UAE Free Zones

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Dubai Silicon Oasis

A multi-billion dollar Dubai Government project - Spread over 7.2 sq-km for IC Design, Systems Assembly, Manufacturing companies, warehousing and for setting up regional offices. Perfectly located in Dubai. DSO is in the trade crossroads of Europe and Asia.

UNPARALLELED FREE ZONE BENEFITS

• 100% foreign ownership
• Zero personal taxation
• Zero corporate taxation
• State of the art IT infrastructure – fiber rings, WiFi coverage, On-site data center, high speed Internet access, full suite of services “plug & play” offices (terms & conditions apply)
• Subsidized top-end EDA tools (terms & conditions & apply)
• Rapid employee visa processing
• Streamline customs clearance
• Business support facilities: business lounge, conference facilities, banking, customs authority, postal authority, travel agency, cleaning and maintenance
• Investment incentive of 100% repatriation of capital
• Stringent IP laws and support
• Thriving urban community with core technology zone, surrounded by a master-planned residential environment, consisting of villas, technologically advanced commercial and residential high-rise buildings
• Fast-track business set-up

DIFFERENT FORMS OF REGISTRATION:

There are three possible structures for an entity to have its legal presence in DSOA and are as follows:

1. Branch
A company which is already in existence in UAE or any foreign country can register its branch in DSOA. The activity the branch proposes to conduct in DSOA shall not be beyond the activity conducted or the objectives of the parent company. A branch doesn’t require any separate capital.

2. Free Zone Establishment (FZE)
Free Zone Establishment is a legal entity incorporated/registered in DSOA by single shareholder. The shareholder can either be an individual or a non-individual/corporate. The minimum required capital is AED.1,000,000/- represented by one share. Any additional capital shall be in multiples of AED.1,000,000/-. An FZE enjoys limited liability status.

3. Free Zone Company (FZCO)
An FZCO is a legal entity incorporated/registered in DSOA by a minimum of two shareholders. The shareholders can either be individuals or a non-individual(s)/corporate. The minimum required capital is AED.500,000/- represented by 5 shares. Each share shall be of minimum value AED.100,000/- or in its multiples. Maximum number of shareholders with minimum capital of AED.500,000/- shall be 5. This can go up to 10 shareholders provided the capital and/or the numbers of shares are increased corresponding to the proposed shareholding. An FZCO enjoys limited liability status.

DSO CHOICE OF LICENSES

Any entity wishing to perform a (commercial) activity within DSOA will require to establish it’s legal presence in DSOA and obtain a valid License for such an activity.

DSOA has dedicated staff in the Licensing Section to handle the registration of the entities and also to issue licenses for the approved activity.

General activities

• Information technology
• Telecommunications equipments
• Electronic, computer hardware
• Software development & solutions
• Consultancy & business development
• Electrical appliances & equipment
• Engineering related to technology
• Logistics
• IT Security
• Talent development and recruitment
• Pharmaceutical

Microelectronics

• IC design
• EDA tools
• IP protection
• IT services

There are three types of licenses according to the company’s requirement:

Service License - Allows the registered entity to carry out only specified services.

Industrial License - Allows the registered entity to import raw material, manufacture, process, assemble, package and export the finished product.

Trading License - Allows the registered entity to import, export, and distribute the items specified in the license.

Disclaimer:

Every effort has been made to ensure the material contained in this document is correct at time of publishing. However, this information should be interpreted as information only and does not constitute any legal or tax advice from Sequestra Corporation or any of its subsidiaries.