Corporate Service Provider Licence in the UAE: DIFC, ADGM and DMCC

A corporate service provider (CSP) forms companies for clients, acts as their registered office and files with the registrar on their behalf. In the UAE’s financial centres this is a licensed, supervised role, and in DIFC and ADGM many holding vehicles cannot exist without one. This guide compares the official CSP regimes in DIFC, ADGM and DMCC and the mainland and other free zone routes, using regulator documents read on 4 and 5 October 2026.

What a CSP Does, and the Names Regulators Use

The Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET) describes a trust or company service provider as a business providing company establishment or business administration services to third parties, for example company formation, third party services and registered business address services. Each regulator uses its own label:

• DIFC: “Corporate Service Provider”, a DIFC-licensed firm registered with the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) as a designated non-financial business or profession (DNFBP).
• ADGM: “Company Service Provider”, activity code 7025, licensed by the ADGM Registration Authority.
• DMCC: “Corporate Services Provider (CSP)”, activity 7499-72, plus a separate set of Registered Agents for SPVs and holding companies.
• Meydan Free Zone: “Corporate Services Provider”, activity code 7010.93.
• RAK ICC: “Registered Agent”, the only route through which RAK ICC companies are formed.

DIFC: Mandatory CSPs for Prescribed Companies

DIFC announced on 3 August 2026 that its updated Prescribed Company (PC) Regulations, enacted on 24 July 2026, remove the old qualifying criteria. Any applicant can now establish a PC, DIFC’s version of an SPV, provided it uses a DIFC-licensed CSP as its “primary administrative and compliance interface” with the Registrar of Companies, unless it is exempt. The CSP is responsible for filings, record keeping and ongoing compliance, and the PC may use the CSP’s address as its registered office.

DIFC’s SPV handbook (approved 30 July 2026) says the requirement applies from incorporation and continues for the life of the PC. A PC is exempt, and does not need a CSP, when it is controlled by a DIFC Registered Person (other than a VCC, foundation, non-profit or another PC), a DFSA-authorised firm or a firm licensed by a regulator in a recognised jurisdiction, a government entity, or a publicly listed entity.

DIFC publishes a directory of CSPs; the version dated August 2026 lists 74 firms and states that DIFC Authority does not endorse or rank them.

Becoming a DIFC CSP. The handbook requires the CSP to be licensed by the DFSA. The DFSA’s service “DNFBP: Request for New Registration” (read on 5 October 2026) lists a fee of USD 6,000 (pro-rated), payment by bank transfer, compliance with AML 15.1 of the DFSA Rulebook as a prerequisite, and five stages (enquiry, application, evaluation, fulfilment, approval) of 1 to 3 weeks each. Documents named include a regulatory business plan, AML compliance reports and financial statements. The DFSA Fees Module (version 34, January 2026) charges a DNFBP USD 6,000 a year, for the first period and each later one. The CSP also needs its own DIFC entity, whose registration fees are not covered here.

ADGM: The CSP Framework

ADGM’s Company Service Provider framework came into force on 12 April 2021 and was tightened on 23 February 2023. A non-exempt SPV or foundation in ADGM must appoint an ADGM-licensed CSP, which submits incorporation applications, acts as registered office and primary contact for the Registrar, and files on the company’s behalf. “Providing company services” covers acting as incorporation agent, registered office provider, or providing directors, secretaries, registered agents or nominee shareholders.

To obtain the licence, a firm sets up an ADGM legal person, applies for controlled activity “7025 Company Service Provider” and completes a CSP pre-application form. The Conditions of Licence and Branch Registration Rules 2024 (adopted 4 September 2024, Schedule 1) require:

• professional indemnity cover of at least USD 1,000,000 per claim and USD 1,500,000 in aggregate per year, plus legal costs cover of at least 20% of those amounts, with a 12-month run-off;
• regulatory capital of at least USD 50,000 in immediately available funds, topped up within 7 business days if used;
• a full-time compliance officer, independent of other statutory roles (the function may be outsourced on a full-time basis);
• AML and customer due diligence policies, client money controls and complaints handling;
• an annual CSP return by the end of April, annual staff certification and audited accounts every year, according to ADGM’s CSP page.

ADGM does not publish a static list: licensed CSPs are found in its public register by searching activity code 7025.

DMCC: Activity 7499-72 and Registered Agents

DMCC’s licence activity list (sheet named July26, file modified 9 July 2026) defines “Corporate Services Provider (CSP)”, activity 7499-72, as assisting with company registration and establishment on behalf of founders, partnerships with foreign companies, finding local partners and agents, and secretarial services, excluding any legal services. DMCC’s additional requirements for it:

• the company must have a compliance officer;
• the shareholder or manager must have at least 3 years of experience in a related field or a postgraduate certificate;
• an undertaking letter to abide by DMCC rules and the DMCC Company Regulations.

