Skip to main content
Tier 2 · Dubai

Mainland DED license — not a free zone

Companies here hold Dubai DED (mainland) trade licenses, not free-zone licenses. You get direct UAE market access but not free-zone benefits (100% foreign ownership by default, ring-fenced jurisdiction, 0% tax QFZP eligibility). Costs shown are DED license fees; compare with care against free-zone options.

Dubai Industrial City

Dubai Industrial City

Saih Shuaib / Dubai South corridor, between Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road (E311) and Emirates Road (E611), near Al Maktoum International Airport · Est. 2004 · Licensing: Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DED/DET); fit-out/building permits: Dubai Development Authority; district operator: Dubai Industrial City LLC (TECOM Group PJSC)

AED 2,740 – AED 38,950/ yr
high confidenceVerified 18 Jul 2026official ↗
Find zones like this →
Best for

Light-to-medium manufacturers, food processors and logistics operators that need industrial land, warehouses and worker housing near Jebel Ali/Al Maktoum corridors AND want mainland UAE market access through a DED license.

Not ideal for

Businesses seeking 0% free-zone corporate tax, VAT designated-zone goods treatment, flexi-desk entry packages or freelance permits; also a poor fit for non-industrial service startups that do not need a facility.

01Capability profile

Six independent dimensions, scored from official zone data.

?
Banking10/15
?
Visa scale15/15
?
Cost (lower=better)19/20
?
Activity breadth8/25
?
Workspace options9/15
?
Location9/10
02Where Dubai Industrial City sits

Tick marks for every zone, Dubai Industrial City highlighted. The shape of the field, not just the rank.

Year 1 cost← lower is better

Dubai Industrial City: 96th percentile (AED 2,740) · Licence + registration, AED.

Setup time← lower is better

Dubai Industrial City: 4th percentile (30 days) · Total estimated days from application to operational.

Visa caphigher is better →

Dubai Industrial City: 83th percentile (200 visas) · Absolute maximum visa allocation. Values above 500 clipped to the right edge so the bulk of the distribution stays readable.

Banking ease← better
Easy
4
Moderate
73
Difficult
15
Very difficult
1

Dubai Industrial City: Moderate · Corporate bank account opening difficulty. Each cell is one zone.

03Costs

Year-one license, renewals, and 5-year totals in AED.

2,740
– 38,950
Year 1 range · AED
AED 26,565 less than DMCC
budget tier
Show in
Base licence
AED 2,000
Registration
AED 740
Renewal (year 2+)
AED 2,000
3-year total
AED 6,740
2-year visa cost
AED 2,300
Hidden & one-off costs
Establishment card
AED 650
Cancellation fee
AED 1,020
Visa renewal
AED 3,000
Visa cancellation
AED 380
Emirates ID (per visa)
AED 370
Dependent / spouse visa
AED 2,000
Year-on-year fee tracking begins 2026 — changes appear here as they accrue.
Indicative, from published ratesOfficial fee schedule ↗Verified 2026-07high confidence

Notify me if fees change — get an email if Dubai Industrial City updates its licence or setup costs.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Only emails you when costs change.

04Visas & workspace

Visa caps, workspace options, and family-sponsorship rules.

Visa allocation
Maximum visas
200
Flexi-desk cap
2
Office cap
3
Family sponsorship
Available
Freelancer permit
Not available
Golden visa
Available
Green visa
Available
Medical required
Yes
Processing time
~7 days
Workspace options
Virtual office
No
Flexi-desk
No
Coworking
Yes
Dedicated office
Yes
Executive office
No
Warehouse
Yes
Industrial unit
Yes
Land plot
Yes
Ejari issued
Yes
Parking
Yes
Dedicated office cost
AED 14,500/yr
05Banking & setup

Banking difficulty, partner banks, and setup timeline.

Banking
Difficulty
Moderate
Time to account
~14 days
Minimum deposit
AED 25,000
Corp tax rate
9%
Audit cost (est)
AED 8,000
UBO filing
Required
AML / KYC
standard
Partner banks
Emirates NBDFABADCBMashreq
Neo-bank options
Wio BusinessMashreq NeoBiz (serve mainland SMEs; industrial companies with large cash/cheque flows typically still need a traditional bank)
Setup timeline
  1. Registration mode
    Fully online — no in-person visit required
  2. Documents & application
    Passport, visa, business plan — ~3–5 days
  3. Licence issued
    ~5 business days after submission
  4. Bank account active
    Additional ~14 days · Moderate banking
  5. Operational
    Typically ~30 days, up to ~120 days
06Package pricing

3 packages from official fee schedules.

All figures in AED, from official fee schedules. Visa and health-insurance costs are additional.

PackageVisasYear 1Renewal
Warehouse Unit 500sqm – 5 VisasBest value5AED 45,000AED 36,000
Light Industrial Unit 1000sqm – 10 Visas10AED 78,000AED 62,000
Factory Plot – Manufacturing – 20 Visas20AED 135,000AED 108,000
07Permitted activities

Activity categories, restrictions, and approval flags.

100+ activitiesMainland selling: Yes

Sector-specific manufacturing zones

logistics hub with proximity to Jebel Ali Port

Al Maktoum International Airport

and Etihad Rail freight terminal

Categories
Food & Beverage; Transport; Base Metals; Machinery; Minerals; Chemicals (six sector zones); plus logisticsstoragelight & medium industries and R&D
Matched industry clusters
industriallogistics
Restricted
Industrial activities need external approvals (MOIATDubai Municipality environmentCivil DefenceDEWA); district is restricted to light/medium manufacturing and logistics - heavy industry vetted case-by-case
08Jurisdiction & ecosystem

Legal framework, tax status, audit requirements, and zone focus — every value sourced.

