DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) — Quick Facts 2026
| Starting Cost | From AED 18,500 |
| Price Confidence | 1+2-source: Freelance Permit AED 27,049 verified; standard company schedule official |
| Source Type | Official DMCC Schedule of Charges + 1+2-source Freelance Permit verification |
| Last Reviewed | July 2026 |
| Emirate | Dubai |
| Best For | Commodities Trade & Global Business Hub |
| Visa Options | Up to 3 (Flexi); unlimited (office) |
| Setup Time | Package and activity dependent |
| Key Activities | Gold Trading & Refining, Diamond Trading, Precious Metals, Precious Stones, Jewelry Manufacturing and more |
Final pricing may vary by activity, visa count, office requirement, shareholder structure and authority updates. See our pricing methodology.
About This Page
Written by: UAE Freezone Compare Editorial Team | Last reviewed: September 2026 | Data sources: Pricing Methodology
Pricing uses available authority material, public package data and internally reviewed evidence; quote-based rows require current confirmation. Referral relationships may support quote fulfilment, but they do not control editorial rankings. Read our partner disclosure.
DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) may be relevant when the best-fit profile is: Commodities traders, financial services firms, and premium SMEs seeking the world's most prestigious free zone address. Starting cost is shown as From AED 18,500 with price status: Needs confirmation. Visa options: Up to 3 (Flexi); unlimited (office). Office requirement: Office or flexi-desk requirements depend on package type, activity and visa allocation. Verify the current requirement before choosing a package. Final activity wording, renewal exposure, government fees, banking readiness and any visa or office add-ons should be confirmed before payment.
Quick verdict: Shortlist DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) only after the named package, renewal, visa, office and banking checks match your activity, shareholder profile and budget. Request a current written quote before payment because authority packages, government fees and add-ons can change.
| Emirate | Dubai |
|---|---|
| Starting cost | From AED 18,500 |
| Price status | Needs confirmation |
| Visa options | Up to 3 (Flexi); unlimited (office) |
| Best for | Commodities traders, financial services firms, and premium SMEs seeking the world's most prestigious free zone address. |
| Banking access | Medium - depends on activity, documents and bank profile |
| Setup time | Package and activity dependent |
| Office requirement | Office or flexi-desk requirements depend on package type, activity and visa allocation. Verify the current requirement before choosing a package. |
| Last reviewed | August 2026 |
| Content reviewed | July 2026 |
| Price evidence reviewed | August 2026 |
| CTA | Request current verified quote |
Choose DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) if:
Starting price
This is a planning figure, not a guaranteed final government or authority fee. Request the current breakdown before choosing a package. UAE Freezone Compare does not charge you a service fee for quote support.
| Cost item | Estimated amount | Included? | Notes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| License fee | From AED 18,500 | Package dependent | Confirm activity and package scope before payment. | Needs confirmation |
| Registration fee | Indicative or bundled | Varies | May be bundled into year-one setup offers. | Quote-based |
| Establishment card | Indicative | Often separate | Required for most visa processing routes. | Quote-based |
| Flexi desk / office | Package dependent | Varies | Office allocation can affect visa options and renewals. | Needs confirmation |
| Investor or employee visa | Current quote required | Usually separate | Medical, Emirates ID, insurance and status change may apply. Confirm the current visa route and authority/government components before payment. | Quote-based |
| Renewal fee | Current renewal quote required | No | Do not assume renewal equals the first-year license fee unless the authority or supporting evidence confirms it. | Quote-based |
Medium - depends on activity, documents and bank profile. Banks usually review the business activity, shareholder profile, contracts, invoices, website, source of funds and expected transaction flow.
Investor and employee visa availability depends on the license package, office allocation and free zone quota. Calculate medical, Emirates ID, status change and insurance costs before comparing zones.
License processing and visa steps depend on the selected package, activity approval, document readiness, facility route, immigration checks and the relevant authority or bank review. Confirm current timing before relying on any setup plan.
IFZA, RAKEZ, SHAMS, SPC Free Zone, and Meydan Free Zone are common alternatives to benchmark.
| Is the listed price final? | No. Figures are indicative and may change based on business activity, visa count, office requirement, shareholder structure, authority approval, and free zone updates. Request the current verified quote before committing. |
|---|---|
| Can DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) support my activity? | Activity eligibility depends on the authority activity list and approval process. Check the exact activity name before paying setup fees. |
| Will a bank account be easy? | Banking depends on activity risk, documents, shareholder profile, contracts, invoices and expected transactions. No free zone can guarantee approval. |
DMCC may be considered either as a new company route or, for an existing parent company, as a branch route. Do not compare a DMCC branch with a new FZ-LLC package unless the parent-company documents, activity scope, office solution, manager powers, licence category, visas, banking file and renewal exposure are aligned.
