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Tier 3 · Dubai

International Humanitarian City (operating brand: Dubai Humanitarian, DXBH) - Jebel Ali

Building 4, Dubai Industrial City Complex (Saih Shuaib 2 / Madinat Al Qudra), Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road - near Al Maktoum Intl Airport (DWC) and Jebel Ali Port; admin office: Floor 7, Meydan Freezone Building, Nad Al Sheba · Est. 2003 · International Humanitarian City Authority (branded Dubai Humanitarian Authority), a public institution established by Dubai Law No. 1 of 2012 (replacing Law No. 6 of 2007). Chairman: Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani; CEO: Giuseppe Saba (since 2017)

AED 11,250 – AED 35,200/ yr
high confidenceVerified 18 Jul 2026official ↗
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Best for

UN agencies, international NGOs and foundations needing a Middle East logistics/response base, and commercial manufacturers or suppliers whose customers are humanitarian organisations.

Not ideal for

General trading, tech, consulting or consumer businesses with no humanitarian link - they will not qualify for a licence and should look at mainstream Dubai free zones.

01Capability profile

Six independent dimensions, scored from official zone data.

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Banking7/15
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Visa scale15/15
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Cost (lower=better)16/20
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Activity breadth4/25
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Workspace options9/15
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Location9/10
02Where IHC sits

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

Year 1 cost← lower is better

IHC: 48th percentile (AED 11,250) · Licence + registration, AED.

Setup time← lower is better

IHC: 40th percentile (10 days) · Total estimated days from application to operational.

Visa caphigher is better →

IHC: 73th percentile (150 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

IHC: Difficult · Corporate bank account opening difficulty. Each cell is one zone.

03Costs

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

11,250
– 35,200
Year 1 range · AED
AED 18,055 less than DMCC
mid tier
Show in
Base licence
AED 11,250
Registration
AED 5,000
Renewal (year 2+)
AED 11,250
3-year total
AED 33,750
2-year visa cost
AED 3,200
Hidden & one-off costs
Establishment card
AED 1,900
Cancellation fee
AED 3,500
Visa renewal
AED 1,800
Visa cancellation
AED 600
Emirates ID (per visa)
AED 390
Dependent / spouse visa
AED 3,000
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
150
Flexi-desk cap
2
Office cap
3
Warehouse cap
2
Family sponsorship
Available
Freelancer permit
Not available
Medical required
Yes
Processing time
~8 days
Workspace options
Virtual office
No
Flexi-desk
Yes
Coworking
Yes
Dedicated office
Yes
Executive office
Yes
Warehouse
Yes
Industrial unit
No
Land plot
No
Ejari issued
Yes
Parking
Yes
Dedicated office cost
AED 18,274/yr
05Banking & setup

Banking difficulty, partner banks, and setup timeline.

Banking
Difficulty
Difficult
Time to account
~10 days
Minimum deposit
AED 15,000
Corp tax rate
0%
Audit cost (est)
AED 15,000
UBO filing
Required
AML / KYC
enhanced
Partner banks
Contact zone authority for banking guidance
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 ~10 days · Difficult banking
  5. Operational
    Typically ~10 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
Virtual License – NGO/Humanitarian – 0 VisasBest value0AED 16,250AED 11,250
Flexi Desk – 2 Visas2AED 25,000AED 18,000
Dedicated Office – 3 Visas3AED 40,000AED 30,000
Warehouse/Kitting Unit – NGO Use4AED 65,000AED 50,000
07Permitted activities

Activity categories, restrictions, and approval flags.

55 activitiesMainland selling: No

Hosting UN organizations

non-profits

NGOs

commercial companies; Semi-automated kitting centre for emergency and relief kits; Cold-chain facility for vaccine and medical storage; Rapid shipment movement from sea to air within 10 minutes

Categories
Humanitarian aidDisaster reliefLogisticsWarehousingEmergency responseCharitable servicesEnvironmental services
Matched industry clusters
logistics
Restricted
Gamblingadult entertainmentdirect financial services (without specific licensing)manufacturing (unless directly supporting humanitarian efforts)activities not aligned with humanitarian mission

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: humanitarian aid, disaster relief, logistics, non-profit, emergency response

85 companiessmall communityNetworking events: Yes
Notable companies

UN organisations, non-profits, non-governmental organisations, commercial companies

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

14 strengths · 3 caveats.

Strengths
  • ["World's largest humanitarian logistics hub and the only non-profit
  • independent humanitarian free-zone authority - unique ecosystem for UN/NGO operations"
  • 'Bundled
  • transparent pricing: NPO licence from AED 11
  • 250/yr including office/desk
  • utilities
  • registration
  • establishment card and 2 visa allocations'
  • 'VAT designated zone (Cabinet Decision 59/2017) - goods handled within the zone are outside UAE VAT scope'
  • 'Strategic location in Dubai Industrial City between Al Maktoum Intl Airport and Jebel Ali Port; ~4-8 hour flight reach to two-thirds of the world'
  • 'Specialised infrastructure: cold chain
  • kitting centre
  • warehouses from AED 269/sqm/yr
  • 2-year licences']
Caveats
  • Not a general-purpose free zone: commercial companies are only admitted if their business is humanitarian-related; humanitarian orgs may not operate inside the UAE
  • Only 2 visa allocations included per package; visa fees and several tariff items are not publicly published
  • Banking is cumbersome for NGO/humanitarian profiles due to enhanced AML/CFT scrutiny (though branches need not open a local account)

Not ideal for: General trading, tech, consulting or consumer businesses with no humanitarian link - they will not qualify for a licence and should look at mainstream Dubai free zones.

10Recent developments

2 policy and pricing updates on record.

  1. Q1 2025Dubai Humanitarian rebranded from International Humanitarian City (IHC) to its current name, reflecting its expanded mandate to support a broader range of humanitarian and development sector tenants.
  2. Q3 2024Dubai Humanitarian launched a new cold-chain expansion adding 15,000 sq ft of temperature-controlled storage for pharmaceutical and vaccine logistics in partnership with WHO-affiliated supply chain operators.
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 IHC.

13Similar zones in Dubai

3 comparable zones in the same emirate.

14About this data

Last verified 2026-07-18 · high confidence.

IHC 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
Building 4, Dubai Industrial City Complex (Saih Shuaib 2 / Madinat Al Qudra), Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road - near Al Maktoum Intl Airport (DWC) and Jebel Ali Port; admin office: Floor 7, Meydan Freezone Building, Nad Al Sheba
Established
2003
Authority
International Humanitarian City Authority (branded Dubai Humanitarian Authority), a public institution established by Dubai Law No. 1 of 2012 (replacing Law No. 6 of 2007). Chairman: Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani; CEO: Giuseppe Saba (since 2017)
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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