Common lawNo
VAT designated zoneNo
QFZP eligible (0% tax)Yes
Inferred · 2026-07-18
Mainland permitYes
Inferred · 2026-07-18
Audit requiredNo
Inferred · 2026-07-18
Economic substancestandard
Inferred · 2026-07-18

This zone offers physical-office options sufficient for a standard QFZP substance posture, though the bar still applies at the entity level (CTGFZP1).

Focus: manufacturing, logistics

1100+ (end-Sep 2024; +11.5% YoY per official 20th-anniversary press release) companieslarge communityNetworking events: YesIncubator: Yes
Notable companies

Unilever; A.P. Moller-Maersk; Patchi; Al Barakah Dates; Al Ghurair; Bentley; Standard Carpets; Assent Steel Industries; ALAS Emirates Ready Mix; Pure Ice Cream (AED 80M facility under construction 2025); MD Pharma (AED 130M); OZON Pharmaceuticals (AED 293M); Silver Line Gate Group (AED 200M); Al Khayyat Investments; Dubatt Battery Recycling; Neelkanth Cables

QFZP, audit, mainland-permit and substance values are sourced where the zone authority or FTA publishes them, and inferred from published zone characteristics otherwise. How we determine these values.

09Strengths & limitations

5 strengths · 4 caveats.

Strengths
  • Mainland DED license inside an industrial district: direct UAE-wide sales with no distributor, unlike free-zone alternatives
  • Purpose-built industrial ecosystem: six sector zones, warehouses from 5,132 sq ft, land to 5M+ sq ft, 800 MW power, on-site workers' accommodation
  • Strategic freight connectivity: Etihad Rail freight terminal on-site, near Jebel Ali Port and Al Maktoum International Airport
  • Institutional operator: TECOM Group (DFM-listed) investing heavily - AED 1.6B land acquisition 2025, 97-98% occupancy
  • EDB and Emirates Growth Fund financing channels dedicated to DIC manufacturers
Caveats
  • No free-zone tax status: standard 9% corporate tax and standard VAT (not a designated zone) - kills the 'free zone' assumption in much third-party marketing
  • No published pricing: license, land and warehouse costs only via inquiry; industrial setup total easily AED 100k-500k+ year 1 with facility and approvals
  • Heavy external approval load for manufacturing (MOIAT, municipality, civil defence, DEWA) extends timelines to 1-4 months
  • Remote location with limited lifestyle amenities; workers' accommodation currently male-only

Not ideal for: Businesses seeking 0% free-zone corporate tax, VAT designated-zone goods treatment, flexi-desk entry packages or freelance permits; also a poor fit for non-industrial service startups that do not need a facility.

10Recent developments

2 policy and pricing updates on record.

  1. 2025-Q2Dubai Industrial City launched a dedicated Food and Beverage Manufacturing Cluster with shared production halls, halal-certified processing facilities, and cold chain warehousing, targeting F&B startups and regional food producers.
  2. 2024-Q3Dubai Industrial City announced the first Etihad Rail freight terminal directly connecting the zone to the national rail network, enabling cost-efficient cargo movement between Dubai and Abu Dhabi for industrial tenants.
11Tax considerations

4 tax questions relevant to this zone.

Questions to raise with your tax advisor

  1. Does your planned revenue qualify under the QFZP qualifying-income rules?

    QFZP 0% only applies to qualifying income. Mainland trading or revenue from non-free-zone clients is generally non-qualifying and taxed at 9%.

  2. Will you need audited accounts even if this zone doesn't require them?

    FTA corporate-tax filing typically expects audited accounts for revenue above AED 50M, and banks often request them at much lower thresholds.

  3. How much of your revenue will come from mainland UAE customers, and how does that affect QFZP and 5% VAT obligations?

    Mainland revenue beyond ad-hoc levels can disqualify QFZP and triggers full 9% corporate tax plus standard VAT on supplies.

  4. Do any of your customers, suppliers, or shareholders meet the FTA's related-party definition?

    Related-party transactions need transfer-pricing documentation and may push otherwise-qualifying income into the 9% bracket.

These prompts are due-diligence questions, not tax advice. Confirm every answer with a UAE-licensed tax advisor before incorporating.

12Frequently asked

4 common questions specific to Dubai Industrial City.

13Similar zones in Dubai

3 comparable zones in the same emirate.

14About this data

Last verified 2026-07-18 · high confidence.

Dubai Industrial City data is sourced from official zone authority publications, government fee schedules, and where available, verified against direct communications with the zone. All figures in AED.

Location
Saih Shuaib / Dubai South corridor, between Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road (E311) and Emirates Road (E611), near Al Maktoum International Airport
Established
2004
Authority
Licensing: Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DED/DET); fit-out/building permits: Dubai Development Authority; district operator: Dubai Industrial City LLC (TECOM Group PJSC)
Last verified
2026-07-18
Confidence
high
Methodology
How we score →
Cited source
Fee data sourced from the official fee schedule, fetched 2026-07-18. View source ↗
Per-field citations
How we verify every zone →
15Founder reviews

What founders who've registered here say.

4.2★1,381 reviewsGoogle

Founder reviews

No founder reviews yet for Dubai Industrial City. Be the first to share your experience.

16Take the next step

Not sure if Dubai Industrial City is the right fit?

Complex situations — holding structures, regulated activities, multi-jurisdiction setups — benefit from a 20-minute call with a specialist. No commitment required.

Get the Dubai Industrial City dossier as a PDF

At-a-glance metrics, strengths, trade-offs, partner banks, and a setup checklist for Dubai Industrial City. We email a download link to your inbox.

We use your email only to send this report and a short follow-up sequence. Unsubscribe anytime.

No tracking cookies. Privacy Policy