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Tier 2 · Dubai

Dubai Outsource Zone

Dubai Outsource City (formerly Dubai Outsource Zone)

Academic City district, Dubai–Al Ain Road (E66), adjacent to Dubai Silicon Oasis · Est. 2007 · Dubai Development Authority (DDA)

AED 18,500 – AED 40,120/ yr
high confidenceVerified 18 Jul 2026official ↗
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Best for

BPO/ITO providers, call-centre operators and captive shared-services centres (airlines, banks, hospitality groups) that want a purpose-built, TECOM-managed Dubai base with large, office-linked visa quotas.

Not ideal for

Goods traders needing VAT designated-zone benefits, early-stage startups that cannot tie up AED 300k share capital or only need 1-2 visas, and businesses wanting a central Dubai address with metro access.

01Capability profile

Six independent dimensions, scored from official zone data.

?
Banking10/15
?
Visa scale15/15
?
Cost (lower=better)14/20
?
Activity breadth20/25
?
Workspace options6/15
?
Location9/10
02Where Dubai Outsource Zone sits

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

Year 1 cost← lower is better

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

Setup time← lower is better

Dubai Outsource Zone: 29th percentile (12 days) · Total estimated days from application to operational.

Visa caphigher is better →

Dubai Outsource Zone: 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 Outsource Zone: Moderate · Corporate bank account opening difficulty. Each cell is one zone.

03Costs

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

18,500
– 40,120
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
Flexi-desk per year
AED 12,000
Hidden & one-off costs
Establishment card
AED 2,000
Minimum share capital
AED 300,000
Cancellation fee
AED 1,500
Visa renewal
AED 4,220
Visa cancellation
AED 1,200
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
50
Flexi-desk cap
1
Office cap
1
Family sponsorship
Available
Freelancer permit
Available
Golden visa
Available
Green visa
Available
Medical required
Yes
Processing time
~10 days
Workspace options
Virtual office
No
Flexi-desk
Yes
Coworking
Yes
Dedicated office
Yes
Executive office
Yes
Warehouse
No
Industrial unit
No
Land plot
Yes
Ejari issued
Yes
Parking
Yes
Dedicated office cost
AED 24,000/yr
05Banking & setup

Banking difficulty, partner banks, and setup timeline.

Banking
Difficulty
Moderate
Time to account
~7 days
Minimum deposit
AED 25,000
Corp tax rate
0%
Audit cost (est)
AED 8,000
UBO filing
Required
AML / KYC
standard
Partner banks
Emirates NBDFABMashreqADCBRAKBank
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
    ~7 business days after submission
  4. Bank account active
    Additional ~7 days · Moderate banking
  5. Operational
    Typically ~12 days, up to ~20 days
06Package pricing

4 packages from official fee schedules.

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

PackageVisasYear 1Renewal
Flexi Desk – BPO – 1 VisaBest value1AED 18,500AED 15,000
Flexi Desk – BPO – 3 Visas3AED 25,000AED 19,500
Office – Outsourcing – 4 Visas4AED 38,000AED 30,000
Call Centre / BPO Office – 8 Visas8AED 58,000AED 46,000
07Permitted activities

Activity categories, restrictions, and approval flags.

~15 activity groups activitiesMainland selling: No

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)

HR Outsourcing

IT/ICT Outsourcing

Back-Office Operations

Call Centre Operations

Data Centres

Captive Shared Services (airlines, banks, hospitality)

Categories
Customer CareTransaction ProcessingInformation Technology ManagementDocument ManagementOperations SupportService Provider (general services)ConsultancyRegional HeadquartersHotels and Leisure ServicesHotels and Serviced ApartmentsProperty Management Services
Matched industry clusters
consultingtechfinancialtradingindustrial
Restricted
Heavy manufacturing (no industrial facilities)Direct mainland retail sales (must use distributors)Regulated financial services — banking/insurance underwriting (separate regulators)Healthcare services (require external DHA approvals)
Require approval
Property Management Services — RERA NOC required before licence issuanceHotel and Leisure Services — subject to Schedule 2 approvals under LCD
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: Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), IT Outsourcing, Call Centers, Back Office Operations*

80+ companiessmall communityNetworking events: YesIncubator: No
Notable companies

Emirates (shared services), Genpact, InterGlobe, Arab Bank, ADCB, Serco, AXA, Dunia Finance, du, HCL Technologies, L&T Infotech, Jumeirah Group, Intelenet

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

12 strengths · 6 caveats.

Strengths
  • ["World's first free zone purpose-built for outsourcing/shared services
  • with dedicated office stock
  • robust telecom and 24/7 security"
  • 'Mid-priced DDA licence: AED 15
  • 000/yr + AED 3
  • 500 one-time registration; branches need zero share capital'
  • 'Generous space-linked visa quota (1 visa per 80 sq ft) suits large call-centre and BPO seat counts'
  • '100% foreign ownership
  • 0% corporate tax on qualifying income (QFZP)
  • full repatriation of capital and profits'
  • 'Direct talent pipeline from neighbouring Dubai International Academic City (28
  • 000+ students available for part-time work)']
Caveats
  • ['AED 300
  • 000 minimum paid-up capital for FZ-LLCs is far above most Dubai free zones'
  • "Narrow licensable scope: a single 'Outsource' segment with one activity per licence; few general categories beyond that"
  • 'Peripheral location with no metro — RTA bus 365 only; thinner retail/amenity scene than Dubai Internet City or DMCC'
  • 'Not a VAT designated zone
  • and no public price schedule beyond the 2021 licensing decision — most quotes are sales-team-based']

Not ideal for: Goods traders needing VAT designated-zone benefits, early-stage startups that cannot tie up AED 300k share capital or only need 1-2 visas, and businesses wanting a central Dubai address with metro access.

10Recent developments

2 policy and pricing updates on record.

  1. 2025-Q1Dubai Outsource City was rebranded to Dubai Outsource Zone under TECOM Group's unified zone portfolio strategy, with a refreshed licensing framework and updated activity categories reflecting modern BPO and digital services business models.
  2. 2024-Q3DOC launched a digital transformation accelerator programme in partnership with Microsoft, offering subsidised Azure cloud credits and co-working access to BPO companies undergoing digital service delivery upgrades.
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 Outsource Zone.

13Similar zones in Dubai

3 comparable zones in the same emirate.

14About this data

Last verified 2026-07-18 · high confidence.

Dubai Outsource Zone 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
Academic City district, Dubai–Al Ain Road (E66), adjacent to Dubai Silicon Oasis
Established
2007
Authority
Dubai Development Authority (DDA)
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.

2.8★6 reviewsGoogle

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16Take the next step

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