Skip to main content
Tier 2 · Dubai

Dubai Knowledge Park

Dubai Knowledge Park (formerly Dubai Knowledge Village; renamed 2014)

Al Sufouh (adjacent to Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City; nearest metro: Dubai Internet City, Nakheel) · Est. 2003 · Dubai Development Authority (DDA) - licensing & regulation; operated by TECOM Group

AED 18,500 – AED 38,370/ yr
high confidenceVerified 18 Jul 2026official ↗
Find zones like this →
Best for

Training institutes, HR/recruitment consultancies, professional-development providers, education freelancers and international universities seeking a specialist education campus with KHDA-recognised regulation.

Not ideal for

Businesses outside education/training/HR, companies needing large visa quotas on minimal space, or anyone wanting a published fixed price list without requesting a quote.

01Capability profile

Six independent dimensions, scored from official zone data.

?
Banking10/15
?
Visa scale15/15
?
Cost (lower=better)14/20
?
Activity breadth8/25
?
Workspace options6/15
?
Location9/10
02Where Dubai Knowledge Park sits

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

Year 1 cost← lower is better

Dubai Knowledge Park: 23th percentile (AED 18,500) · Licence + registration, AED.

Setup time← lower is better

Dubai Knowledge Park: 65th percentile (7 days) · Total estimated days from application to operational.

Visa caphigher is better →

Dubai Knowledge Park: 40th percentile (50 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 Knowledge Park: Moderate · Corporate bank account opening difficulty. Each cell is one zone.

03Costs

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

18,500
– 38,370
Year 1 range · AED
AED 10,805 less than DMCC
mid tier
Show in
Base licence
AED 15,000
Registration
AED 3,500
Renewal (year 2+)
AED 15,000
3-year total
AED 48,500
2-year visa cost
AED 5,042
Hidden & one-off costs
Establishment card
AED 2,000
Minimum share capital
AED 10,000
Cancellation fee
AED 1,500
Visa renewal
AED 3,000
Visa cancellation
AED 500
Emirates ID (per visa)
AED 370
Dependent / spouse visa
AED 3,500
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 Knowledge Park 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
50
Flexi-desk cap
1
Office cap
2
Family sponsorship
Available
Freelancer permit
Available
Golden visa
Available
Medical required
Yes
Processing time
~10 days
Workspace options
Virtual office
No
Flexi-desk
Yes
Coworking
Yes
Dedicated office
Yes
Executive office
No
Warehouse
No
Industrial unit
No
Land plot
No
Ejari issued
No
Parking
Yes
Dedicated office cost
AED 74,000/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
0%
Audit cost (est)
AED 5,000
UBO filing
Required
AML / KYC
standard
Partner banks
Emirates NBDFABMashreqADCB
Neo-bank options
Wio
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
    ~2 business days after submission
  4. Bank account active
    Additional ~14 days · Moderate banking
  5. Operational
    Typically ~7 days, up to ~12 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
Flexi Desk – 1 Activity – 2 VisasBest value2AED 21,000AED 17,000
Flexi Desk – 1 Activity – 3 Visas3AED 26,000AED 20,000
Dedicated Office – 2 Activities – 5 Visas5AED 42,000AED 34,000
07Permitted activities

Activity categories, restrictions, and approval flags.

20 official licensing segments (per DKP community directory category list) activitiesMainland selling: YesDual license: No

GoFreelance education permits (Education Advisors, Trainers, eLearning Advisors, Executive Coaching, Researchers)

Regional Head Quarters

Association (Non-Profit)

Assessment and Testing

Vocational/professional training across soft and hard skills (business, music, cooking, languages, coaching)

Categories
Assessment and TestingAssociation (Non-Profit)Child Skills Development TrainingComputer TrainingConsultancyContent DevelopmentExecutive SearchFine Arts TrainingFreelancerHotels and Leisure ServicesHuman Resources ConsultancyLanguage TrainingProfessional and Management Development TrainingProperty Management ServicesRegional Head QuartersResearch & DevelopmentService ProviderSupport ServicesTechnical & Occupational SkillsTutoring Services
Matched industry clusters
consultingeducation
Restricted
Activities outside the education/training/HR scope (e.g.general trading of physical goodsmanufacturingmedia/broadcastcrypto) are not licensable at DKP; note the pack's restricted list appears imported from another zone - Tutoring Services and Child Skills Development Training ARE official DKP segments
Require approval
KHDA approval/permit for education and training institutions (post-DDA licence)NOC from external authorities per DDA Licensing Categories Decision Article 08 for regulated segments
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: Education, Training, HR, Consulting

812 (official community directory listings for DKP, incl. companies, freelancers and retail outlets, checked Jul 2026) companiesmedium (812 directory entities; wider education cluster with DIAC is very large) communityNetworking events: YesIncubator: Yes
Notable companies

Middlesex University Dubai (Blocks 15-19, KHDA 5-star rated), Heriot-Watt University Dubai, University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD), SAE University College Dubai (Block 2), University of Manchester Middle East Centre (Block 2B)

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

10 strengths · 4 caveats.

Strengths
  • Student cluster figure should be 42
  • 000+ (KHDA 2024-25
  • Dubai-wide); D/Quarters pricing starts from AED 1
  • 200/month (Open Quarters)
  • AED 2
  • 500/month (Desk Quarters
  • 2 permits)
  • AED 5
  • 000/month (Office Quarters
  • 2+ permits)
Caveats
  • Corporate licence pricing is not published - activity-based quotes only via axs, making cost comparison hard (indicative ~AED 15,000/yr)
  • Visa quota tied to leased space (~1 per 80 sq ft) and hot desks allow only 1 visa - not suited to headcount-heavy firms on small budgets
  • Restricted to education/training/HR scope: no general trading, manufacturing or media activities; KHDA approval adds time and compliance for training institutes
  • Licence restricted to operating within the free zone; mainland work needs a separate DET licence

Not ideal for: Businesses outside education/training/HR, companies needing large visa quotas on minimal space, or anyone wanting a published fixed price list without requesting a quote.

10Recent developments

2 policy and pricing updates on record.

  1. 2025-Q1Dubai Knowledge Park introduced a new AI-in-Learning licensing category, enabling edtech companies and AI-powered HR tech providers to obtain activity-specific licenses under the TECOM framework.
  2. 2024-Q4DKP launched the People & Work Festival, an annual HR and L&D conference hosted within the free zone campus, attracting over 5,000 attendees and reinforcing DKP's position as the region's leading HR ecosystem.
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 Knowledge Park.

13Similar zones in Dubai

3 comparable zones in the same emirate.

14About this data

Last verified 2026-07-18 · high confidence.

Dubai Knowledge Park 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
Al Sufouh (adjacent to Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City; nearest metro: Dubai Internet City, Nakheel)
Established
2003
Authority
Dubai Development Authority (DDA) - licensing & regulation; operated by TECOM Group
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.

3.9★2,300 reviewsGoogle

Founder reviews

No founder reviews yet for Dubai Knowledge Park. Be the first to share your experience.

16Take the next step

Not sure if Dubai Knowledge Park 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 Knowledge Park dossier as a PDF

At-a-glance metrics, strengths, trade-offs, partner banks, and a setup checklist for Dubai Knowledge Park. 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