SETUP YOUR BUSINESS IN D3 DESIGN DISTRICT WITH FIRSTOFFSHORE
Establish your creative business in Dubai Design District (d3) with Firstoffshore. This thriving hub for design, art, and culture offers a dynamic environment for innovators. Benefit from cutting-edge digital connectivity and be part of Dubai’s vision to lead the future of design.
D3 Design District
Dubai Design District (d3) has been developed through careful consultation with the design community to provide a creative ecosystem that surpasses the expectations of a typical creative neighborhood. d3 forges the inspiring, authentic, and relevant ideas shaping Dubai’s future as a leading destination of design, art, and culture. It has its own beating heart, its own spirit and its own very personal style.
d3 is home to the region’s growing community of creative thinkers. It is being built as part of the Dubai Plan 2021 using the Smart City principles, which offer digital connectivity to create an innovation-led economy.
D3 Company Setup
We will guide you through every step to get your D3 business setup and your company bank account opened as soon as possible.
- Step 1. Expert consultation
- Step 2. Select company type
- Step 3. Prepare company registration
- Step 4. Select and lease business location
- Step 5. Receive business license
- Step 6. Complete corporate bank account opening
- Step 7. Finalize UAE residency visa
FACILITIES
Warehouses
Serviced offices, virtual and flexi desks
Retail outlets
D3 Advantages
- 100% foreign ownership
- Special licensing for design and fashion with freelance permits for artists and designers
- Ideal free zone for startup design freelancers
- Zero percent personal income tax
- 0% Corporate Tax provided they comply with all regulatory requirements
- No currency restrictions
- Strategic location, close to Business Bay, Downtown Dubai, Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa
- No currency restrictions
- No limit on capital repatriation
- Special freelance permit for designers and artists
LICENSE TYPE
- SERVICE LICENSE
- TRADING LICENSE
- INDUSTRIAL LICENSE
PROCEDURES
- All partners will be registered in MYID.
- Trade name will be reserved for the business license (pre-reserved trade name can be used)
- Initial approval will be issued for the business license (pre-issued initial approval can be used)
- Electronic memorandum of association will be issued (Attesting from Notary Public is NOT required)
- Start Business certificate shall be issued with 6 months validity.
Once the customer provides tenancy contract for the business location attested by RERA (Ejari), the trade license will be issued automatically and SMS notification will be sent to the mobile number registered in the license details. The customer can get the license once the fees are paid at any payment channel.
LICENSE TYPE
Professional (Service)
Industrial
Commercial and General Trading
Freelance Permit
Business Operation Permit:
This is a special permit for companies operating in the The Administrative Zone of DSOA (areas owned by private developers) using a license issued by Dubai Economic Department (DED). This license is issued based on the license issued by Dubai Economic Department. No share capital is required for this type of licence.
Entrepreneurial Business Licence: An EBL license is designed to accelerate the successful development of young entrepreneurs and their businesses through an array of support resources and services. This license is only available for members of DSO’s incubator program and involves a low cost license in return for a small stake in the business.
What is The Administrative Zone in DSO?
Within Dubai Silicon Oasis are projects built and managed by private developers. These projects are not owned by Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority and are sold/leased/managed directly by the developer or their chosen provider. These freehold & leasehold projects are located in the freehold & leasehold areas of DSO. Privately developed areas in DSO are plots of land for residential and commercial use, which are sold on freehold or 99 year leasehold basis to UAE nationals and non-UAE nationals.
Frequently Asked Questions
General
No. Business registration and licensing procedures are associated with smart services which require Emirates ID.
• Reserve a trade name
• Obtain a preliminary approval
• Obtain an approval from other authorities if the activity deems necessary
• Obtain the Memorandum of Association of the companies
• Provide a certificate of authenticity of the lease contract issued from the Real Estate Regulatory Agency
Yes, except in the case of engineering consultancy.
No
• Filling a registration and license application form and reserving a trade name.
• A copy of the service agent’s passport (with the details of residence/Visa for non-GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) nationals)
• A copy of the service agent’s identity card and family book
• A copy of the responsible director’s passport and a no objection letter from his current sponsor
• Approval of other governmental agencies concerned with the activity of the company
• The Board of Directors’ decision to open a branch and to appoint a director
• A copy of the Memorandum of Association and the Commercial Register which should be duly certified by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UAE embassy of the country in which the company is incorporated.
Conditions of licensing the activity of the business center:
• The total site area of the business center shouldn’t be less than 5000 feet where the area of each office is not less than 250 feet including hallways and facilities. The net area per office shouldn’t be less than 200 square feet.
• Having a lease agreement between the property owner and the business center of a period not less than 4 years.
