Dubai Internet City Business Setup

The Emirate of Dubai is located on the Arabian Peninsula, in the south of the Persian Gulf. Among the seven emirates that make up the UAE, it is the most populated one and second largest after Abu Dhabi. Dubai has more than 20 free zones.

The Dubai Internet City (DIC) is the North Africa’s and Middle East’s biggest information and communication technologies (ICT) centre. Since 2000 it has successfully established a thriving ecosystem for technology-related entities and was one of the pioneers in embracing the vision of Dubai as a knowledge-based economy. The DIC is home to more than 1,600 companies, including several ones from the Forbes top lists and most dynamic and successful technological SMEs and start-ups that include all elements of the ICT value chain.

Key Specifics

• possibility to obtain a residence visa for the company’s shareholders and employees;
• mandatory audit of companies;
• well-developed legal framework;
• high ranking of Free Zone among banks and major international companies.

Registration Procedure

1. Choose a company name to be checked for availability (at least 2 names)
2. Define a company structure (director, shareholders, and manager)
3. Define the company’s license type aligning with its activities
4. Choose your office type: Flexi desk, Executive office
5. Providing documents for directors / shareholders / attorneys (either originals or notarized copies)
6. Pay all the necessary fees
7. Sign the corporate documents
8. Get the originals and the company seal

Types of Office

Upon registration the company and the Free Zone authority sign an office lease agreement; the address of such office is considered the official registered office address of the company.

DIC offers various office packages depending on the needs of clients in terms of type and number of licences, number of visas, the need for substance and placement in the Free Zone: from smart desk (a separate workstation in first-class business centres) to a proper office.

Registration Period

3 weeks

Types of Licenses Issued in the Free Zone

Software – activities related to developing, installing and / or modifying software products of the company or of a third party.

Internet and Multimedia – activities related to developing and / or distributing Internet or multimedia content.

Telecommunications and Network – activities related to developing, installing, modifying, and/or operating networks or providing relevant services designed for operating network-based applications or services.

IT Service – activities related to developing and / or providing standardized repeatable IT-based services, which may also include security solutions, localization, training and corporate learning.

E-commerce (Internet sales) – activities related to providing individual services and products to third parties through electronic media such as an Internet search engine, portal, website, social media etc. for the purpose of facilitating sales activities.

To Register a Company:

The director can be an individual (min – 1, max – 5).

The manager can be an individual (min – 1), can be the same person as director.

Both individuals and legal entities can be shareholders (min – 1, max – 7).

No requirements as to the residence of director, manager or shareholder(s).

The company’s name should be unique.

Registration is executed in the English language.