Overview
DMCC is a commodities free zone in Jumeirah Lakes Towers and the largest by company count in the UAE. Its Crypto Centre is the most developed free-zone proposition for digital-asset businesses in the country, and it is the address most often seen on a Dubai crypto company.
What the licence does, and does not do
A free-zone licence does three things: it incorporates the company, it permits the activities printed on it, and it supports residence visas against the office arrangement.
It does not authorise a regulated virtual-asset activity. That is the single most expensive misunderstanding in this market, and it is usually discovered after the office has been leased and the visas issued.
DMCC sits inside the Emirate of Dubai, so VARA holds the virtual-asset perimeter. A DMCC company carrying on a regulated virtual-asset activity needs a VARA licence in addition to its DMCC licence.
Activities
Proprietary trading in crypto commodities, distributed ledger technology services, crypto advisory, Web3 and metaverse activities, and the full commodities and general trading list the zone is built around.
The Crypto Centre is a community and an activity list, not a regulator. It gives a business an address, an activity code and a peer group. It does not give it permission to run an exchange, hold client assets or take client orders.
Substance and cost
Licence and renewal, company registration, establishment card, an office arrangement ranging from a flexi-desk to dedicated premises, and a visa quota tied to that office. Indicative amounts are listed below and are not yet verified.
Note that a flexi-desk sufficient for the zone may be insufficient for the regulator. Where a virtual-asset licence is in contemplation, the substance required by the regulator should drive the office decision, not the other way round.
How we help
We choose the zone on the activity the business actually needs, not on the headline package price. We incorporate, run the attestation chain for foreign shareholder documents, and sequence the zone licence against the regulatory application so the company is not paying rent on a licence it cannot yet use.
- 01
Structuring
Activity mapping, regulator selection, group and holding structure.
Aún sin verificar
- 02
Entity incorporation
Trade name, initial approval, lease, corporate documents.
Aún sin verificar
Incorporation alone. It does not confer permission to carry on a virtual-asset activity.
Tasas
Estos son los costes que un titular de licencia afronta realmente. Los importes quedan en blanco hasta que cada uno se haya cotejado con el arancel publicado por la autoridad: una cifra sin verificar es peor que ninguna.
Free-zone commercial licence (year one)
Único
Aún sin verificar
Licence renewal
Anual
Aún sin verificar
Company registration and incorporation
Único
Aún sin verificar
Establishment card
Anual
Aún sin verificar
Flexi-desk or shared workspace
Anual
Aún sin verificar
Residence visa, per person
Variable
Aún sin verificar
Documentos
Categorías indicativas. El expediente exacto depende de la actividad y el regulador puede pedir más.
- Passport copy, valid at least six months
- Passport photograph, white background
- Proof of residential address, dated within three months
- Curriculum vitae
- Bank or professional reference letter
- Police clearance or good conduct certificate — Se exige cadena de legalización
- Source of wealth and source of funds evidence
- UAE entry stamp or visa page
- Certificate of incorporation — Se exige cadena de legalización
- Memorandum and articles of association — Se exige cadena de legalización
- Certificate of incumbency or good standing — Se exige cadena de legalización
- Board resolution approving the UAE entity — Se exige cadena de legalización
- Register of members and directors
- Ultimate beneficial owner declaration
- Group structure chart to natural persons
- Audited financial statements, most recent two years
- Power of attorney for the UAE representative — Se exige cadena de legalización
Interacción con otros reguladores
Preguntas frecuentes
Is a DMCC licence enough to run a crypto business?
No. A free-zone licence incorporates the company and permits the activity printed on it. Carrying on a regulated virtual-asset activity is a separate permission from a separate authority, and both must be held.
Why does DMCC show a grey status pip rather than a brass one?
Because the pip marks a dedicated virtual-asset framework in force. Commercial free zones incorporate companies; they do not operate virtual-asset regimes. The pip is a statement about the zone's role, not about its quality.
Fuentes
- Dubai Multi Commodities Centre — activity list and licensing
- Free-zone incorporation does not confer regulatory authorisation — Confirm the current activity list and any zone-specific digital-asset conditions