DMCC Company Formation, Licence and Cost in 2026

DMCC company formation gives you a licence from a Government of Dubai authority, 100% foreign ownership and more than 1,000 business activities to choose from. The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre has licensed companies since 2002 and now hosts more than 26,000 of them. The whole application runs online.

The hard part is the budget. DMCC publishes its prices, but a package such as Basic Biz at AED 35,484 is not the full first year. Visas, the establishment card and an annual audit by a DMCC-approved auditor come on top. The office you choose also decides how many visas the company can get.

This is where we come in. We form the company ourselves, so your whole setup runs through one team: the activity check, the KYC pack, the documents, the filings on the DMCC portal and the follow-up until the licence is issued. Our service starts from €1,899, and DMCC's own fees are paid to DMCC. You see both in writing first.

Why Founders Choose DMCC in Dubai

Business setup in DMCC, Dubai's government free zone for trade, attracts founders for four reasons: a licence from a government authority, full foreign ownership, a setup that runs online, and prices the zone publishes itself. Companies that meet the tax conditions can also pay 0% on qualifying income.

A Government of Dubai Authority Since 2002

The DMCC full form is Dubai Multi Commodities Centre. It was set up in 2002 as a Government of Dubai authority, with the task of making Dubai a hub for commodity trade, and it started with 28 member companies. Today more than 26,000 companies from 180 countries hold a DMCC licence, based in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) and Uptown Dubai. The Financial Times' fDi Magazine has named DMCC its Global Free Zone of the Year for nine years in a row.

Full Foreign Ownership and More Than 1,000 Activities

A DMCC company can be 100% foreign owned, with no local partner and no sponsor, and its capital and profits can be sent abroad in full. DMCC lists more than 1,000 approved activities across 20 sectors, under four licence types: service, trading, commercial and industrial. One shareholder is enough, and the shareholder can be a person or a company.

A Setup That Runs Online

DMCC company formation is fully digital. The application, the documents and the fees go through the DMCC portal. Identity is checked on a short video call, and the legal documents are signed online. DMCC quotes about 10 working days from application to licence, and nobody has to fly to Dubai to receive it.

Prices DMCC Publishes Itself

Many Dubai free zones sell through agents and publish no tariff. DMCC publishes a full schedule of charges and a package list, so the zone's side of your budget can be checked line by line. The Basic Biz package is AED 35,484 and Jump Start with a flexi desk is AED 43,780, both with VAT included. Read more: free zone company formation in the UAE.

A Route to 0% Corporate Tax

A DMCC company that meets the conditions for a Qualifying Free Zone Person pays 0% on its qualifying income. Trading in qualifying commodities with a quoted price, such as metals and energy, is one of the qualifying activities, which matters in a zone built for trade.

Types of Companies You Can Form in DMCC

Most founders form a company limited by shares. A foreign group may prefer a branch, and a family office or an industry body can use a company limited by guarantee. DMCC's company regulations, in force since 10 October 2024, also added holding companies and special purpose vehicles. For the wider UAE picture, see the types of companies in the UAE.

DMCC Free Zone Company

This is the standard choice: a company limited by shares, registered under the DMCC Company Regulations, with its own legal personality. It needs at least one shareholder. Since the 2024 rules, directors, the company secretary and the manager only need to be 18 or older, and share capital can be set in a currency other than dirhams. It suits trading, services and technology businesses.

Branch of an Existing Company

A branch is an extension of a company that already exists, in the UAE or abroad, and any eligible entity can open one, including another DMCC company. Unlike a subsidiary, it is not a separate legal person, so the parent carries full liability for its debts. The Basic Biz package is for companies owned by individuals, so it is not open to branches or subsidiaries.

Company Limited by Guarantee

A company limited by guarantee has no share capital. Its members agree to pay a set amount if the company is wound up, and that is the limit of their liability. DMCC offers it to single-family offices, multi-family offices and industry associations, at AED 34,185 for a new company or AED 30,185 to transfer an existing one. The package includes no office, flexi desk or co-working space. If this is your case, read how to set up a family office.

Holding Companies and SPVs

Since the 2024 rules, DMCC licenses holding companies, which own shares in other companies and may act as a group head office, and special purpose vehicles, which hold assets or run one project. An SPV needs no company secretary, no annual general meeting and no physical office, only a registered office. A holding company must prepare consolidated group accounts. Neither suits a business that needs staff visas on day one. Our guide on how to set up a holding company in Dubai covers the wider choice.

