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DMCC guide Facts checked 5 November 2026
DMCC free zone: the authority, the address and how a DMCC company works
DMCC, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, is a Government of Dubai authority that runs a free zone in Jumeirah Lakes Towers and Uptown Dubai, home to more than 26,000 registered companies by its own count. This page maps the whole territory: who regulates it, where it sits on the metro, how a company moves from setup to closure, and which guide answers each next question.
Reviewed by Mir Ali, founder of MIRDXB PROEvery fact below links to its DMCC source
The basics
What is DMCC?
DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) is the Government of Dubai authority that operates the DMCC Free Zone in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) and Uptown Dubai. Founded in 2002 to grow commodity trade through Dubai, it now registers and licenses more than 26,000 companies, which it calls member companies, and runs their licences, visas and filings through one online portal.
Three layers sit behind the name. The authority is the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Authority (DMCCA); DMCC’s Company Regulations (issued 10 October 2024, updated 2 January 2025) describe it as governed by Dubai Law No. (3) of 2020 and in charge of the free zone. The free zone is the area that law defines, where a DMCC company may do business. The district is the place you can visit: 87 residential and commercial towers in JLT and the newer Uptown Dubai, where DMCC’s own headquarters now stands.
The commodity roots still show. DMCC opened the Dubai Diamond Exchange in 2004 and the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange in 2005, and it runs the UAE’s Kimberley Process office. Yet a bullion trader and a two-person software firm follow exactly the same setup, renewal and visa routes, described below.
- 26,000+Registered companies, by DMCC’s countDMCC About us
- 87Residential and commercial towers in JLT and Uptown DubaiDMCC Destination
- 15%Share of Dubai’s annual foreign direct investment DMCC attributes to itselfDMCC About us
- 2002DMCC established; the first company joined in 2003DMCC timeline
- ~10working daysTypical company registration, completed onlineDMCC setup FAQ
- 6monthsAfter each financial year end to upload audited accountsAFS guideline, Apr 2025
- 14daysMinimum public notice before a name change, winding up and similar changes are registeredDMCC online publications
- 2Red Line metro stations serving JLT: DMCC and Sobha RealtyDMCC JLT map
Choose your path
Where are you in the life of a DMCC company?
Pick the stage you are at. Each card opens the page on this site that covers it in depth, with fees, documents and portal steps.
- Set up
Open a new DMCC company
Structures, packages, activity rules, office choice and what the first year really costs.
DMCC company setup guide - Run
Keep the licence and card current
Annual licence renewal, the establishment card, compliance filings and the portal balance.
Renewals and compliance - Hire
Bring staff onto DMCC visas
Entry permit, medical, Emirates ID and stamping, plus renewals and cancellations later.
Employee visas at DMCC - Change
Amend the company
New activities, address, officers, shareholders or name, each filed as its own request.
Amendments and documents - Close
Wind up or close
The DMCC route inside our liquidation guide: notice, visa cancellations and de-registration.
Closing a DMCC company - Compare
Weigh DMCC against the mainland
Visa quotas, cost per hire, tax and where a free zone company may trade.
Free zone vs mainland
The company lifecycle
How a DMCC company works, from first application to closure
Every stage runs through DMCC itself rather than a mainland department. These are the rules DMCC publishes for each one.
Set up: pre-approval, e-signing, office
DMCC accepts three forms of company: Individual, Subsidiary and Branch. Its published route has three steps: an online pre-approval application, payment and document signing inside the DMCC portal, then the choice of an office in the district.
- Each company needs at least one shareholder, plus a director and a secretary; one person may hold both roles.
- Owners of 25% or more are disclosed as ultimate beneficial owners, and the record is updated whenever that changes.
- DMCC says registration usually takes about 10 working days, with the e-licence 2 to 3 working days after setup completes.
- A residence visa still needs a trip to the UAE for the medical test and Emirates ID biometrics.
Run: renewals, staff and annual compliance
Once licensed, the company manages almost everything through DMCC’s Member Portal and pays DMCC from a balance held there.
- The licence renews each year under Company Services, Licensing Services, Licence Renewal; DMCC’s guideline (version 10, 23 December 2025) asks for valid liability or workmen’s compensation insurance and, for regulated activities, a third-party NOC valid at least three months past the licence expiry.
- The company establishment card is renewed alongside, and employee visas, renewals and cancellations are portal requests too.
- Audited financial statements go up through Compliance Services within six months of the financial year end, signed by an auditor on DMCCA’s list.
- Every DMCC entity registers for UAE corporate tax; DMCC notes that a Qualifying Free Zone Person can pay 0% on qualifying income and 9% on the rest.
Change: amendments and public notices
Changes to activities, address, officers, shares or the name are separate portal requests. Some of them must first be published on DMCC’s website for at least 14 days, including a company name change, a capital decrease, licence termination and winding up.
- DMCC’s regulations require every company and branch to keep a Manager in post: a natural person aged 18 or over who is not disqualified.
- Officer changes must be reported to DMCC’s Registrar, and the company articles may add their own conditions.
