Registration of a company in Dubai’s International Financial Center DIFC – starting from 2,740 USD
We offer you a service of registration of a company in Dubai in the free economic zone (FEZ) — “Dubai International Financial Centre” (DIFC).
Such a company can be registered without visiting the Arab Emirates personally.
Benefits of registration of a company in Dubai’s center DIFC
DIFC is one of the leading financial centers in the world that brings together regional markets and global economies.
Nearly 22,000 specialists work in the DIFC, which are distributed approximately between two thousand active registered companies. World’s top leaders among companies providing financial services trust the DIFC as the biggest and most reputable financial center in the region.
Currently in the DIFC nearly 500 financial companies are operating; 7 of 10 top insurance companies, 21 of top world banks, and 9 of 10 top legal companies worldwide.
The area of commercial premises in the center DIFC makes around 350,000 square meters.
The center DIFC aims to promote trade and investment flows within the economical corridor South-South, by filling the gap between time belts of the leading financial centers of New York and London in the West, and Tokyo and Hong Kong in the East.
The DIFC center makes a significant non-oil contribution to Dubai’s GDP.
It is planned that till 2024 the DIFC will triple its area by transforming into a global financial center, which will provide exclusive options for business, inimitable lifestyle and an ideal community of professionals from around the world.
The DIFC center has already attracted to its community many international companies; meanwhile, most of the attracted financial companies are not from the Middle East. The International Financial Center of Dubai is actually a link between the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, Asia, Europe and America.
Benefits of regulatory and legal framework when registering companies in Dubai in the DIFC center
DIFC is a financial free zone where companies obtain many legal benefits aimed at supporting society in which commercial growth is guaranteed.
A unique status of the DIFC center allows customers obtaining benefits from the standardized legal system of general rights, options of owning a company completely for 100%, and absence of limitations on withdrawal of income and capital.
These advantages are supported by special bodies established to protect this unique legal framework, and to promote development and growth of companies in the DIFC.
The financial free zone DIFC is unique because it has a legal system corresponding to the British general rights. The DIFC center created its own set of civil and commercial laws and regulations, as well as developed an entire code of laws that govern the financial services. Besides, the DIFC center had established its own court system within its autonomy. “DIFC Courts” is the body responsible for independent administering and provision of legal fulfillment in the center. “DIFC Courts” have an exclusive jurisdiction regarding all commercial and civil disputes arising in the DIFC, as well as regarding companies and bodies registered in the DIFC.
Bodies of the DIFC support benefits of the business environment for companies registered in Dubai’s DIFC
Within the DIFC center, there are special departments that support mechanisms of success and allow being within the framework of the international law, therefore promoting continuous implementation of innovations.
Administration of the DIFC center
Administration of the DIFC center, by providing adherence to the highest international standards, deals with strategic development, operative management and planning. Administration of the DIFC center always works on development of a model financial infrastructure and aims to strengthen the status of the DIFC center as a business hub of a global level.
Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA)
Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) is an independent regulating risk body that rests in the basis of the DIFC model. DFSA regulates the activity and issues licenses to all bank and financial institutions in the DIFC center. DFSA uses the legislation similar to that applied in New York and London. This body played an important role in provision of assurance of financial companies in having a stable, reliable safe and growth-oriented platform for their businesses.
Acting as an independent regulatory body for all financial services in the DIFC, DFSA guarantees that the DIFC center supports the regulatory framework of a global level. Firstly, DFSA regulates bank and credit services, asset management, Islamic finances, operations with securities, international trade with derivative instruments, and security trading. therefore, companies in the DIFC are safe due to continuous survey of the DFSA, which helps to prevent money laundering, sponsoring terrorism and helps to control sanctions.
Dispute Resolution Authority (DRA)
Dispute Resolution Authority (DRA) regulates justice in the society of the DIFC center, and is represented by the following bodies:
- “DIFC courts” — commercial court system of general law;
- “Arbitration Institution”, providing services on dispute resolution;
- “Service Center of Goodwill DIFC» – operating on the basis of the general law English-language service that is designed for non-Muslims having assets in Dubai and Ras al Khaimah.
- “Law Academy DIFC”, an independent body providing legal education.
Dispute Resolution Authority (DRA) supports friendly safe environment for making business that corresponds to the highest legal standards.
