DMCC Company Setup, Dubai (2026)

Who DMCC suits

Established businesses, commodities and precious-metals traders, and founders for whom credibility with banks and counterparties is worth paying for.

At a glance

Emirate	Dubai
Typical activities	Commodities, precious metals, trading, financial services adjacent, professional services
Foreign ownership	100%
Indicative entry cost	Typically from around AED 12,000–20,000+ per year depending on package and facility — materially above budget zones
Corporate Tax	0% on qualifying income if QFZP conditions are met, otherwise 9% above AED 375,000

On pricing: free-zone authorities revise packages regularly and quotes change with activity, visa count and facility type. Figures here are indicative 2026 market ranges to help you compare — we confirm the live quote with the authority before you commit, with government fees shown separately from our fee.

Strengths

Strongest reputational standing of the Dubai free zones, which can ease banking and counterparty onboarding
Purpose-built for commodities, precious metals and trading
Prime JLT location with real office infrastructure
Deep ecosystem of businesses, services and networking

Trade-offs to weigh

Significantly higher cost than budget zones — this is the premium option
More documentation and process than lightweight zones
Overkill for a solo consultant whose clients never ask where they are licensed

0% is conditional: a free-zone company pays 0% Corporate Tax only on qualifying income while it meets the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions — adequate substance, qualifying activities, transfer-pricing compliance, and non-qualifying revenue within the lower of 5% of revenue or AED 5 million. Breaching them means 9% for that period plus disqualification for the following four tax periods. Read the conditions →

How we set it up

We check that DMCC actually permits your activity and gives you the visa count you need, confirm the live package price with the authority, handle name reservation, application and licence issue, then move straight into establishment card, visas, corporate bank account preparation and Corporate Tax and VAT registration.

Not sure this is the right zone? We compare it against the alternatives on our free zone setup page — the cheapest licence is rarely the right one if it blocks your bank account or caps your visas.

Frequently asked questions

You are paying for location, infrastructure and reputation. For businesses where banking relationships and counterparty confidence directly affect revenue — commodities and trading especially — that premium is often commercially justified. For a solo consultant it usually is not.

It tends to help, because the zone is well regarded by banks and its onboarding is thorough. It is not a guarantee — banks still assess your activity, ownership, source of funds and business rationale on their own terms.

No. It began with commodities and remains strongest there, but its activity list covers a wide range of trading and professional services.

DMCC Company Setup