Close: wind up or pause
A company that stops trading either terminates its licence and winds up, after the 14-day public notice, or, where DMCC’s 2024 guidance allows, applies for a voluntary suspension (dormancy) and keeps the entity alive. Employee visas are cancelled before the company is struck off.
The DMCC closure route, step by step
Sectors and centres
What DMCC is known for
DMCC groups members into industry ecosystems, several with a physical centre in JLT. The figures are the ones DMCC publishes on each ecosystem page.
Diamonds
The Dubai Diamond Exchange hosts more than 1,350 companies and, by DMCC’s account, the largest diamond tender platform anywhere; it is the only GCC bourse in the World Federation of Diamond Bourses.
DMCC DiamondsGold and commodities
DMCC states that Dubai handles about 15% of world gold trade, most of it through DMCC, and it issues UAE bullion coins. The commodities exchange DGCX launched here in 2005.
DMCC GoldTea and coffee
The Tea Centre, open since 2009, offers storage, blending and packing, and DMCC credits it with making the UAE the world’s largest tea re-export market. A Coffee Centre followed in 2019.
DMCC TeaCrypto Centre
Launched in 2021, with more than 800 members by the end of 2025. A DMCC licence covers the company, not the activity: regulated virtual asset work also needs authorisation from Dubai’s VARA.
DMCC blog, 18 Sep 2026Gaming Centre
Opened in 2022 as a development facility in JLT, with specialised gaming and e-sports licensing; DMCC says more than 150 gaming businesses have joined it.
DMCC GamingAI Centre
The newest centre, launched in 2024, pairs AI companies with mentorship, acceleration programmes and testing support inside the district.
DMCC AI
Where filings happen
One online counter for everything after setup
Renewals, visas, letters and amendments are filed as service requests in the DMCC Member Portal, which also holds the company’s balance and its statements. Members sign in at portal.dmcc.ae with their portal username or UAE PASS, and DMCC’s Help Centre tracks the status of each request.
Each service has a fixed menu path. The diagram traces the route DMCC’s own guideline gives for an annual licence renewal. Sign-in options, user roles, request statuses and the 60- and 90-day clocks are explained step by step in our DMCC portal guide.
Keep the keys in-house. Portal logins and UAE PASS codes belong to the company’s own people. Any helper should work through a user your company creates for them where DMCC allows it, never with your password.
- Company Services
- Licensing Services
- Licence Renewal
Drawn from DMCC’s Licence Renewal guideline, version 10 (23 December 2025). A schematic, not a screenshot.
Location and contact
Where DMCC is and how to reach it
DMCC splits its public desks between two towers in the same district: the headquarters in Uptown Tower and the Member Engagement Centre in Almas Tower, JLT.
- Headquarters
- Uptown Tower, Uptown Dubai, PO Box 48800, Dubai
- Member desks
- Member Engagement Centre, Almas Tower, JLT
- Metro
- Red Line: DMCC station and Sobha Realty station
- Phone
- +971 4 424 9600, or 600 54 3622 inside the UAE
- New companies
- setup@dmcc.ae
- Existing members
- DMCC Help Centre online, for queries and request status
- Check a company
- DMCC public register
Contact details from dmcc.ae/contact, checked 5 November 2026. Station names from the Gulf News renaming guide (updated 8 September 2026); DMCC’s JLT map says the district has two metro stations.
An honest answer
Do you need a consultant for DMCC?
For setup, DMCC’s own answer is no. Its FAQ reads: “You don’t need a consultant.” The Business Setup Wizard at start.dmcc.ae takes an application straight from you, and the whole process is online.
What changes after setup is volume. A company with staff files renewals, entry permits, medicals, Emirates ID appointments, cancellations and letters through the portal all year, and a request returned for one wrong document costs days. That is the work some owners hand over: someone who knows the menu paths, checks every file before it goes in, and tracks each request to the end.
Who we are, plainly. MIRDXB PRO is a private PRO and visa firm in Al Barsha 1, Dubai. We are not DMCC, not a DMCC partner or approved agent, and we hold no PRO licence in our own name. We file only on your written instructions, through access your company controls, and DMCC decides every request.
If you want it handled
Our fees for DMCC filings
Fixed service fees, 5% VAT included. DMCC and government charges are separate and come out of your company’s portal balance; the itemised charges sit on our DMCC PRO services page.
| Filing | Our fee |
|---|---|
| New employment visa | AED 750 |
| Visa renewal | AED 600 |
| Visa cancellation | AED 500 |
| Establishment card, new or renewal | AED 400 |
| Emirates ID only | AED 150 |
| Licence renewal, amendments, letters, portal support | Fixed quote on WhatsApp |
Source: our price list, 31 Oct 2026
Questions
DMCC free zone: questions people ask
Short answers, each drawn from the DMCC sources listed below. For anything about your own company, ask us on WhatsApp.
What is DMCC?
DMCC stands for Dubai Multi Commodities Centre. It is a Government of Dubai authority, set up in 2002, that runs the DMCC Free Zone in Jumeirah Lakes Towers and Uptown Dubai. Its regulator, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Authority (DMCCA), is governed by Dubai Law No. (3) of 2020 and registers, licenses and supervises the companies in the zone.