DMCC Company Formation for Non-Residents

You do not need to live in the UAE to own a DMCC company, and you do not need to visit to get the licence. Two things still need planning: legalising any company papers from abroad, and the one short trip that a residence visa needs.

No Residency Rule for Shareholders

The rules for setting up a company as a non-resident are simple here. Shareholders can be people or companies of any nationality, living anywhere, and one person can own every share. Identity is checked by video call and the documents are signed online, so a founder abroad can hold a DMCC licence before ever landing in Dubai. For business setup in DMCC, Dubai residence is a choice, not a condition.

Legalising Company Papers From Abroad

The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention. A certificate of incorporation or a board resolution from abroad must be notarised, legalised by the UAE embassy in that country and then attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This takes 2 to 4 weeks, so we start it on day one for any corporate shareholder.

One Trip for the Visa and the Bank

A residence visa needs a medical test and biometrics for the Emirates ID, both in person in the UAE. Most UAE banks also want to meet a signatory at least once. We plan both into one short trip. Our guide to opening a business bank account in Dubai for non-residents covers the bank side.

Tax Residence in Your Home Country

Your home country may still treat a DMCC company as resident there if it is run from home. We check where the board will meet before anything is filed.

DMCC Business Activities and Specialist Centres

DMCC began as a commodities hub, and trade is still its core. Technology is now its largest sector, and three specialist centres serve crypto, AI and video game companies. The activity you pick decides the licence type and the fee, so it is the first thing we settle.

Commodities, Gold and Diamonds

DMCC hosted 103 diamond tenders and auctions in 2025, and its Tradeflow platform recorded more than 296,000 Islamic finance transactions worth over AED 1.32 trillion that year. For corporate tax, trading in qualifying commodities is a qualifying activity under Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025, where the commodity has a quoted price on a recognised exchange or price reporting agency. That makes DMCC a natural place to set up a commodities trading company.

The DMCC Crypto Centre

The DMCC Crypto Centre is home to more than 650 crypto firms. A standard DMCC crypto licence covers activities that are not regulated, such as crypto software development and consultancy. Regulated virtual asset activity also needs a licence from VARA, Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, applied for through DMCC. The centre package is AED 31,000 with VAT included, and the second-year renewal is 50% off. Read more: how to get a crypto licence in Dubai.

The Gaming Centre and the AI Centre

The DMCC Gaming Centre, launched in December 2022, is for video game developers, publishers, esports and AR and VR companies. It is not for gambling, which DMCC lists as a restricted activity. The DMCC AI Centre opened in September 2024. By DMCC's April 2026 results, the crypto, AI and gaming centres together host more than 1,000 companies, and each centre has its own AED 31,000 package.

Technology, Services and Online Trade

DMCC now counts more than 4,000 technology companies. Consultancies and software firms usually take a service licence, and businesses that buy and sell goods a trading licence. Online sellers should read how to get an e-commerce licence in the UAE.

How Extra Activities Change the Licence Fee

A standard DMCC licence covers up to six activities from one group of the activity list. More activities from the same two-digit group cost AED 1,500 each a year. A group that shares only the first digit costs AED 10,000 a year, and a group with different first two digits costs AED 20,265 a year. An activity from another licence type needs a second licence. A General Trading licence costs AED 50,265 a year and opens every activity except oil and gas and regulated ones.

How to Set Up a Company in DMCC

DMCC describes its setup in three stages: discover, process and launch. In practice that means nine steps in a fixed order, and we run each of them for you. This is how business setup in DMCC, Dubai's commodities free zone, runs from the first call to a trading company.

Choose the Activity and the Licence Type

Pick the activities from DMCC's approved list and the licence type that goes with them. Some activities need approval from another authority first, such as financial services, virtual assets, healthcare and oil and gas. We check this before you pay anything, because it changes both the time and the cost.

Pick the Package and the Office

The office decides the visas. DMCC allows up to 3 visas on a flexi desk, 4 or 5 on a serviced office depending on its size, and 1 visa for every 9 square metres of physical office space. At DMCC's business centre a flexi desk costs AED 16,000 to AED 19,000 and a serviced office AED 35,000 to AED 140,000. Packages bundle the licence with space: Basic Biz for companies owned by individuals, Jump Start for start-ups and SMEs, and Prime Plus at AED 40,145 for larger companies.

Submit the Pre-Approval Application

The application goes in on the DMCC portal with the activities, the company name, the KYC details and the documents. DMCC charges AED 1,035 per application. The pre-approval is valid for 90 days, or 180 days on Prime Plus. Choose the name with care, because changing it after registration costs AED 4,515.

