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Sub-zone · Dubai South · Dubai

Dubai Logistics City

Dubai Logistics City — Logistics District, Dubai South (DACC-licensed)

Dubai South · Est. 2006 · Dubai Aviation City Corporation (DACC) - Dubai South free zone regulatory/licensing authority

AED 11,000/ yr
high confidenceVerified 18 Jul 2026official ↗
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Best for

3PLs, freight forwarders, e-commerce fulfilment operators, cold-chain/pharma logistics and distributors that need integrated air-sea connectivity, bonded warehousing and customs-efficient goods flows.

Not ideal for

Service businesses wanting a cheap desk-only Dubai address (the Dubai South Business Hub or other zones are better fits), companies selling mainly into the UAE mainland retail market, and founders who need published, fixed warehouse pricing before committing.

01Capability profile

Six independent dimensions, scored from official zone data.

?
Banking10/15
?
Visa scale15/15
?
Cost (lower=better)16/20
?
Activity breadth4/25
?
Workspace options12/15
?
Location9/10
02Where Dubai Logistics City sits

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

Year 1 cost← lower is better

Dubai Logistics City: 52th percentile (AED 11,000) · Licence + registration, AED.

Setup time← lower is better

Dubai Logistics City: 13th percentile (20 days) · Total estimated days from application to operational.

Visa caphigher is better →

Dubai Logistics City: 94th percentile (500 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 Logistics City: Moderate · Corporate bank account opening difficulty. Each cell is one zone.

03Costs

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

11,000
Year 1 minimum · AED
AED 18,305 less than DMCC
mid tier
Show in
Base licence
AED 10,000
Registration
AED 1,000
Renewal (year 2+)
AED 10,000
3-year total
AED 31,000
2-year visa cost
AED 2,580
Hidden & one-off costs
Establishment card
AED 2,060
Minimum share capital
AED 300,000
Cancellation fee
AED 3,500
Visa renewal
AED 1,640
Visa cancellation
AED 290
Emirates ID (per visa)
AED 370
Dependent / spouse visa
AED 2,500
Year-on-year fee tracking begins 2026 — changes appear here as they accrue.
Indicative, from published ratesOfficial fee schedule ↗Verified 2026-07high confidence

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04Visas & workspace

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

Visa allocation
Maximum visas
500
Flexi-desk cap
2
Office cap
1
Warehouse cap
1
Family sponsorship
Available
Freelancer permit
Not available
Golden visa
Available
Green visa
Available
Medical required
Yes
Processing time
~5 days
Workspace options
Virtual office
Yes
Flexi-desk
Yes
Coworking
Yes
Dedicated office
Yes
Executive office
Yes
Warehouse
Yes
Industrial unit
No
Land plot
Yes
Ejari issued
Yes
Parking
Yes
Dedicated office cost
AED 400,000/yr
05Banking & setup

Banking difficulty, partner banks, and setup timeline.

Banking
Difficulty
Moderate
Time to account
~20 days
Minimum deposit
AED 25,000
Corp tax rate
0%
Audit cost (est)
AED 15,000
UBO filing
Required
AML / KYC
standard
Partner banks
Emirates NBDFABMashreqADCB
Neo-bank options
Wio BusinessMashreq NeoBiz
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
    ~3 business days after submission
  4. Bank account active
    Additional ~20 days · Moderate banking
  5. Operational
    Typically ~20 days, up to ~21 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 – Logistics – 2 VisasBest value2AED 29,900AED 22,000
Office – Freight / Cargo – 4 Visas4AED 48,000AED 38,000
Logistics Warehouse 500sqm – 8 Visas8AED 85,000AED 68,000
07Permitted activities

Activity categories, restrictions, and approval flags.

50+ activitiesMainland selling: No

Logistics

Aviation

MBR Aerospace Hub

Categories
Free ZoneLogisticsAviationLifestyleAerospaceCommercial PropertyRetail
Matched industry clusters
logistics
Restricted
Banking and financial/investment activities on behalf of third partiesActivities conflicting with UAE law
08Jurisdiction & ecosystem

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

Common lawNo
VAT designated zoneYes
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: Free Zone, Logistics, Aviation, Aerospace, Commercial Property, Retail

4,200+ operational businesses across Dubai South as of end-2025 (653 added in 2025, 90% retention, 65% YoY increase in new licenses); Logistics District-only count not published companieslarge communityNetworking events: YesIncubator: Yes
Notable companies

DHL (incl. DHL Innovation Centre, opened 2025), UPS (expansion agreement signed 2025), Expeditors (facility inaugurated 2025), Ford (distribution facility inaugurated 2025), Kuehne+Nagel (22,915 sqm BTS fulfilment centre at EZDubai), Amazon (adjacent operations), Noon (adjacent operations), Aramex, Hellmann-Calipar (healthcare/cold-chain logistics), RSA Logistics

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

20 strengths · 4 caveats.

Strengths
  • ['Direct access to Al Maktoum International Airport cargo terminals (Freight Forwarding Zone) plus bonded corridor to Jebel Ali Port — port-to-airport cargo in ~20 minutes'
  • "VAT Designated Zone ('Dubai Aviation City'
  • Cabinet Decision 59/2017): qualifying goods movements under customs control are out of scope of UAE VAT"
  • 'Transparent
  • low official tariff: license AED 10
  • 000/yr
  • 2-year visa AED 2
  • 580
  • published DACC Tariff (May 2025)'
  • 'Purpose-built Grade A stock: single-user and multi-tenant warehouses
  • EZDubai e-commerce zone
  • build-to-suit land; Aldar JV adding new Grade A facilities'
  • 'Blue-chip logistics ecosystem: DHL
  • UPS
  • Expeditors
  • Kuehne+Nagel
  • Amazon
  • Noon
  • Ford
  • Aramex']
Caveats
  • Not a standalone licensing jurisdiction — all licensing/visas run through Dubai South (DACC); no district-specific price list
  • Warehouse and land pricing is quote-only, not published; total occupancy cost hard to benchmark
  • AED 300,000 minimum share capital for a DWC-LLC (deposit not required)
  • Located ~40 minutes from central Dubai; limited public transport today

Not ideal for: Service businesses wanting a cheap desk-only Dubai address (the Dubai South Business Hub or other zones are better fits), companies selling mainly into the UAE mainland retail market, and founders who need published, fixed warehouse pricing before committing.

10Recent developments

2 policy and pricing updates on record.

  1. 2025-Q3Dubai Logistics City signed agreements with DHL and Aramex for dedicated air cargo hub expansions within the zone, adding 80,000 sqm of new bonded warehouse space to serve the growing e-commerce logistics demand.
  2. 2024-Q4Dubai South unveiled plans to extend the logistics city's cold chain network by 25,000 sqm, specifically targeting pharmaceutical, food, and perishable goods air freight operators.
11Tax considerations

5 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. Do your goods movements actually fall inside the VAT Designated Zone treatment?

    Designated Zone status applies to goods within the zone, not services. Most service businesses get no VAT benefit from being inside one.

  4. 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.

  5. 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 Logistics City.

13Similar zones in Dubai

3 comparable zones in the same emirate.

14About this data

Last verified 2026-07-18 · high confidence.

Dubai Logistics 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
Dubai South
Established
2006
Authority
Dubai Aviation City Corporation (DACC) - Dubai South free zone regulatory/licensing authority
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.

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16Take the next step

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