| Decision point | DMCC branch planning note | Verification needed |
|---|---|---|
| Parent-company documents | A branch is tied to the existing parent rather than being treated like a fresh standalone shareholder structure. | Confirm parent documents, approvals, attestation, manager/signatory powers and legal responsibility. |
| Office solution | DMCC branch setup planning still needs the office or workspace route to match the application and banking profile. | Confirm the current office solution, lease wording, visa quota and licence package before payment. |
| Activity fit | The branch activity should be checked against the parent-company activity and DMCC permitted activity wording. | Confirm exact activity wording, restricted activities and external approvals. |
| Cost confidence | Branch-specific full setup, renewal, visa and office totals are not inferred from generic DMCC starting components. | Request an itemised current DMCC branch quote. |
Sources checked August 2026: UAE Ministry of Economy foreign-company branch service, Dubai Development Authority branch setup route, DMCC open-a-branch guidance and JAFZA branch of existing company guide. See DMCC vs JAFZA, setup guide, bank account guide and methodology. UAE Freezone Compare is an independent comparison platform and this note is planning information, not legal, tax, banking or immigration advice.
DMCC publishes an electronic salary transfer and WPS guideline for registered employers. For DMCC, separate the owner or shareholder route from employee salary-transfer registration and verify the current step after the Company Employment Card or Permanent Identity Card is issued.
| Hiring/payroll check | What to verify before hiring | Source confidence |
|---|---|---|
| WPS or payroll route | Confirm whether the selected route uses MOHRE/mainland WPS, a free-zone salary-transfer process, an optional or contract-led WPS route, payroll cards, or direct bank transfer. | Official and free-zone public guidance checked August 2026; route-specific confirmation required. |
| Employee visa and card sequence | Check establishment card, immigration file, company employment card, Permanent Identity Card, employee visa and payroll registration sequence for the selected authority. | Authority process varies; no universal timeline or approval is assumed. |
| Payroll/payment provider | Verify whether salaries will be paid through a bank, exchange house, salary-card provider or ordinary transfer, and ask for any provider fees in writing. | Indicative planning note; provider fees are quote-based. |
| Banking and KYC documents | Prepare trade licence, establishment card where applicable, employee records, salary file, UBO details, contracts, invoices and source-of-funds evidence. | Document checklist only; bank approval is never guaranteed. |
| Cost and timing | Request a current quote before payment. Do not treat a licence fee as an all-in hiring, establishment-card, payroll, visa, insurance or banking total. | Requires current authority, bank or payroll-provider confirmation. |
Useful next steps: Company documents checklist · Free zone vs mainland guide · Employee visa guide · Bank account guide · Methodology · Report a correction
Source context: UAE Government payment of wages · MOHRE Wage Protection System · DMCC WPS guideline · JAFZA WPS guide · RAKEZ payroll support flyer · Meydan WPS guide
DMCC publishes a transfer-of-incorporation route and document templates. Before using it, verify whether your existing company, home jurisdiction, name, activities, office needs, bank arrangements and authority approvals fit the current DMCC transfer process.
| Route check | What to verify before acting | Source confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility to continue or redomicile | Confirm whether the origin jurisdiction allows continuance, whether the destination authority accepts the entity type, and whether solvency, good-standing, shareholder-resolution and registrar evidence are required. | Official ADGM, DMCC, JAFZA and Meydan source context checked August 2026; route approval still requires authority confirmation. |
| Transfer versus new company | Compare legal-entity continuity against a controlled close-and-reopen route. Check active contracts, bank facilities, tax registrations, supplier portals, employees, visas and whether a new licence would require fresh KYC. | Planning framework only; UFZC does not assume bank, contract or tax continuity. |
| Exit clearances | Ask the current authority for outstanding dues, lease or facility termination, visa cancellation, customs, telecoms, utilities, establishment card, immigration file and NOC requirements before starting the move. | Authority-specific; no universal fee, clearance list or timeline is assumed. |
| Destination package fit | Reconfirm activity wording, shareholder structure, office or flexi-desk requirement, visa quota, establishment-card process and banking documentation under the new authority. | Requires current destination-authority package review. |
| Cost and timing decision | Request itemised current quotes for both routes: transfer or continuance, and close old entity plus new setup. Include overlap costs, cancellation, amendments, visas, banking, office and document legalisation where relevant. | Quote-based unless the specific authority route publishes current fees for the exact transaction. |
Useful next steps: Free zone vs mainland guide · Setup documents checklist · Hidden-cost guide · Bank account guide · Visa cost guide · Methodology · Report a correction
Source context: ADGM continuance checklist · DMCC transfer a business · DMCC transfer document templates · JAFZA re-domicile guide · JAFZA offshore redomiciliation guide · Meydan company transfer guide
This profile keeps cost, visa, banking and timing guidance cautious because DMCC setup terms can change by activity, package, office or facility route, regulatory review and current authority quote.