Is DMCC a free zone or a mainland area?
DMCC is a free zone. A company registered there is licensed by DMCC rather than by Dubai’s mainland economic department, and it files its licence, visa and company changes with DMCC. Working with mainland clients follows separate rules, which our free zone vs mainland guide compares.
Where is DMCC located?
DMCC covers Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) and Uptown Dubai. Its headquarters are in Uptown Tower, Uptown Dubai, PO Box 48800, and member services run from the Member Engagement Centre in Almas Tower, JLT.
Which metro station is nearest to DMCC?
Two Red Line stations serve the district: DMCC station, formerly called Jumeirah Lakes Towers, and Sobha Realty station, formerly Dubai Marina. DMCC’s own JLT map notes that the community has two metro stations.
How do I contact DMCC?
DMCC lists +971 4 424 9600, or 600 54 3622 from inside the UAE. Company setup questions go to setup@dmcc.ae, and existing members raise queries and follow their service requests through the DMCC Help Centre online.
How many companies are registered in DMCC?
DMCC states that it has more than 26,000 registered companies, and its leadership profile describes over 26,000 member companies from 180 countries in 2025. We read both on dmcc.ae on 5 November 2026; DMCC does not print a date for the headline figure.
Do I need a consultant to set up a DMCC company?
No. DMCC’s setup FAQ says you don’t need a consultant: its Business Setup Wizard takes applications directly, and the process is fully online. Owners usually bring in help later, for recurring portal work such as visas, renewals and letters.
Does a DMCC company pay corporate tax?
Every DMCC entity must register for UAE corporate tax. DMCC explains that a company meeting the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions can pay 0% on qualifying income and 9% on other income, with a de minimis limit of the lower of 5% of revenue or AED 5 million.
When must a DMCC company submit audited accounts?
Within six months after the end of each financial year. The audited financial statements and the auditor’s signed summary sheet are uploaded under Compliance Services in the Member Portal, and the auditor must be registered on DMCCA’s list. Branches and subsidiaries file too.
Does the manager of a DMCC company have to live in the UAE?
Article 57 of DMCC’s Company Regulations requires a Manager who is a natural person aged at least 18, not disqualified and not convicted of a dishonesty offence in the past ten years. We found no UAE residence condition in Article 57 or the Officer Rules, but the Registrar can still judge a candidate unsuitable.
Is a DMCC licence enough for a crypto business?
Not for regulated virtual asset activity. DMCC licenses the company, while Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) authorises the activity. VARA lists eight regulated activities and uses two stages, Approval to Incorporate and then the full licence; regulated activity cannot begin at the first stage.
Is MIRDXB PRO part of DMCC?
No. MIRDXB PRO is a private PRO and visa firm in Al Barsha 1, Dubai. We are not DMCC, not a DMCC partner or approved agent, and we hold no PRO licence in our own name. We file DMCC requests only on a company’s written instructions.
Sources
Where every fact on this page comes from
All checked on 5 November 2026. Most dmcc.ae pages print no date, so a document date is given only where one appears.
- DMCC: About usGovernment of Dubai authority, established 2002, 26,000+ registered companies, 87 towers, 15% of Dubai FDI, timeline of centres, JLT map with two metro stations.
- DMCCA Company Regulations 2024 [Amended]Issued 10 October 2024, updated 2 January 2025: Law No. (3) of 2020, entity types, Article 57 (Manager).
- DMCC Officer RulesDuties of directors, secretaries and managers (effective 10 October 2024).
- DMCC: Set up a new businessThree company forms, three-step digital route, about 10 working days, e-licence in 2 to 3 working days, officer and UBO rules, consultant FAQ.
- DMCC Licence Renewal guidelineVersion 10, 23 December 2025: portal path and renewal prerequisites.
- DMCC Audited Financial Statements guidelineVersion 1, 29 April 2025: six-month deadline, Compliance Services path, auditor list.
- DMCC: Online publications14-day public notice and the changes that trigger it.
- DMCC: Corporate taxRegistration for all DMCC entities, 0% and 9% rates, de minimis rule.
- DMCC: Member supportMember Portal functions and the Help Centre.
- DMCC: ContactUptown Tower headquarters, Almas Tower Member Engagement Centre, phone numbers, setup email.
- DMCC ecosystemsDiamonds, gold, tea, gaming and AI pages for the sector figures.
- DMCC blog: the roles of DMCC and VARA18 September 2026: VARA authorisation, eight regulated activities, Crypto Centre members.
- Gulf News: Dubai Metro station renaming guideUpdated 8 September 2026: DMCC and Sobha Realty station names.
Running a DMCC company and short on time?
Tell us your company name and what is due. We reply with DMCC’s charges, our fixed fee and a timeline in writing before anything is paid.
MIRDXB PRO is a private PRO and visa firm based in Al Barsha 1, Dubai. It is not a government office and has no affiliation with, endorsement from or agency for the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Authority (DMCC) or any other authority. Facts on this page come from DMCC’s published pages and documents as read on the date shown; DMCC can change its rules, fees and procedures at any time, so treat this page as general information rather than legal advice.