Type of companies available for registration in Dubai’s DIFC
The DIFC center offers a favorable and supportive regulatory-legal environment, which attracts different customers starting from regulated companies, authorized market institutions, certain non-financial business, and ending with non-regulated companies.
Regulated companies provide financial services, among these companies are:
- banks,
- companies managing capital and assets,
- companies working with capital market,
- insurance and reinsurance companies,
- operators of Islamic finances, etc.
Non-regulated companies provide professional services on support of the financial community. These includes bookkeeping, legal, notary, recruitment companies, experts on corporate management, companies dealing with bankruptcy, consulting companies, international tax advisers, and many other.
Moreover, in the DIFC center there is a big community consisting of different retail shops, five-star hotels, restaurants of casual and fine cuisine, and leading academic institutions.
Therefore in the DIFC it is possible to register a company for making different businesses. Many spheres in the DIFC are supported in a special way.
Registration of a company in Dubai’s DIFC for making financial business
Bank activity
In the region of the Middle East and North Africa, a significant growth of trade is expected till 2026, which will create great opportunities for local banks. The DIFC center offers banks opportunities to receive income from a contemporary regulatory platform, solutions for commercial banks, trade financing, as well as from the structure of the bank’s investment activity allowing effectively servicing current financial needs of the region.
Insurance activity
The DIFC center actively participates in development of the regional market of insurance services. At increase of regional and global presence, the DIFC center promotes development of such types of insurance as Islamic insurance, reinsurance, “Takaful”, etc.
Capital and asset management
The DIFC center have privileges in form of the effective legislation and regulatory regime, which let business using benefits of the world’s largest concentration of the Islamic capital, as well as let obtaining access to investment possibilities at regional and global developing markets. The DIFC center aims to always support specializes and unique investment products.
Capital markets
It is expected that in the nearest future the private capital in the region of the Middle East and North Africa will increase to 7.2 trillion dollars. In its turn, the DIFC center offers the infrastructure of the global level that provides the access to services of capital management and broker services. Companies will also be granted the access to “Nasdaq Dubai” and “Dubai Mercantile Exchange”.
Islamic finances
Geographically, the DIFC center is located in the zone that represents 78% of the world’s Islamic bank assets; the DIFC center is the international base for suppliers of Islamic financial products. Therefore, business obtains the access to practical combination of customers, companies and specialists.
Registration of a company in Dubai’s DIFC for making non-financial business
Professional services
Companies in the DIFC center may need different professional services, e.g. consulting or legal assistance. Such companies play an important role in formation of the ecosystem of the DIFC center.
The DIFC center will perfectly suit such types of business as:
- provision of corporate services;
- consulting;
- bookkeeping account;
- legal company;
- education;
- solutions in the sphere of IT and communication;
- market research;
- risk management;
- hiring employees;
- non-commercial organizations.
Many companies providing special services belong to fields that do not presume any obligations on survey on the part of the DFSA. But even in cases where such a survey is mandatory, limited requirements are usually provided. In general, meeting requirements of the DFSA on prevention of money laundering is enough.
Such obligations are usually imposed on professionals qualified by the DFSA as “non-financial business or profession”. Among these are, for instance:
- notary and legal companies;
- certain developers, as well as realtors;
- audit and bookkeeping companies.
Corporate offices
Companies registered in the DIFC center may obtain benefits of the environment of multinational corporations and regional conglomerates, which find the DIFC their house. Customers get benefits from the infrastructure of the centralized management and global management, while companies that wish to establish their own managing offices can perform treasury operations, including managing liquidity and hedging through the DIFC center. Therefore, everybody gets advantages from variety of professional services.
The DIFC center offers attractive legal structures not available in other locations of the region. Therefore, the DIFC is the perfect place for corporate offices and other legal entities such as holding companies, “family offices”, private investment companies, companies with special tasks, mediator companies with special tasks.
Managing office
- Legal entity for execution of strategic management, survey, and administering regional or global operations of a company.
Holding company
- Effective structure for owning securities and other participation shares.
- Such a structure cannot provide administering, survey or management.
Private investment company
- Reliable legal structure.
- Suitable for investments in the private shareholder capital and other alternative funds or assets.
- Suitable for direct investments, purchases, joint companies and partnership.