Verify Identity and Sign Online

After pre-approval, DMCC checks each person on a short video call, and the legal documents are signed digitally through the DMCC Member Portal. Every name and address must match the passport and proof of address exactly.

Pay the Fees and Receive the E-Licence

On DMCC's standard pricing, registration is AED 9,020, the articles of association AED 2,020 and the licence AED 20,285 a year. A package replaces these lines with one price. Once the fees are paid and the lease documents are in, DMCC issues the e-licence within 2 to 3 working days.

Deposit the Share Capital

A company with share capital of AED 50,000 can deposit it into its DMCC portal account rather than a bank, for a one-off fee of AED 2,120. The money stays the company's and can pay for DMCC services later.

Get the Establishment Card and the Visas

The establishment card lets the company sponsor people, and DMCC charges AED 1,825 a year for it. Each visa then runs through an entry permit, a medical test, Emirates ID biometrics and stamping. A 2-year employment visa applied for from outside the UAE is AED 2,972.50 on DMCC's schedule.

Register for Corporate Tax and File the Owners

The company registers for corporate tax within 3 months of incorporation, and DMCC needs its beneficial owners on file. Our guide to the ultimate beneficial owner explains who counts.

Open the Business Account

The account comes after the licence. We build the bank file from the same KYC pack, so it goes in the week the licence arrives.

Documents Needed for DMCC Company Registration

DMCC asks for less than most founders expect: a passport copy and proof of address for each person, and the parent's papers where a company is a shareholder. What takes time is clean copies and, for papers from abroad, legalisation. A complete pack is the biggest time saver in DMCC company formation.

For Each Shareholder, Director and Manager

• Passport: A clear colour copy of a valid passport.
• Proof of address: A recent utility bill or bank statement in your name.
• UAE visa and Emirates ID: Only for people who already live in the UAE.
• No objection letter: From the employer, where a UAE resident works for another company.
• Source of funds: A short note with evidence of where the capital comes from.

For a Corporate Shareholder or a Branch

A company shareholder or a parent opening a branch provides its certificate of incorporation, its constitution and a board resolution approving the DMCC company or branch. A certificate of good standing is sometimes requested. Papers from abroad are notarised, legalised by the UAE embassy and attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as described above.

For the Company Itself

We need the activities, two name options, the share structure and a plain description of the business: what it sells, to whom, in which countries and how money moves. The same description goes into the bank application almost word for word, next to the documents required to open a business bank account in the UAE.

DMCC Company Formation Cost in 2026

Our service for DMCC company formation starts from €1,899. That is our fee for the work: structure and activity advice, your KYC pack, the documents, every filing on the DMCC portal and the follow-up until the licence is issued, confirmed in writing before you pay. It does not include DMCC's package or fees. Those are paid to DMCC at the prices DMCC publishes, and they are the larger part of the budget. Trusts, foundations, regulated activities and complex structures are quoted separately and can cost more.

Most figures quoted as the DMCC license cost are one package price. The table shows the whole first year for a company with one owner, a flexi desk and one visa.

DMCC's packages include VAT, and each DMCC service carries an AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation Dirham fee. The audit and bookkeeping lines are market planning ranges; every DMCC line comes from DMCC's own schedule of charges.

First-Year DMCC Cost by Company Profile

The package, the office and the number of visas move the budget more than anything else. These planning ranges use the same figures as the table above.

Your own figure moves with the activities, the office, the visa count, the audit and the account plan. These are planning ranges, and your written quote is what counts. Read more: company formation costs across jurisdictions, and our guide to company formation in Dubai for the wider market.

How Long DMCC Company Formation Takes

DMCC quotes about 10 working days from application to licence, and 7 to 10 days on its remote setup page. The e-licence itself is issued 2 to 3 working days after the fees are paid. The days before the application, when the documents are collected, decide whether you stay inside that window.

Our UAE card shows about a week for a standard setup. At DMCC the zone's own review sets the pace, so plan on about 10 working days to the licence.

What Adds Days

Five things usually add time: company papers from abroad that need legalisation, a chain of companies above the shareholder, an activity that needs another authority's approval, details that do not match across documents, and changes made after pre-approval. Two of these together can add weeks.

Keeping It to About 10 Working Days

We send one document list on day 1, check every page before filing and start any legalisation at once. DMCC also sells a priority service for company setup at AED 3,000. For setups outside DMCC, our guide to company formation in the UAE sets out the other routes.

