Dubai Multi Commodities Center DMCC: What You Need to Know

Dubai Multi Commodities Center DMCC: What You Need to Know

If you're looking at setting up a free zone company in Dubai, the Dubai Multi Commodities Center DMCC sits near the top of most shortlists. Here's the practical version — what it actually is, what it costs, and where it makes sense.

Quick answer

The Dubai Multi Commodities Center DMCC is a Dubai government free zone established in 2002, headquartered in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT). It offers 100% foreign ownership, 0% personal income tax, and 9% corporate tax above AED 375,000 profit (in line with UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022). DMCC licenses cover trading, services, industrial, and a wide range of commodity activities — gold, diamonds, tea, coffee, agri. Setup typically runs AED 34,000–50,000+ in year one depending on licence type, visa quota, and office choice.

What DMCC actually is

DMCC is a free zone authority and a master developer rolled into one. It runs JLT — those 87 towers around the lakes off Sheikh Zayed Road — and licenses the businesses inside them, plus tenants in Uptown Tower and the new Burj 2020 district.

It's been ranked "Global Free Zone of the Year" by the FT's fDi Magazine multiple years running.^[1] Honestly, the ranking is marketing, but the underlying point holds: DMCC has the deepest commodity-trading infrastructure of any UAE free zone — DMCC Tradeflow, the Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX), Kimberley Process certification for rough diamonds, and a tea centre that handles a serious share of global re-exports.

If you're trading physical commodities, this is the obvious home. If you're running a marketing consultancy, you have cheaper options.

Costs and licence types in 2024

DMCC publishes package pricing rather than a long fee schedule. The headline numbers:

• Zero-visa package: from around AED 12,500 for the licence in year one (promotional pricing, typically requires a flexi-desk add-on).
• Standard trading or services licence with flexi-desk and 1–3 visas: AED 34,000–50,000 in year one, similar at renewal.^[2]
• Dual licence (DMCC + onshore DED): added cost, useful if you need a mainland presence without a separate company.

You'll also pay establishment card fees, immigration card fees, and visa costs (medical, Emirates ID, stamping) — budget another AED 4,000–6,000 per visa.

Watch out: The "from AED 12,500" headline is the licence only. Once you add the mandatory flexi-desk, establishment card, and one visa, you're closer to AED 30,000. Ask for the all-in quote in writing before you sign.

DMCC permits over 600 business activities. You can hold multiple activities on one licence if they're in the same group, which keeps costs down. Mixing trading and services on a single licence usually triggers an upgrade fee.

Setting up: the actual timeline

Realistic sequence:

1. Pre-approval and name reservation — 2–5 working days.
2. Submit incorporation documents (passport copies, business plan for regulated activities, MoA) — 5–10 working days.
3. Licence issuance and lease signing — concurrent, another 3–7 days.
4. Establishment card and visa processing — 2–4 weeks for the first investor/employee visa.

Door-to-door, four to six weeks is normal. Faster if you're using a flexi-desk and you have all documents notarised. Slower if you need MoFA-attested degree certificates for a regulated activity, or if a shareholder is a corporate entity from a jurisdiction DMCC wants extra paperwork from.

DMCC's portal (the "Member Portal") handles most filings electronically. People often underestimate the document-attestation step — if your shareholder docs are coming from, say, the UK or India, build in two extra weeks for legalisation and MoFA stamping.

Tax, substance, and the corporate tax question

UAE corporate tax came into effect for financial years starting on or after 1 June 2023.^[3] DMCC companies are subject to it like everyone else, but a "Qualifying Free Zone Person" can access a 0% rate on qualifying income under Cabinet Decision No. 100 of 2023 and Ministerial Decision No. 265 of 2023.

The qualifying activities list includes commodities trading, holding shares, fund management, and a few others. Most general trading and consulting doesn't qualify and pays 9% above AED 375,000 of taxable profit.

Two things people often get wrong:

• They assume "free zone" automatically means 0%. It doesn't. You need adequate substance, audited accounts, and qualifying income.
• They forget the de minimis rule — non-qualifying revenue must stay under 5% of total revenue (or AED 5 million, whichever is lower) or you lose the 0% on everything.

Get a tax adviser to map your revenue streams before you commit to DMCC purely for the tax break. The Federal Tax Authority's free zone guide is the source you want.^[3]

When DMCC makes sense — and when it doesn't

It makes sense if you:

• Trade physical commodities (gold, diamonds, agri, energy products) and want access to DMCC Tradeflow or DGCX.
• Need a recognisable, well-regulated free zone for international banking compliance — DMCC has a strong reputation with UAE and correspondent banks.
• Want JLT as your office address (good metro access, decent food, real tenants — not a virtual building).

It's probably overkill if you:

• Run a small consultancy with one or two employees. IFZA, Meydan, or SHAMS will be 30–50% cheaper.
• Need a DIFC-style common-law jurisdiction. DMCC is onshore UAE civil law.
• Plan to do most of your business with mainland UAE customers — you'll want a mainland licence or the dual-licence route.

For a comparison of the main free zone options, see our business setup category. For the corporate tax mechanics, the UAE corporate tax guide goes deeper.

A blunt closing thought: DMCC is a quality product at a quality-product price. Don't pay for it if you don't need it.

Need this checked for your situation? Talk to a UAE-licensed lawyer →

---

Citations

^[1] DMCC, "Global Free Zone of the Year" — fDi Magazine rankings, accessible via dmcc.ae/about-us/awards. ^[2] DMCC company setup packages and pricing — dmcc.ae/business-setup (current packages 2024). ^[3] UAE Federal Tax Authority, "Corporate Tax Guide for Free Zone Persons" (CTGFZP1), and Cabinet Decision No. 100 of 2023 on Qualifying Income — tax.gov.ae.