DAFZ Company Setup in Three Steps: A Practical Guide
Setting up in DAFZ is designed around three steps: choose the licence, choose the legal form and choose the office. We set out the options for each.
A setup process completed in three steps
Setting up a business in DAFZ is designed to be completed in three steps: choose the licence, choose the legal form, and choose the office. The zone has no currency or employment restrictions and permits 100% foreign ownership and free repatriation of profits, so the regulatory barriers to entry are low.
- 1Select a licence that matches your business activities.
- 2Choose a legal form: branch, PLC or free zone company.
- 3Choose an office or warehouse type that fits the scale of the business.
Choosing the legal form
There are three main legal forms: a branch, which serves as a representative presence; a PLC, with no cap on shareholders and suited to companies with an eye on an IPO; and a free zone company, which can be set up with 1–50 shareholders and minimum capital of USD 1 (AED 3.67).
| Legal form | Overview |
|---|---|
| Branch | Representative presence; no capital requirement |
| PLC | No cap on shareholders; for companies with an eye on an IPO |
| Free zone company | 1–50 shareholders; minimum capital of USD 1 (AED 3.67) |
Choosing the office or warehouse
Offices range by scale from the per-desk Smart Office to the Business Boutique (12–15 m², two visas), Premium (25 m², two visas) and Premium Plus (50 m², six visas). For industrial use, warehouse units and DAFZ Industrial Park are also options.
| Office type | Size and visa quota |
|---|---|
| Smart Office | Per desk |
| Business Boutique | 12–15 m², two visas |
| Premium | 25 m², two visas |
| Premium Plus | 50 m², six visas |
| Industrial warehouse unit | 350 m² plus a 90 m² mezzanine office (annual, renewable lease) |
| DAFZ Industrial Park | 33 buildings (including 10 cold storage units); average 312 m² and 20 visas per unit |
Practical infrastructure after setup
After setup, companies can access legal, logistics and accounting services at preferential rates. Visa processing, government service counters (Dubai Customs, the Chamber of Commerce, Police and the Health Authority), 24/7 customs clearance, and several banks (including Mizuho Bank) and telecom partners are all available within the zone — a genuine one-stop setup.
The choice of legal form and office is closely tied to eligibility as a Qualifying Free Zone Person for tax purposes — the point at which income is taxed at 0% or 9%. We recommend considering tax design together with the setup from the start.
Setting up in DAFZ comes down to three decisions — licence, legal form and office — made in that order. Each choice affects the next, and together they shape both visa capacity and QFZP eligibility, so it pays to design them as one. For a broader view of how companies of different sizes use the zone, see the complete guide to DAFZ.
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