Free zone (common law)Official prices
DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre)
Checked 2026-10-13 · Source: official page ↗
Licence onlyAED 5,876
Activities per licencePer DIFC regime
Activities on official list323
What the lowest price covers: Fintech/Innovation firm: registration USD 100 + licence USD 1,500 a year (≈ AED 5,876 at 3.6725)
Official ROC Table of Fees (Rev 16, 30 Jul 2026), in USD. Private company (non-retail): registration USD 8,000 + licence USD 12,000; retail: 3,400 + 5,100. Office lease and visas separate. Not re-checked 2 Nov 2026 (site rate-limited automated checks); prices as of 2026-10-13.
Official packages
| Package | Price | Visas | Term | Includes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fintech or Innovation Firm USD 100 registration + USD 1,500 licence (≈ AED at 3.6725) | AED 5,876 | — | 1 | Registration + commercial licence Not included: Office, visas; AED 20 Knowledge/Innovation fee | High |
| Private company – Retail USD 3,400 registration + USD 5,100 licence | AED 31,220 | — | 1 | Registration + commercial licence Not included: Office, visas | High |
| Private company – Non-retail USD 8,000 registration + USD 12,000 licence | AED 73,450 | — | 1 | Registration + commercial licence Not included: Office, visas | High |
| Prescribed Company USD 100 registration + USD 1,000 licence | AED 4,040 | — | 1 | Registration + licence (holding/SPV-type) | High |
Official fee items
| Item | Amount | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration – private company (non-retail) | AED 29,380 | one-off | USD 8,000 |
| Commercial licence – private company (non-retail) | AED 44,070 | per year | USD 12,000 (+ AED 20 Knowledge/Innovation) |
| Registration – private company (retail) | AED 12,487 | one-off | USD 3,400 |
| Commercial licence – private company (retail) | AED 18,730 | per year | USD 5,100 |
| Registration – fintech / innovation firm | AED 367 | one-off | USD 100 |
| Commercial licence – fintech / innovation firm | AED 5,509 | per year | USD 1,500 (discounted first 2 years) |
| Registration – representative office | AED 7,345 | one-off | USD 2,000 |
| Licence – representative office | AED 14,690 | per year | USD 4,000 |
| Voluntary strike-off | AED 735 | one-off | USD 200 |
Licensed activities
| Code | Activity | Group / category | Licence type | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restructuring and Pre-Bankruptcy services | Accounts | |||
| Accounting & Bookkeeping | Accounts | |||
| Administrative Management Services | Facility Management | |||
| Advertisement Designing & Producing | Advertising | |||
| Architectural Design Consultancy | Consulting - B- Engineering | |||
| Auditing of Accounts | Accounts | |||
| Authorized Purposes | Non Profit Activities | |||
| Automated Car Parking Systems Installation & Maintenance | Contracting and building works | |||
| Award Rendering Programme | Education | |||
| Banking & Finance Training | Education | |||
| Building Cleaning Services | Building maintenance, surveillance and cleaning services | |||
| Building Maintenance | Building maintenance, sureillance and cleaning services | |||
| Construction Equipment & Machinery Rental | Machinery and Equipment Rental | |||
| Converting Industries Equipment & Machinery Rental | Machinery and Equipment Rental | |||
| Claims Settlement Services | Finance Consultants | |||
| College | Education | |||
| Commercial Representative Office | Representative Office | |||
| Communication Engineering Services | Consultancy -B- Engineering | |||
| Community College | Education | |||
| Compliance & Risk Management | Facility Management | |||
| Computer Systems and Software Designing | Infratsructure-software | |||
| Conferences & Seminars Organizing | Exhibition organizers | |||
| Corporate Services Provider | Facility Management | |||
| Cost Control & Risk Management Services | Finance consultants | |||
| Customer Care Centre | Consultancy -D- management, information and marketing | |||
| Cyber Security Consultancy | Consultancy -D- management | |||
| Data Classification & Analysis Services | Consultancy -D- management, information and marketing | |||
| Data Entry Services | Consultancy -D- management, information and marketing | |||
| Data Storing and Recovering | Priced Digital Services – Cloud | |||
| Designing the databases | Infratsructure-software | |||
| Distributed Ledger Technology Services | Fintech and Innovation | |||
| Documents Clearing Services | Typing and translation | |||
| Extracting & Drilling Equipment & Machinery Rental | Machinery and Equipment Rental | |||
| Electrical & Electronic Appliances Rental | Office & Electronic Equipment Rental | |||
| Education & Training Computer Software | Consultancy -D- management, information and marketing | |||
| Educational Facilities Management Services | Facility Management | |||
| Educational Technologies Research & Development | Applied studies | |||
| Electrical Fitting Contracting | Contracting and building works | |||
| Executive Search | Consultancy -D- management, information and marketing | |||
| Electronic Chips Designing and Programing | Infratsructure-software |
Showing 40 of 323
Frequently asked questions
How much does a DIFC licence cost?
The cheapest package DIFC publishes is Fintech or Innovation Firm at AED 5,876, which covers fintech/Innovation firm: registration USD 100 + licence USD 1,500 a year (≈ AED 5,876 at 3.6725). These are DIFC’s own figures, checked on 13 Oct 2026. A bigger office, extra activities or visas, and government fees can add to the total — the packages table above shows what each price includes.
What business activities are allowed in DIFC?
DIFC’s official activity list has 323 activities — search them in the “Licensed activities” section above. Each licence includes Per DIFC regime activities. To see which other zones allow the same activity, use the activity search.
Who is DIFC a good fit for?
DIFC is a common choice for funds, family offices, regional HQs, regulated finance. Strengths: common-law courts, DFSA regulator, strong finance ecosystem. Worth checking first: very high cost, mandatory audit, overkill for trading/consulting. Compare DIFC side by side with other zones.
Can a DIFC company sell to customers in mainland UAE?
Usually not directly. A free zone company is licensed to work inside its zone and to trade internationally. To sell to customers elsewhere in the UAE you normally need a local distributor, a mainland branch, or an extra permit from the emirate’s economic department. If most of your customers will be in the UAE, also look at Dubai mainland.
How do I contact DIFC?
Phone: +971 4 362 2222, email: Not published (enquiry form). Website: difc.com ↗. If you’d rather have someone handle it for you, tap “Get help on WhatsApp” on this page to reach our setup partner.