover Dubai only (Article 3(c)), and related revenue is taxed at 9% according to the Dubai Media Office.

A law-firm review published in March 2025 names DMCC among four zones, with DIFC, DAFZA and Dubai Design District, that held older dual-licence arrangements with DET agreed between 2017 and 2020. The comparison of routes sits in the guide to a free zone company in Dubai, and the licence side in the guide to a mainland company setup.

How to read a DMCC quote

Readable quotes list DMCC's lines first and the agent's lines second, each with an amount and a label.

DMCC lines: application, registration, Articles of Association, licence and establishment card, each matching the schedule above.
The desk: the product (flexi desk, Jump Start package or office), its price and the visa allowance that comes with it.
Visas: how many are included, what each extra visa costs, and whether the establishment card is counted.
Capital: the amount of share capital and the way DMCC wants it evidenced.
Agent lines: service fee, bank introduction, VAT and anything marked optional.

Totals far below the sum of the DMCC lines mean a line is missing; totals far above it mean the difference is the agent's fee, and the quote should name it. The step-by-step route is in the guide to setting up a company in Dubai yourself. The overview of free zones in the UAE sets the other zones side by side.

Three items are worth settling in writing with DMCC before you pay: how the capital evidence is accepted, the bank reference, and any no-objection letter your activity needs from a regulator. An adviser who files regularly with DMCC can check all three against your activity first, and the guide to choosing a business setup consultant lists what to ask for.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is DMCC?

DMCC, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, is a Dubai free zone run by the DMCC Authority. It licenses traders in commodities and goods, service companies and firms in its crypto, gaming and AI centres, and states that 100% foreign ownership is allowed.

How much does it cost to register a company in DMCC?

DMCC's schedule of charges lists AED 1,035 for the application, AED 9,020 for registration and about AED 20,000 a year for the licence, before a desk, visas and agent fees (undated schedule, as of October 2026). DMCC gave AED 35,000 to 50,000 as its own year-one estimate on 12 February 2026.

Does DMCC open a bank account for the company?

No. DMCC does not open bank accounts, and the account is the bank's decision. DMCC asks for a bank reference or a capital deposit confirmation at licensing, so start the bank conversation before you pay for the licence and keep your ownership papers ready.

Is a DMCC company tax free?

Not automatically. The 0% Corporate Tax rate applies only to a Qualifying Free Zone Person on qualifying income, and non-qualifying revenue must stay within the lower of 5% of revenue or AED 5,000,000 (Ministerial Decision 229 of 2025). Other income is taxed under the standard rules.

Can a DMCC company sell to customers on the Dubai mainland?

Only through a route that Dubai allows. Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025 offers a mainland branch, a dual licence at AED 10,000 a year and a six-month permit at AED 5,000, each needing DMCC's approval first. These routes cover Dubai only.

When must a DMCC company file audited accounts?

Within six months of its financial year end, signed by an auditor on DMCC's approved list (DMCC guideline of 29 April 2025). Book the audit before the year-end date, not after it.