DMCC Licence Renewal, Visas and Annual Filings

A DMCC company has a short list of yearly duties: renew the licence and the establishment card, keep the visas in order, file audited accounts and keep the ownership register current. Each has a fixed date, and each costs money when it is missed.

Renewing the DMCC Licence

A trading or service licence renews at AED 20,265 for one year, or AED 101,325 for 5 years, which is 20% off. A company on a package renews as a package: DMCC's renewal packages include Basic Flexi at AED 35,564 and Flexi Boost at AED 43,720 for one year. Renew late and DMCC charges AED 2,500 from day 31 and AED 5,000 from day 61.

The Visa Quota and How to Raise It

The quota comes from the office, not the licence. A company that outgrows its flexi desk can ask DMCC for more visas, at AED 500 for each extra visa plus a AED 250 application fee. The AED 500 is refunded if the request is declined.

Investor Visa or Employment Visa

A partner or investor visa needs at least 50 shares and AED 50,000 of share capital, and it runs for 3 years. An employment visa sits on the quota: AED 2,972.50 for 2 years when applied for from outside the UAE, and AED 3,407.50 from inside.

Audited Accounts Every Year

DMCC's guideline, updated on 29 April 2025, requires every member company to upload audited financial statements within six months of the end of its financial year. The auditor must be on DMCC's list of approved auditors. A branch with a group auditor is treated differently, and a dormant company can skip the audit unless its shareholders ask for one.

The Beneficial Owner Register

Under Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023, a DMCC company keeps a register of anyone who owns or controls 25% or more of it, directly or indirectly, and files it with DMCC. Any change must be reported within 15 days. We file the first register straight after the licence and keep the date on our calendar.

Corporate Tax and VAT for a DMCC Company

A DMCC company is inside the UAE corporate tax system from the day it is licensed. It pays 0% on its first AED 375,000 of taxable income and 9% above that. If it is a Qualifying Free Zone Person, its qualifying income is taxed at 0% instead. VAT is a separate test, at 5%.

The 0% Rate and Its Conditions

The 0% rate needs every condition of Qualifying Free Zone Person status: adequate substance in the zone, qualifying income, no election into the standard regime, transfer pricing compliance, non-qualifying revenue below 5% of total revenue or AED 5,000,000, whichever is lower, and audited financial statements. Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025 requires that audit at any revenue, and the audit DMCC already asks for serves both. Fail one condition, and the company pays 9% for that tax period and the four that follow.

Why DMCC Is Not a Designated Zone

A Designated Zone is a free zone listed in the annex to Cabinet Decision No. 59 of 2017. DMCC is not on that list. This matters for distribution: under Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025, distribution only qualifies for 0% when it is carried out in or from a Designated Zone. A DMCC company that distributes goods should plan for 9% on that income.

Commodity Trading Still Qualifies

The same decision keeps trading in qualifying commodities as a qualifying activity, and it does not need a Designated Zone. Qualifying commodities include metals, minerals, energy, agricultural products and industrial chemicals with a quoted price on a recognised exchange or price reporting agency. It covers physical trading, the derivatives used to hedge it and the related financing.

Registration and Filing Deadlines

Federal Tax Authority Decision No. 3 of 2024 gives a new free zone company 3 months from incorporation to register for corporate tax. Late registration costs AED 10,000. The corporate tax return is due within 9 months of the end of each tax period.

Small Business Relief or the 0% Rate

Small Business Relief treats a company with revenue of AED 3 million or less as having no taxable income. Ministerial Decision No. 131 of 2026, issued on 29 July 2026, extended it to tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029. A Qualifying Free Zone Person cannot elect it, so a small DMCC company picks one route or the other.

VAT at 5%

VAT registration is mandatory once taxable supplies and imports pass AED 375,000 in 12 months, and voluntary from AED 187,500. Because DMCC is not a Designated Zone, its supplies are treated like any other UAE supplies for VAT.

Business Banking for a DMCC Company

A DMCC licence gives the company an address that banks know, but it does not open an account by itself. UAE banks still want a resident signatory, clear source of funds and often a meeting, even where a DMCC package lists bank account opening among its extras.

A UAE bank can be cheaper each month for a company that only trades in dirhams inside the country. Once the company pays suppliers abroad, the partner route costs less. Read more: opening a business bank account in the UAE.

