Overview
Dubai World Trade Centre is a free zone attached to the exhibition and conference district. It has a particular place in the history of this practice area: it hosted Dubai's earliest virtual-asset licensing arrangements before the Emirate-wide regime was established.
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.
Virtual-asset activity from a DWTC company falls inside VARA's perimeter and requires a VARA licence in addition to the zone licence.
Activities
Events, media, technology, trading and professional services, with digital-asset activity available.
DWTC is a natural fit for businesses whose centre of gravity is the events and conference circuit, which in this sector is a larger share than it first appears.
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.
Ainda não verificado
- 02
Entity incorporation
Trade name, initial approval, lease, corporate documents.
Ainda não verificado
Incorporation alone. It does not confer permission to carry on a virtual-asset activity.
Taxas
Estes são os encargos que um titular de licença suporta efetivamente. Os montantes ficam em branco até que cada um seja confrontado com a tabela publicada pela autoridade — um número não verificado é pior do que número nenhum.
Free-zone commercial licence (year one)
Único
Ainda não verificado
Licence renewal
Anual
Ainda não verificado
Company registration and incorporation
Único
Ainda não verificado
Establishment card
Anual
Ainda não verificado
Flexi-desk or shared workspace
Anual
Ainda não verificado
Residence visa, per person
Variável
Ainda não verificado
Documentos
Categorias indicativas. O conjunto exato depende da atividade e o regulador pode exigir mais.
- 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 — Cadeia de legalização exigida
- Source of wealth and source of funds evidence
- UAE entry stamp or visa page
- Certificate of incorporation — Cadeia de legalização exigida
- Memorandum and articles of association — Cadeia de legalização exigida
- Certificate of incumbency or good standing — Cadeia de legalização exigida
- Board resolution approving the UAE entity — Cadeia de legalização exigida
- 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 — Cadeia de legalização exigida
Interação com outros reguladores
Perguntas frequentes
Is a DWTC 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 DWTC 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.
Fontes
- Dubai World Trade Centre 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