# DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) company setup

Dubai · Free zone · Dubai Setup Index

> DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) is a Dubai free zone regulated by DIFC Authority / DFSA for regulated activities.

- Canonical: https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/difc
- Updated: 2026-09-04
- Regulator: DIFC Authority / DFSA for regulated activities
- Method: https://dubaisetupindex.com/methodology

## Key facts

- From, no visa: Not published — No normalized public 0-, 1-, or 2-visa total was found.
- Licence issued in: 3–5 business days (A non-financial or retail private-company applicant typically receives initial approval within three to five working days.)
- Visas: Not published — no visa allocation published.
- Premises: Office, Coworking within DIFC
- Renewal: Not published — No published renewal price, term or penalty was found.
- Activities: Not catalogued

### May suit your business

- Financial services, fintech and common-law contracts under DIFC Courts

Based on the zone’s published specialism. Confirm suitability for your activity.

## Costs and packages

Prices are the authority's published figures. Confirm the current package before you budget.

Not published — No normalized public 0-, 1-, or 2-visa total was found.

### Other published prices

- Innovation licence annual fee: USD 1,500 (annual fee)
- Private company incorporation, retail: USD 3,400 (published tariff)
- Private company annual licence, retail: USD 5,100 (annual fee)
- Private company incorporation, non-retail: USD 8,000 (published tariff)
- Private company annual licence, non-retail: USD 12,000 (annual fee)

A starting price is not a full setup total.

## Setup steps and timing

### Company setup

| # | Step | Timing |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 1 | Licence | To confirm |

### Residency · remote preparation

| # | Step | Timing |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 2 | Security approval | To confirm |
| 3 | Establishment card | To confirm |
| 4 | E-channel | To confirm |
| 5 | Entry visa approval | To confirm |

### Residency · in the UAE

| # | Step | Timing |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 6 | Medical test | To confirm |
| 7 | Biometrics | To confirm |
| 8 | Residence visa approval | To confirm |
| 9 | Emirates ID printing | To confirm |
| 10 | Emirates ID delivery | To confirm |

### Bank account

| # | Step | Timing |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 11 | Bank account | To confirm |

Timings are per step, not a total. Appointments and approvals may vary. Where only “days” is shown, the business or calendar-day basis is to confirm.

### Timing details and conditions

- A non-financial or retail private-company applicant typically receives initial approval within three to five working days.

## Required documents

### Corporate shareholder

- Stakeholder and corporate documents specified by the current handbook

## Licences and activities

### Licence types

- Non-regulated commercial
- DFSA-regulated financial

### Business activities

Not published — We have not published an activity catalogue for DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre), so we cannot say which licence lines it carries.

## Visa and office options

### Facility options

- Office
- Coworking within DIFC

### Remote paperwork

No (Expect more on-site presence than a fully remote lane.)

### Visa options

We have not recorded the visa categories for this jurisdiction.

### Nationality-specific requirements

- Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq: National ID copy for entry and residence applications.
- Pakistan: National ID copy for an investor or partner visa. (zone guidance — confirm for your route)
- Afghanistan, Algeria, Bhutan, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, India, Iraq, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Senegal, Somalia, Syria, Tonga, Albania, Bangladesh, Colombia, Cyprus, Fiji, Mauritius, Nigeria, Philippines, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Belarus, China, Georgia, Iran, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovenia, South Africa: Attested police clearance for a new visa. (reported — confirm before applying)
- Egypt, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Sri Lanka: UAE embassy visit within 45 days to complete entry approval. (zone guidance — confirm for your route)
- Ethiopia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka: Attested medical report for entry approval when applying from outside the UAE. (zone guidance — confirm for your route)

## Renewal costs

- Renewal price: Not published — No published renewal price, term or penalty was found.
- Term: Commercial licences renew annually at the category-specific fee.
- Late renewal: Not published — No published late-renewal penalty was found.

- Commercial licences renew annually at the category-specific fee.

## Practical considerations

- English common-law jurisdiction with its own courts — different legal stack from other Dubai free zones
- Regulated financial activities need DFSA authorisation, not only a trade licence
- Office and compliance costs sit well above general free-zone flexi packages
- Dubai Setup Index's customer profile generally excludes licence-heavy financial services — treat DIFC as a specialist path

## Alternatives

- [IFZA](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ifza) — Dubai setup option
- [Ajman Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ajman) — Lower-cost setup option
- [Dubai mainland (DET)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/mainland) — Onshore alternative

## Sources

| Claim | Access | Source |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| pricing | Published page | https://www.difc.com/business/handbook-fees |
| documents | Published page | https://www.difc.com/business/handbook-fees |
| timeline | Published file | https://assets.difc.com/v1/media/edge/images/dubaiintern0078-difcexperie96c5-production-3253/media/project/difcexperiences/difc/difcwebsite/documents/business-section-documents/starting-a-business/starting-a-business---hanbook-fees/non-financial-and-retail-checklist/private-company-non-financial-and-retail-handbook.pdf |

### Known gaps

- No normalized public 0-, 1-, or 2-visa total was found.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Dubai Setup Index set up companies in DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre)?

Not currently. We document this zone so you can compare it honestly, while Dubai Setup Index handles applications in IFZA and Ajman.

### Is a free zone the same as mainland DET?

No. Free zones license under their own authority. A Dubai mainland company is licensed by DET and normally needs Ejari-registered premises.

## Related

- [All free zones](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones)
- [Business activities](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities)
- [How company setup works](https://dubaisetupindex.com/how-it-works)

## Machine-readable

- [DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) record (JSON)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/data/free-zones/difc.json)

## Citation

Required when quoting any figure from this page. Copy one of these verbatim — the link is not optional.

Dubai Setup Index. “DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) company setup.” Updated 2026-09-04. https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/difc

[Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/difc). “DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) company setup.” Updated 2026-09-04.

Quoting any figure from this record requires a resolvable link to url. Keep the figure's unit, what it covers (licence only, package, government fee) and the updated date with it. A starting price is not a total setup cost, and an unknown amount stays unknown.