Overview
Dubai Airport Free Zone sits beside Dubai International Airport and is oriented to trading, technology and logistics businesses that benefit from the location.
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.
DAFZA is in Dubai, so a regulated virtual-asset activity carried on from a DAFZA company needs a VARA licence in addition to the free-zone licence.
Activities
Trading, technology services, consultancy and regional headquarters activities, with digital-asset activity codes available.
DAFZA suits a group whose physical operations and people matter — regional headquarters, staff who travel constantly, hardware that arrives by air. For a purely digital business the location premium buys little.
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.
Pas encore vérifié
- 02
Entity incorporation
Trade name, initial approval, lease, corporate documents.
Pas encore vérifié
Incorporation alone. It does not confer permission to carry on a virtual-asset activity.
Frais
Ce sont les charges qu'un titulaire de licence supporte réellement. Les montants restent vides tant que chacun n'a pas été vérifié auprès du barème publié par l'autorité — un chiffre non vérifié vaut moins que pas de chiffre du tout.
Free-zone commercial licence (year one)
Ponctuel
Pas encore vérifié
Licence renewal
Annuel
Pas encore vérifié
Company registration and incorporation
Ponctuel
Pas encore vérifié
Establishment card
Annuel
Pas encore vérifié
Flexi-desk or shared workspace
Annuel
Pas encore vérifié
Residence visa, per person
Variable
Pas encore vérifié
Documents
Catégories indicatives. Le dossier exact dépend de l'activité et le régulateur peut en demander davantage.
- 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 — Chaîne de légalisation requise
- Source of wealth and source of funds evidence
- UAE entry stamp or visa page
- Certificate of incorporation — Chaîne de légalisation requise
- Memorandum and articles of association — Chaîne de légalisation requise
- Certificate of incumbency or good standing — Chaîne de légalisation requise
- Board resolution approving the UAE entity — Chaîne de légalisation requise
- 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 — Chaîne de légalisation requise
Interaction avec les autres régulateurs
Questions fréquentes
Is a DAFZA 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 DAFZA 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.
Sources
- Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority — activity list and licensing
- Free-zone incorporation does not confer regulatory authorisation — Confirm the current activity list and any zone-specific digital-asset conditions