The list shows minimum share capital of 50,000 for this activity and accepts any office type. Separately, DMCC SPVs and holding companies can only be registered through a DMCC Registered Agent and must keep one at all times. DMCC’s SPV page, read on 5 October 2026, names 19 Registered Agents and quotes SPV and holding company setup “starting at just AED 3690”. DMCC also runs a CSP partner programme with commission schemes and a lead submission portal, covered in our guide to free zone partner programmes.

Mainland Dubai, Meydan and RAK ICC

Meydan Free Zone’s activity page lists Corporate Services Provider under code 7010.93 in the “Activities of Head Offices” group, excluding legal services, and states that the activity needs no third-party approval in Meydan or on the Dubai mainland (DET). We could not read DET’s own activity register with automated tools, so confirm the mainland activity name and approvals with DET before you apply; see professional licence in Dubai.

RAK ICC defines a Registered Agent, under its Business Companies Regulations 2018, as a person accredited by an accreditation body in the UAE who works as a lawyer, auditor or accountant, or corporate services provider. Its onboarding file asks for, among others, an AML compliance manual, the compliance officer’s CV, a valid UAE professional licence and a UAE office lease.

The Regimes Side by Side

Sources: DIFC SPV handbook (30 July 2026), DFSA Fees Module (January 2026), ADGM Conditions of Licence Rules 2024, DMCC activity list (sheet July26), Meydan and RAK ICC pages read on 4 and 5 October 2026.

AML Duties for Every CSP

MoET’s DNFBP guidelines (March 2026) list trust and corporate service providers among the businesses it supervises on the mainland and in commercial free zones, and name the DFSA as supervisor of DNFBPs in DIFC and the FSRA in ADGM. MoET states that goAML registration is mandatory for DNFBPs. Under Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, in force since 14 October 2025, a supervisor can fine a DNFBP AED 10,000 to AED 5,000,000 per violation, and suspicious transactions must be reported to the Financial Intelligence Unit without delay. See goAML registration and AML compliance support.

Who Needs a CSP: Your Client Base

• Non-exempt DIFC Prescribed Companies, now open to any applicant, from family groups to financing transactions (DIFC, 3 August 2026). Background in our guide to DIFC prescribed company holding structures.
• Non-exempt ADGM SPVs and foundations.
• DMCC SPVs and holding companies, which must keep a Registered Agent at all times.
• RAK ICC companies, formed only through a registered agent.
• Founders of ordinary trading companies, who are not obliged to use a CSP but can request business setup consultation; see DMCC business setup consultants and how founders choose a setup consultant.

Worked Example: Fixed Regulatory Costs Over Three Years

A firm wants to serve both DIFC Prescribed Companies and ADGM SPVs. Our arithmetic, using only the published figures:

1. DFSA DNFBP fee: USD 6,000 a year × 3 years = USD 18,000 (the first period may be pro-rated, so this is the upper figure).
2. ADGM regulatory capital: USD 50,000 held in immediately available funds for as long as the licence runs. It is not spent, but it is tied up.
3. ADGM indemnity insurance: the policy must cover USD 1,000,000 per claim and USD 1,500,000 a year; the premium is set by the insurer and not published.

So before staff, office, entity licences and premiums, the firm commits USD 18,000 in DFSA fees and keeps USD 50,000 locked as capital: USD 68,000 of fixed regulatory money over three years.

How CSPs Win Clients

Regulator directories give visibility but not leads: DIFC’s list is alphabetical and carries no ranking. Referral deals with law firms, banks and other introducers are a channel regulators already watch. ADGM’s guidance on referral and agency arrangements (version of 20 December 2024) says: the client must be told about any referral arrangement, the client relationship stays with the CSP rather than the referrer, commission arrangements must be checked for conflicts of interest, and a referrer that offers CSP services to clients itself must be licensed. Free zone partner programmes pay commission for setups; our guide to lead generation for UAE service firms compares the paid channels. On Emirae, founders post company formation requests; you send offers free, up to 20 in any 24 hours, and pay AED 400 per company formation client only after the client opens their contacts to you (pricing, read on 5 October 2026). Firms that also handle accounts or audit can read how to open an accounting firm in Dubai and how to open an audit firm in the UAE.

Checklist for a New CSP

• Choose the regime by the clients you want: DIFC PCs, ADGM SPVs, DMCC holding companies or general setups
• Name a compliance officer and an MLRO
• Write an AML and customer due diligence manual and register on goAML
• Arrange indemnity insurance at the regime’s minimum
• Prepare a regulatory business plan and financial statements for the DFSA if you target DIFC
• Keep evidence of 3 years of related experience for DMCC
• Put referral agreements in writing and disclose them to clients

What is not published

• ADGM’s licence fee for activity 7025 on the CSP pages we read; check ADGM’s fee schedule or ask the Registration Authority.
• The DMCC licence cost for activity 7499-72 and how DMCC appoints Registered Agents.
• DET’s own wording for the mainland activity, which we could not read; ask DET.
• A count of ADGM licensed CSPs; the public register must be searched.
• Market prices CSPs charge clients; ask for a written quote.