Use these links to verify package scope before payment. UFZC remains independent and is not an authority, bank, law firm, tax adviser or immigration adviser.
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All prices are indicative. Confirm current pricing with the free zone authority before making decisions. Not financial or legal advice.
Use this profile as a planning guide, not a final invoice. Confirm the current package, activity wording, visas, office or flexi-desk requirement and renewal amount before payment.
| Free Zone | Package | Year 1 Cost | Renewal Cost | 3-Year Total | Visa Option | Office / Flexi Requirement | Year 1 Confidence | Source Type | Conflict Status | Last Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMCC | Standard company setup fee components | AED 27,049 (freelance permit: licence AED 4,020 + mandatory JLT flexi-desk AED 16,000 + establishment card AED 1,805 + 1 visa AED 4,224 + health insurance AED 1,000). Full company 1-visa: ~AED 49,004. Confidence: 1+2-source: Freelance Permit AED 27,049 verified; standard company schedule official |
AED 22,090 annual standard licence renewal plus establishment-card components before office and add-ons Confidence: 1+2-source: Freelance Permit AED 27,049 verified; standard company schedule official |
AED 78,365 3-year core components before office, visas, VAT/levies and add-ons Confidence: 1+2-source: Freelance Permit AED 27,049 verified; standard company schedule official |
Visa entitlement depends on office/facility; visa processing is separate | A qualifying JLT/DMCC office or approved facility is required and priced separately | 1+2-source: Freelance Permit AED 27,049 verified; standard company schedule official | Official DMCC Schedule of Charges + 1+2-source Freelance Permit verification | No material public conflict recorded | July 2026 |
| What is included | Freelance Permit (1+2-source 2026): AED 4,020 licence + AED 16,000 JLT flexi-desk + AED 1,805 establishment card + AED 4,224 visa + AED 1,000 health insurance = AED 27,049 all-in. Standard company: AED 1,035 application, AED 9,020 registration, AED 2,020 AoA, AED 20,285 annual licence, AED 1,825 establishment card. |
|---|---|
| What is not included | Office or flexi desk, security deposit, visas, medical, Emirates ID, insurance, VAT and Knowledge/Innovation levies where applicable, activity surcharges, regulated approvals and advisory support. |
| Hidden-cost risk | The three-year value is arithmetic from the published Year 1 components plus two published annual renewal/establishment-card component periods. It is not a complete DMCC occupancy or immigration invoice. |
| Banking difficulty | Medium to high |
| Best fit | Premium trading, commodities, crypto-adjacent, consultancy and JLT address-led companies. |
DMCC company setup, office/flexi allocation and owner or employee visa planning should be separated from spouse, child or other family residence planning. Confirm the sponsor residence, relationship documents, applicant status, medical or Emirates ID steps, insurance, deposits, in-country processing and the current authority route before payment.
| Dependent visa check | Planning guidance | Source confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor status | The sponsor should hold a valid UAE residence route before dependent residence is planned. | Official ICP/GDRFA procedural sources; confirm category-specific terms. |
| Family documents | Marriage, birth, kinship, passport, photograph, housing and income evidence may be requested depending on category and emirate. | Official procedural sources; document format and attestation can vary. |
| Medical, Emirates ID and insurance | Residence processing may include medical testing, Emirates ID and health insurance steps depending on age, applicant status and authority process. | Official procedural sources; final component list must be checked. |
| Cost and timing | Public government pages publish some component fees, but the all-in dependent visa amount is route-specific and should not be blended into DMCC licence or office totals without a current quote. | ICP/GDRFA context; DMCC-specific dependent visa quote required. |
Useful sources: ICP residence permit service, GDRFA family entry visa service, GDRFA family residence service. See visa cost planning, document checklist and corrections.
Shortlist this profile against the other common options before choosing on headline price alone. The three-way guide compares DMCC, IFZA and RAKEZ on cost exposure, visa planning, banking readiness and fit by setup scenario.
Source evidence: Review source | Methodology | Corrections.
Prices can change based on free zone authority updates, activity selection, visa count, office or flexi-desk requirement, shareholder structure, establishment card, immigration file, medical test, Emirates ID, insurance, banking support and consultant service fees. Last reviewed July 2026. Always request a current quote before payment. View methodology or compare all rows in the UAE Free Zone Cost Index.
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