• A written consent by the property owner authorizing the business center to sublease the property during the period of the lease contract.
• Submitting schemes for the site showing the number and the distribution of offices until the allowed number of establishments that can be registered in the site is determined by the commercial register sector in accordance with the aforementioned information in paragraph (A) of this article.
• An annual fee of 25,000 twenty five thousand AED is calculated for every site allocated for the business center activities.
Having educational qualifications, experience, and obtaining external approvals.
Professional activities are the activities that depend on mental and physical effort to be practiced. They include agriculture, fishing, education, health, social work, and community, social and personal services.
Issuing of a Business License
• Reserving a trade name
• Obtaining a preliminary approval
• Obtaining an approval of other authorities if the activity deems necessary
• Obtaining a Memorandum of Association of the companies
• Obtaining a service agent contract for occupational licenses
• Lease contract issued from the Real Estate Regulatory Agency.
• Reserve a trade name
• Obtain a preliminary approval
• Obtain an approval from other authorities if the activity deems necessary
• Obtain the Memorandum of Association of the companies
• Provide a certificate of authenticity of the lease contract issued from the Real Estate Regulatory Agency.
Yes, except in the case of engineering consultancy.
no
• Filling a registration and license application form and reserving a trade name.
• A copy of the responsible director’s passport and a no objection letter from his current sponsor
• Approval of other governmental agencies concerned with the activity of the company
• The Board of Directors’ decision to open a branch and to appoint a director and a copy of the Memorandum of Association and the Commercial Register
• The Ministry of Economy approval for the commercial and industrial companies where the rate of nationals is less than 51%
• The total site area of the business center shouldn’t be less than 5000 feet where the area of each office is not less than 250 feet including hallways and facilities. The net area per office shouldn’t be less than 200 square feet.
• Having a lease agreement between the property owner and the business center of a period not less than 4 years.
• A written consent by the property owner authorizing the business center to sublease the property during the period of the lease contract.
• Submitting schemes for the site showing the number and the distribution of offices until the allowed number of establishments that can be registered in the site is determined by the commercial register sector in accordance with the aforementioned information in paragraph (A) of this article.
• An annual fee of 25,000 twenty five thousand AED is calculated for every site allocated for the business center activities.
Having educational qualifications, experience, and obtaining external approvals.
The same usual conditions in addition to paying 500 AED. Yes. No
Yes
Paying 50 million and having a legal form as a limited liability company.
Commercial activities are the activities that require a capital to be practiced. They include wholesale and retail trade, construction, transportation, stockpiling, communication, financial intermediation, real estate, and leasing.
Industrial activities are the activities that require a capital to be practiced. They include manufacturing, mining, quarrying, electricity, gas, and water.
Professional activities are the activities that depend on mental and physical effort to be practiced. They include agriculture, fishing, education, health, social work, and community, social and personal services.
No, but the owner can.
Yes
You can apply for a trade name online or go through an authorized document cearing office or approved lawirm. Please note that to access online services, you need a user account.
It includes the trade of all kinds of goods and products that are mentioned in full details in the trade category of the activity classification guidebook except for those that require an external approval from concerned authorities.
To be qualified, and to have an experience in the required consultation field. The requirements of the consultations that require an external approval are determined by concerned authorities.
Manage Business License
• Providing a letter from the company or the institution requesting to stop the licensing temporarily
• Providing a letter from the Ministry of Labor indicating the absence of sponsored people on the license
• Providing a report from the inspection division in Dubai DED.
Providing a certificate of authenticity of the lease contract issued from the Real Estate Regulatory Agency and an appendix of the Memorandum of Association when modifying the status of partners.
Providing a certificate of authenticity of the lease contract issued from the Real Estate Regulatory Agency and an appendix of the Memorandum of Association when modifying the status of partners.
Cancel Business License
If the partnership has ended more than 2 years ago.
• The license expiration date should have ended for more than 2 years.
• The national partner shall acknowledge his liability towards the company.
• Providing supporting documents that strengthens the dissolution request such as the escape of a partner
• Providing a letter from the Ministry of Labor indicating the absence of sponsored people on the license
• For sole proprietorships, a no objection letter from the Ministry of Labor is required in addition to a residence cancellation proof for non-Gulf nationals.
• For civil works companies, a no objection letter from the Ministry of Labor is required in addition to dissolution of partnership contract from the notary public.
• For commercial companies, a no objection letter from the Ministry of Labor is required in addition to a residence cancellation proof for non-Gulf nationals, the minutes of Annual General Meeting to liquidate the company and appoint a liquidator, a letter from the liquidator of accepting the liquidation, and announcing the liquidation in the newspaper.