Why UAE Banks Are Slow With New Free Zone Companies

Since 13 September 2026, Central Bank Circular C 2/2026 requires banks to open an SME account within three business days, but only for a low-risk applicant with a complete file. A new DMCC company with owners abroad and no resident signatory rarely fits that test, so the review runs for weeks. Offshore companies face a harder version of the same checks, as our guides to the best offshore business bank accounts in the UAE and opening an offshore bank account in Dubai explain.

Faster Accounts Through Our Banking Partners

We work with regulated payment partners that open multi-currency accounts for DMCC companies in days, remotely, with no minimum balance and no resident signatory. We build the application from the same KYC pack as your company. If these accounts are new to you, read what an EMI account is and our guide to a multi-currency business bank account in the UAE.

DMCC vs IFZA, Meydan and a Dubai Mainland Company

Founders planning business setup in DMCC, Dubai's award-winning free zone, usually weigh it against three other routes: IFZA and Meydan, two lower-cost free zones, and a mainland company licensed by the Department of Economy and Tourism. We set up companies on all four routes, from €1,899 for our service.

On published and quoted prices, DMCC costs the most of the three free zones to start. It gives published prices, a strong name and specialist centres in return. A mainland company costs less in licence fees but needs real premises.

DMCC vs IFZA

IFZA is based in Dubai Silicon Oasis and sells through registered partners, with no public tariff, so every IFZA price is a quote. DMCC publishes each fee. Neither is a Designated Zone, so the tax position on distribution is the same. Choose IFZA to keep costs down, and DMCC when the name and the published fees matter. See our guide to IFZA company formation.

DMCC vs Meydan

Meydan issues its Fawri licence in under 60 minutes for a single founder, and its standard licence starts at AED 12,500 with a flexi desk included. It caps a licence at 6 visas. DMCC takes about 10 working days and costs more, but it offers far more activities and specialist centres. Read our guide to free zone company formation in Dubai.

DMCC vs a Dubai Mainland Company

A mainland company can sell directly to customers anywhere in the UAE, but it needs premises registered on Ejari and can never be a Qualifying Free Zone Person. A DMCC company can still reach Dubai mainland customers: Executive Council Resolution No. 11 of 2025 prices a licence for a branch operating out of the free zone at AED 10,000 a year. See our guide to mainland company formation in Dubai.

Who a DMCC Company Is Wrong For

DMCC is a poor choice if the lowest licence price is your main test. Meydan starts at AED 12,500 with a flexi desk, against AED 35,484 for DMCC's Basic Biz. It is also the wrong zone for a distributor of physical goods that wants 0% on distribution income, because that needs a Designated Zone such as JAFZA.

Two more founders should look elsewhere. A business that sells mainly to UAE consumers is usually better with a mainland licence than with a DMCC licence plus a mainland branch licence. A company that only holds assets and needs no visas may be simpler as an offshore company; see offshore company setup in the UAE. Gambling cannot be licensed at DMCC at all.

Common Mistakes in DMCC Company Formation

These five mistakes are the most common, and each costs more to fix than to avoid.

Choosing the Package Before Counting the Visas

A flexi desk allows up to 3 visas. A company that plans to hire 5 people in year one needs a serviced office, and moving later means a new lease and a new quota. Count the visas first, then pick the package.

Assuming Distribution Income Qualifies for 0%

DMCC is not a Designated Zone, so distribution income does not qualify. Commodity trading with a quoted price can qualify. Map each income stream against Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025 before you sign a contract.

Adding Activities From Another Group

An activity from a different two-digit group adds AED 20,265 a year to the licence, and one from another licence type needs a second licence. Settle the full activity list before the pre-approval application.

Leaving the Audit to the Last Month

Audited accounts are due within six months of the year end, and the auditor must be DMCC-approved. Appoint one in the first year, not in the week the deadline arrives.

Missing the Corporate Tax Registration

The 3-month window starts on the day of incorporation, not the day the company starts trading. Missing it costs AED 10,000, so we register straight after the licence.

Bottom Line

DMCC gives a company a government licence, full foreign ownership, more than 1,000 activities and a setup that runs online in about 10 working days. The DMCC license cost is public, which makes it one of the few Dubai zones you can budget from before you speak to anyone.

Four things need to be right: the package against the visa count, the activity list, the tax position of each income stream and the yearly audit. We handle all four and run your DMCC company formation from €1,899 for our service, with DMCC's fees shown separately and a first-year budget of about AED 50,000 to AED 75,000 for a one-owner company on a flexi desk.