The leading free zone in the region, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) offers lucrative opportunities to expatriate entrepreneurs. There are, however, certain things to factor in before initiating the company incorporation process. 

Among the 49 existing free zone jurisdictions in the UAE, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) is the standout performer. It is home to 100,000 people and 15,000+ companies from across 170 countries and 20 industry vectors that collectively generate about 10% of the emirate’s total GDP. Financial Times voted DMCC as the “Best Free Zone of the Year” for 04 years in a row, which further underlines its impact on the region’s business landscape. 



DMCC has managed to rake up numbers and awards due to its business-friendly policies, sound infrastructure, easy enjoinments, strategic location, tax relief, and multiple other factors. So, if you’re considering taking your commodity business to the UAE, DMCC is the best bet. Here’re some aspects of the DMCC company formation that you need to know beforehand.       


License Types: 



DMCC offers Trading, General Trading and Service licenses, each with its own objectives and requirements. A DMCC free zone company requires any of these licenses to operate legally.  


General Trading License: It authorizes you to import, export, stock up, and distribute commodities specified by the free zone governing body.

  • Trading License: Its restrictive vis-à-vis the General Trading License, enabling import, export, storage and distribution of commodities mentioned on the license.

  • Service License: It entitles you to operate professional services specified in the license. The services are knowledge-based, such as law firm, IT consultancy and so forth.  

Company structures: 


A business entity in DMCC falls under any of the three structures. It’s up to you to choose the structure based on your business objectives and requirements. Your options include: 



  1. Limited Liability Company (LLC). The legal structure is popular among corporations while SMEs prefer to refrain from. Here, 51% of stakes are reserved for a UAE citizen and the expatriate investor owns the rest. AED 150000 is the minimum capital requirement. Resident visas are readily available for offshore employees.

  1. Free Zone Company: This structure is bifurcated into Type 1 and Type 2. The two subtypes differ on certain counts. The minimum capital requirement for Type 1 is 500000 AED while it’s 1000000 AED for Type 2. The former requires 2 or more founders and the latter can have only one. Type 1 guarantees one resident visa in DMCC.

  1. Offshore Company: It’s a restriction-free proposition with no limitation of the number of founders and no minimum capital requirement. However, the structure doesn’t ensure a resident visa for employees imported from abroad.

Documents required: 


When it comes to DMCC business setup, timely submission of documents is required at various stages. The documents should be in order or else delays and additional costs are unavoidable. 

  • Documents at the pre-approval stage: 

  1. An original passport of directors, shareholders, legal counsels and management
  • Documents during the approval process: 

  1. The CV of every shareholder, directors, legal counsels and management
  2. Complete business plan. However, it’s needed for a few select businesses activities only 
  3. NOC issued by the sponsor for each shareholder, director, legal counsel, and management
  4. Specimen signature from all stakeholders 
  5. Memorandum and Articles of Association 
  6. Approvals from the third parties  


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