- Investments are not limited by certain sphere and can be from commercial, healthcare, education, industrial or oil-and-gas sectors.
Mediator company with special tasks
- Simple, lucrative and effective means for owning and protecting certain assets.
- Such a structure can be registered by funds established in the DIFC, holding companies, “family offices”, private investment companies, as well as any persons who own assets for a foreign fund governed by a manager under DFSA regulation.
Company with special tasks
- Structure is registered for organization of certain financial operations.
- Opened only for using by the managers of investment trusts registered in the DIFC.
- Structures for many sectors and types of business.
- Owns the property of the corresponding fund(s).
- May not provide financial services.
Family office
- Head of the family or family can structure ownership and distribution of their assets by very flexible and certain means.
- Can govern family charity activity.
- Beneficiary owners must be members of one family.
- May provide non-financial services, e.g. services of concierge, to members of the family.
Special legislation of the DIFC
The DIFC center is the only jurisdiction in the region of the Middle East and North Africa that also offers diverse packs of laws of the global level, which provide great flexibility in corporate and family activity.
For example:
- Law on companies with special tasks;
- Law on family offices;
- Law on trust management:
- is the only law on trust management in the region;
- persons and families can establish mechanisms of trust management of general right for owning and managing assets;
- provides clarity when planning inheritance.
Registration of a company in Dubai’s DIFC for retail trading
The DIFC center is the workplace for some of the most highly-paid specialists in Dubai. Correspondingly, the DIFC is interested in surrounding employees, residents and visitors with a dynamic retail environment. Retail businesses can use benefits of the regulatory environment of the DIFC center, as well as proximity to big hotels and residential complexes.
Infrastructure available at registration of a company in Dubai’s DIFC
Geographically, the DIFC center is located so that it can offer the best of Dubai. The DIFC center is located near such popular districts as “Business Bay” and “Downtown Dubai”, while providing the access to the main city highway and the metropolitan network.
Pedestrian space in the DIFC provides communication between all its objects. The elaborated balance between commercial, residential and trade space enables comfortable work and organization of leisure as in the daytime, so as at night.
Commercial areas available at registration of a company in Dubai’s DIFC
When registering a company in the DIFC, customers may choose from a wide range of attractive office premises for lease.
The assortment of lease offices reflects the range of businesses, companies and specialists that operate in this financial region.
Offices for lease were initially built as offices of A class. They were developed specially for making business and provide the opportunity of individual setting. Offices are equipped with effective systems of air conditioning and communication; advanced security measures are provided.
To provide continuous comfort, safety and reliability for tenant companies, all objects are managed by highly qualified specialists.
The DIFC center provides 24/7 video survey and security, assistance of technical consultants, parking, mailboxes, conference halls and catering.
For companies that seek to expand their business, the center offers maintained offices available under flexible lease terms. These offices are pre-equipped with necessary furniture and devices.
We help with office rental in the UAE!
Services of data center at registration of a company in Dubai’s DIFC
The DIFC center offers services of the advanced center for data processing, which allows satisfying the business needs of regional and global companies.
Having four centers for data processing in a financial region, the DIFC center provides individual services of hosting. Each center took measures on reservation to provide the continuous work. The DIFC pays special attention to minimization of risks and provision of maximum availability.
The data center in the DIFC operates on the basis of the advanced security system that includes video surveillance and biometrical control of access.
As bank and financial institutions process the constantly growing amount of personal data in electronic form, the DIFC center assigns to meet the requirements of the Law DIFC on protection of personal data; customers are always advised on issues of safety and correspondence to the requirements of this Law.
Community and lifestyle available at registration of a company in Dubai’s DIFC
Being a global business district, the DIFC center had developed various offers that allow it being a city-in-a-city. In fact, employees, residents and visitors are within a special community that leads unique way of life.
Lifestyle in the DIFC allows tasting a kind of art, with a developed infrastructure of education, great number of shops, luxurious variety of cuisines and many others.
The DIFC center is a flourishing community with unique lifestyle and remarkable commercial and residential environment. The district has 13 residential towers, 6 famous art galleries, 2 five-star hotels, over hundred shopping points and many trading places at the stage of opening.
Main benefits of registration of a company in Dubai’s DIFC
- Possibility of owning a company for 100%.
