Dubai Industrial City company setup, costs and visas
Plots, warehouses and staff accommodation for real manufacturing: food, building materials, machinery. The licence only makes sense with a physical operation.
Dubai Industrial City in numbers
Estimate as of 27 Jul 2026. The zone publishes no tariff. This figure is our market estimate; the zone confirms the fee in writing when you apply.
Who Dubai Industrial City fits
Dubai Industrial City (DIC) is a TECOM manufacturing district near Al Maktoum International, built for factories. It is organised around heavy production sectors (food and beverage, base metals, machinery and mechanical equipment, transport equipment, chemicals and mineral products) and sells land plots, pre-built warehouses and on-site worker accommodation rather than shared offices.
It fits a company that will physically make, assemble, process or store goods at volume. It does not fit a consultant, an online trader, a holding vehicle or anyone who just wants a cheap flexi‑desk and a visa. The AED 15,000 headline licence only earns its keep once a plot or warehouse sits behind it: with no production and no inventory, almost any mainstream option in our free-zone index will cost you less.
What the AED 15,000 licence does and does not include
The figure in the spec table is the industrial/commercial licence, not the cost of operating here. The real budget is dominated by property: a warehouse or land lease priced per square foot and signed for several years, plus fit-out and the Civil Defence and municipality approvals any manufacturing line needs. The licence is the smallest line in the plan.
| Cost layer | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Industrial / commercial licence | from AED 15,000 per year (the spec-table figure) |
| Land plot or warehouse lease | the dominant cost, per sq ft, multi-year commitment |
| Fit-out + Civil Defence / EHS approvals | per project, before production starts |
| Establishment card + immigration file | one-off, then renewals |
| Residence visas | per person, quota tied to facility size |
Nothing here contradicts the headline price: it simply sits inside a much larger capital plan. Model it before you commit with our setup-cost calculator.
Land, warehouses, labour housing and visas in Dubai Industrial City
An office is mandatory and it is not a desk: the requirement here is a plot or warehouse. DIC leases serviced land for build-to-suit factories, pre-built warehouse units, and (unusually for the UAE) staff accommodation inside the district, which matters when a production line needs dozens of workers living close by.
Visa quota is not a fixed number. It is allocated against the size of your facility and accommodation, which is why the spec table shows it as plot-based rather than capped: a large plant can carry far more residence visas than a single warehouse bay. Setup runs 14–30 days once the lease and approvals are in place. See residence visas for the per-person mechanics.
DIC vs JAFZA vs Dubai South
The useful comparison. JAFZA is the heavyweight, adjacent to Jebel Ali Port, a deeper industrial ecosystem and a bigger overall budget; if your goods leave by sea, it usually wins. Dubai South sits around the same Al Maktoum airport with cheaper land and a logistics and e-commerce tilt rather than heavy manufacturing.
DIC’s niche is between them: genuine factory land plus integrated labour housing, without JAFZA’s port premium. If you are manufacturing and housing staff near the new airport, DIC earns its place; if you only need fulfilment space, Dubai South is lighter, and if sea freight dominates, JAFZA. Whichever way you lean, the tax picture is the same: check the 9% corporate tax and Free Zone qualifying-income rules early.
How to set up a company in Dubai Industrial City
Activities and trade name
Choose the licensed activities and reserve a trade name. The activities decide which approvals you need, how banks read your file and whether your income can qualify for the 0% QFZP rate.
Documents and KYC
Passports, application forms and a clear account of where the money comes from. Free zone companies can be 100% foreign-owned, so no local sponsor is needed.
Licence and establishment card
The zone issues the licence (typically 14–30 business days). The immigration establishment card comes next and opens visa processing.
Visas and bank account
Each visa holder needs an entry permit, a medical test and an Emirates ID. The corporate bank account is opened in parallel and is usually the slowest step.
Dubai Industrial City: questions founders ask
What does the AED 15,000 at Dubai Industrial City cover?
Can I run a service or trading company from Dubai Industrial City?
How many residence visas can I get in Dubai Industrial City?
Does Dubai Industrial City have worker accommodation?
Where does the AED 15,000 figure come from?
Can this company do business on the UAE mainland?
Does 0% corporate tax apply here?
This is general information on UAE rules. It is not legal, tax or immigration advice for your situation. Rules and government fees change; we confirm the position for your facts in writing before you act.