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Tier 2 · Dubai

Dubai Maritime City

Dubai Maritime City Free Zone

Port Rashid area · Est. 2007 · Dubai Maritime City FZE (DP World) — zone operator; Dubai Maritime Authority (DMA, PCFC) — maritime regulator; JAFZA — trade license issuer

AED 15,000 – AED 55,100/ yr
high confidenceVerified 18 Jul 2026official ↗
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Best for

Ship repair and shipbuilding companies, yacht builders/refitters, marine engineering firms, ship managers and marine suppliers that need physical waterfront infrastructure in central Dubai.

Not ideal for

Non-maritime businesses, solo consultants or freelancers seeking a cheap desk, and any company wanting transparent online package pricing — JAFZA, RAKEZ or IFZA-style zones fit those better.

01Capability profile

Six independent dimensions, scored from official zone data.

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Banking10/15
?
Visa scale3/15
?
Cost (lower=better)15/20
?
Activity breadth16/25
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Workspace options0/15
?
Location9/10
02Where Dubai Maritime City sits

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

Year 1 cost← lower is better

Dubai Maritime City: 38th percentile (AED 15,000) · Licence + registration, AED.

Setup time← lower is better

Dubai Maritime City: 25th percentile (14 days) · Total estimated days from application to operational.

Visa caphigher is better →

Dubai Maritime City: 5th percentile (6 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 Maritime City: Moderate · Corporate bank account opening difficulty. Each cell is one zone.

03Costs

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

15,000
– 55,100
Year 1 range · AED
AED 14,305 less than DMCC
budget tier
Show in
Base licence
AED 5,000
Registration
AED 10,000
Renewal (year 2+)
AED 5,000
3-year total
AED 25,000
2-year visa cost
AED 2,500
Flexi-desk per year
AED 20,000
Hidden & one-off costs
Establishment card
AED 2,000
Minimum share capital
AED 1,000,000
Cancellation fee
AED 2,500
Visa renewal
AED 2,500
Visa cancellation
AED 600
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

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04Visas & workspace

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

Visa allocation
Maximum visas
6
Flexi-desk cap
1
Office cap
1
Warehouse cap
1
Family sponsorship
Available
Freelancer permit
Not available
Golden visa
Available
Green visa
Available
Medical required
Yes
Processing time
~10 days
Workspace options
Virtual office
No
Flexi-desk
No
Dedicated office
No
Warehouse
No
Industrial unit
No
Dedicated office cost
AED 15,000/yr
05Banking & setup

Banking difficulty, partner banks, and setup timeline.

Banking
Difficulty
Moderate
Time to account
~14 days
Minimum deposit
AED 15,000
Corp tax rate
0%
Audit cost (est)
AED 12,000
UBO filing
Required
AML / KYC
enhanced
Partner banks
Emirates NBDMashreqFABADCB
Neo-bank options
Wio Business
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 ~14 days · Moderate banking
  5. Operational
    Typically ~14 days, up to ~30 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
Office – Maritime Services – 2 VisasBest value2AED 30,000AED 24,000
Office – Marine Engineering – 4 Visas4AED 48,000AED 38,000
Industrial Unit – Ship Repair – 8 Visas8AED 95,000AED 76,000
07Permitted activities

Activity categories, restrictions, and approval flags.

7 official activity categories; ~20 distinct activity types listed in business directory activitiesMainland selling: No

Ship repair & dry-docking (~500 vessels/year)

Yacht manufacturing & refit

Shipbuilding (steel & aluminium)

Marine engineering consultancy

Vessel management & ship agency

Maritime training

Categories
Ship/Boat/Yacht BuildingShip/Boat/Yacht Repair & MaintenanceMarine Equipment Repair/MaintenanceMarine Spare Parts & Equipment TradingShip Design & EngineeringShip Management & OperationsShip Chandlery & Marine SupplyShipping Agency, Chartering & Vessel InspectionCustoms Brokerage & Sea/Air Cargo ServicesDiving & Offshore (Oilfield) ServicesYacht ManufacturingMaritime Training & EducationNon-marine support services (F&B, retail, services for the zone community)
Matched industry clusters
consultingindustriallogisticseducation
Restricted
["Zone is maritime-focused; non-maritime activities admitted mainly as support services ('Non marine' category in directory)""Activities unrelated to the zone's community needs are generally not accepted"'Standard UAE prohibitions apply']

Some activities require additional approval from the zone authority.

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: ship repair, shipbuilding, yacht manufacturing & refit, marine engineering, ship management, marine supply & chandlery, offshore & diving services, maritime training

280+ registered businesses (2022); 411 business-partner entries in online directory companiesmedium communityNetworking events: Yes
Notable companies

Drydocks World (FZCO), Grandweld Shipyards, Albwardy Damen (Al Bwardy Marine Engineering), Wärtsilä, Palfinger Marine, MacGregor, Viking Life-Saving Equipment, Metalock In-situ Machining, James Fisher Marine Services, Ulmatec

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
  • The only purpose-built maritime cluster in the UAE/GCC: 21+ ship-repair plots, two shiplifts (6,000t/3,000t), 66+ wet/dry berths, ~500 vessels repaired annually
  • Direct sea access on a peninsula between Port Rashid and Drydocks World, central Dubai location
  • DP World backing with JAFZA licensing — banks and counterparties know the jurisdiction
  • New Grade-A office supply: Maritime Business Centre 2 (opened May 2026) with fitted plug-and-play units from 40 sqm
  • 100% foreign ownership, 0% corporate tax on qualifying income (QFZP), no customs duty within the zone
Caveats
  • Strictly maritime: activities outside the marine sector are limited to support services; not a general-purpose zone
  • No flexi-desk or virtual-office product — a physical facility lease is mandatory, raising entry cost
  • No published price list for licenses, leases or berthing; everything is on application via JAFZA/DMC FZE
  • Maritime activities need a second approval layer (DMA Marine Activity Permit) on top of the trade license

Not ideal for: Non-maritime businesses, solo consultants or freelancers seeking a cheap desk, and any company wanting transparent online package pricing — JAFZA, RAKEZ or IFZA-style zones fit those better.

10Recent developments

2 policy and pricing updates on record.

  1. 2025-Q2Dubai Maritime City launched a Marine Technology Hub in partnership with DP World, providing dedicated facilities for maritime tech startups working on vessel monitoring, port management software, and autonomous maritime systems.
  2. 2024-Q3Dubai Maritime City opened a new 12-berth floating dock facility, expanding ship repair capacity and positioning the zone to handle mid-size commercial vessel maintenance for the growing UAE and Indian Ocean fleet.
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 Maritime City.

13Similar zones in Dubai

3 comparable zones in the same emirate.

14About this data

Last verified 2026-07-18 · high confidence.

Dubai Maritime 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
Port Rashid area
Established
2007
Authority
Dubai Maritime City FZE (DP World) — zone operator; Dubai Maritime Authority (DMA, PCFC) — maritime regulator; JAFZA — trade license issuer
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.

4.3★1,245 reviewsGoogle

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16Take the next step

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