- Absence of tax on income, capital and assets for 50 years.
- Zero tax rate on income of employees.
- Possibility of unlimited attraction of foreign employees.
- No limitations on withdrawal of capital and income, absence of currency control.
- Environment of the general law different from the legal system of the UAE. All laws and regulatory provisions correspond to the British general law.
- Independent regulatory environment governed by the Dubai Financial Services Authority.
- Effective tax environment that allows having benefits of a broad network of agreements on avoidance of double taxation.
- High concentration of international, regional and local financial and non-financial companies.
- The DIFC center is a cluster of financial services that contains critical mass of companies operating in the financial sector.
- High-end infrastructure and areas available for lease.
- Intense and ambitious growing society.
Resident visas UAE at registration of a company in Dubai’s DIFC
Registration of a company in the DIFC allows you obtaining resident visas UAE for you, employees of your company, and members of your family.
The DIFC center has an office of state services that operates under the principle of “one window”. In this office you may obtain UAE visas, driver license, and different corresponding state services.
Amount of minimum authorized capital for registration of a company in Dubai’s DIFC
Companies that are not subject to regulation by the Dubai Financial Services Authority must have an authorized capital admitted by documents of a company, and an authorized capital paid at registration not less than 50,000 dollars.
Amount of an authorized capital of companies subject to regulation depends on which category they belong to.
Bookkeeping when registering a company in Dubai’s DIFC
All companies registered in the Arab Emirates must file bookkeeping registers. Moreover, companies falling under certain criteria shall register as VAT taxpayer in the UAE.
Feel free to contact us – our specialists will help you with bookkeeping in the UAE!
Process of registration of a company in Dubai’s DIFC
A company can be easily registered and a license will be issued; the process includes the following stages:
- Submitting application to the administration of the DIFC center.
- Obtaining a principal consent for registration of a company from the administration.
- For certain types of activity, approvals of supervisory bodies are necessary, e.g. from the Dubai Department of Legal Affairs, and Department on Education and Development of Human Potential.
- Registrar of companies of the DIFC center issues the commercial license (not necessary for corporate offices);
- Issuance of resident visas UAE.
Registration of limited liability company in Dubai’s DIFC
Most proprietors for making business choose the limited liability company (LLC).
Owners of such a company are only liable within the value of their participation shares.
A limited liability company in the DIFC:
- should have at least one participant of a company;
- should have at least one manager who can also be a participant of a company.
Principal consent of the registrar for registration of a company in Dubai’s DIFC
To register a limited liability company (LLC), it is necessary to obtain prior consent of the administration of the DIFC center. The principal consent is necessary for companies LLC which presumed type of business is non-financial or retail.
Upon obtaining the principal consent, a company can book a “registered address” (workplace\) in the DIFC, either through lease or dividing the office area, or through purchasing commercial/retail place.
Division of the office area is only permitted for affiliated persons, and this requires the approval of the Department for Development of Business of the DIFC administration.
Place of making business when registering a company in Dubai’s DIFC
Before filing an application for registration of a company in the DIFC, a place for making business should be preliminarily registered:
- if a company will operate at the place of making business, which is leased or sub-leased, it is necessary to conclude a rental agreement at the Registrar of property of the DIFC center. Whether the agreement is concluded with the “DIFC Investments LLC”, it is not necessary to conclude the agreement – this will happen automatically.
- if a company shares an area with an affiliated person, it is necessary to obtain the “No Objection Certificate” from the administration of the DIFC center.
- if a company will operate from a purchased office, then an office should be owned either by a company itself or by a sole participant of a company.
Booking a company name when registering a company in Dubai’s DIFC (not mandatory)
To file an application for registration of a company, a company name can be preliminarily booked. To do this, an application for booking name should be filed together with paid fees of the Service of Register of the DIFC center.
| Type of company | Fee for booking company name |
| Non-retail | 800 dollars |
| Retail | 340 dollars |
Booking a company name is an extra service provided by the Registrar of companies of the DIFC center. A name can be booked for not more than 90 calendar days.
Documents necessary for registration of a company in Dubai’s DIFC
To register a limited liability company in the DIFC, the following documents should be provided:
| Necessary documents | Scanned? | Originals? |
| Presumable By-law of a company. By-law must be signed by funders, while their signatures must be notarized by the corresponding authority and UAE embassy, if By-law is being signed outside UAE. Instead, founders can sign By-law in the presence of the official person of the DIFC center, who will certify their signatures in the Service Office of the Register. | Yes | Yes |
| Principal consent of the administration of the DIFC center (necessary for companies with non-financial or retail type of activity). | Yes | No |
| Agreement on sponsorship of personnel. This document is made at the end of the procedure and should be signed by the authorized signatory of the company. Such document is only necessary if a company will appeal for issuance of the “Establishment card”. | Yes | No |
| Copies of passports of persons that are stated in the application for registration of company as authorized signatories, participants and managers of a company. | Yes | No |
| Letter of no objection for division of the registered office area (from the administration of the DIFC center). It is only necessary if a company shares an office area with other company. | Yes | No |
| Declaration of relations. Such document is made at the end of the procedure of registration of a company. It is signed by every person assigned as a manager or participant of a company. | Yes | No |
| Declaration of LLC. Such document is made at the end of the procedure of registration and is signed by participants or persons authorized by corporate members. | Yes | No |
| If a founder (i.e. participant) of a company is a legal entity, then the documents provided below are also necessary. If some documents are not provided in English, they should be corresponded by legal translation certified subject to requirements of the Registrar of the DIFC. | ||
| Copy of a valid Certificate of registration of founder at place of its origin (or copy of similar document), certified by the corresponding authority in the jurisdiction where founder was registered. | Yes | Yes |
| Decision of the Board of Directors of the legal entity:
· on registration of a company in the DIFC, or on investment in a new company in the DIFC, stating that their By-law was properly approved; · assigning person who will be authorized to sign documents in the name of this legal entity at registration of a new company; · assigning person who will be authorized to sign documents on any issues arising after registration of a new company (in certain cases the Management allows issuance of a power of attorney, which allows the stated person to sign all documents at registration of a company). |
Yes | Yes |
Price of registration of a company in Dubai’s DIFC
Price for service of registration of a limited liability company in the DIFC.
| Service | Non-retail company | Retail company |
| Price for our assistance in registration of a company in the DIFC | From 2,740 dollars | |
| Extra fee payable when a founder is not a legal entity, or when a branch is registered | extra 822 dollars | |
| Assistance in prolongation of registration of a company for the next year | 1,370 dollars | |
| Assistance in making amendments to constitutive documents | 1,370 dollars | |
| Assistance in termination of a company | from 2,740 dollars | |
| Audit | 1,645 dollars | |
| Audit of all documents | from 2,740 dollars | |
| Fee for submitting application on registration | 8,000 dollars | 3,400 dollars |
| Fee for commercial license (paid after registration of a company and at annual prolongation) | 12,000 dollars | 5,100 dollars |
| Fee for issuance of a new “Establishment Card” | 618 dollars (regular), 656 dollars (express) | |
| Adding authorized signature | 27 dollars | |
| Deposit of sponsor agreement for personnel | 680 dollars | |
The following fees will be defined based on variants selected in the section “Data protection” when filing an application for registration of a company.
| Financial company | Non-financial company | Retail company | |
| Company does not plan to process personal data | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Before or after processing of personal data | 1,000 dollars | 500 dollars | 200 dollars |
| Permission for transfer of personal data outside the DIFC center subject to the Law on data protection | 250 dollars | 150 dollars | 50 dollars |
| Permision for processing of confidential personal data outside the DIFC center subject to the Law on data protection | 250 dollars | 150 dollars | 50 dollars |
Beginning the process of company registration in Dubai’s DIFC
To start the process of registration of a company in the DIFC, please contact us at [email protected], we will professionally advise you on issues of registration of a company in the DIFC.
After that, you should pay for our assistance in registration of a company in the DIFC.
Payment can be made either by bank card or WebMoney/Western Union, or bank transfer.
The price for service starts from 2,740 dollars.
Also, this amount is added with fees, cost of rent and any extra services.
Upon receiving payment, we immediately start to prepare necessary documents.
The average time of registration of a company in the DIFC is 5 working days.
Feel free to contact us at [email protected] right now to register a company in Dubai’s DIFC!
Tags #Free economic zone
