Dubai Silicon Oasis License Cost: Dtec Packages, Licences and Rules

Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) is a technology free zone in Dubai, licensed by the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ), which also licenses Dubai Airport Freezone and Dubai CommerCity. DSO publishes its company rules but not a general fee schedule. The prices it does publish come from Dtec, the startup and coworking campus inside DSO. This page sets out those prices, the licence and capital rules of the DIEZA regulations of 2023, and what you need a quote for, as checked on 4 October 2026.

Dtec packages: the published prices

Dtec (Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus) is run by DSO, and every Dtec plan includes full company setup with the workspace. Its coworking page lists, per year:

All four prices are marked “year 1” with a footnote the page does not explain, and Dtec does not publish what the plans cost from the second year, or whether the price covers VAT, deposits and the establishment card. Hot desk members must use their desk at least 36 hours a month, or DIEZ may cancel the licence and the lease.

DSO licence types and fees

DSO issues three operating licences: service, trade and industrial. It also issues a Business Operation Permit to companies in privately developed buildings inside DSO, the “Administrative Zone”, which works on top of a Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism licence and needs no share capital.

The only licence fees DSO publishes are in Dtec’s list of approved activities, titled 2023:

• Service licence: AED 5,000 a year, for a maximum of five years.
• Trade licence: AED 8,000 a year, for a maximum of five years.

These are Dtec’s subsidised startup licences: after five years a company is no longer eligible for them. The Dtec list covers 61 activities, mostly technology, electronics and professional services. For the full range, DSO refers applicants to the ISIC and Dubai activity lists; see our Dubai activity list guide.

Legal forms and share capital

Since the DIEZA Implementing Regulations of January 2023, which replaced the old DSO regulations:

• FZCO: minimum share capital AED 1, at least 25% paid up. Existing FZEs are treated as FZCOs.
• PLC: minimum share capital AED 250,000.
• Branch of a foreign company: no separate legal personality and no share capital.

An older DSO page that is no longer in the site menu still mentions a minimum start-up capital of AED 100,000. That rule belongs to the regulations repealed in 2023 and does not apply.

A lease is required

DSO’s registration requirements state that the licence is issued with a valid lease. Besides Dtec, DSO offers plug and play offices from 160 square feet, warehouses of about 3,228 to 5,380 square feet and light industrial units of 3,868 square feet, but publishes no rents for them.

How to set up in Dubai Silicon Oasis

1. Consultation: choose the service, trade or industrial licence and your activities.
2. Submit the documents for your company type: an FZCO owned by individuals, an FZCO with a corporate shareholder, a branch, a Business Operation Permit or a transfer. Corporate documents must be notarised and attested by the UAE embassy in the country of origin.
3. After approval and licence issue, apply for residency through DSO’s government services department and open the business bank account.

DSO runs its services through a member portal with more than 340 digital services. It does not publish a current processing time.

Visas

At Dtec the quota is two visas per flexi desk, three per fixed desk, two per desk in a furnished private office and by the space taken in an unfurnished office. Work permits, residence visas and visit visas are handled by DSO’s in-house government services department. DSO does not publish the establishment card or visa fees.

Working on the Dubai mainland

A DSO company can work on the mainland under Dubai Executive Council Resolution No. 11 of 2025: AED 5,000 for a temporary permit valid up to six months, or AED 10,000 a year for a branch operating outside the free zone. Revenue from mainland activities is subject to 9% corporate tax and kept in separate records.

Corporate tax and the unified licence

DSO describes itself as a qualified free zone under the UAE Corporate Tax Law, so a company that meets the conditions pays 0% on qualifying income; see qualifying free zone person. Every DSO company also holds a Dubai Unified Licence, which DSO calls the sole authoritative reference for verification; see what the Dubai Unified Licence is and how to verify a UAE business licence.

Dubai Silicon Oasis against other Dubai zones

IFZA, one of the most popular desk-based zones, also sits in Dubai Silicon Oasis, at Dubai Digital Park, but it is a separate free zone with its own prices; see IFZA licence cost. For other Dubai options compare Dubai Airport Freezone, Dubai South and the free zone comparison table.

What DSO does not publish

• A fee schedule for DSO licences outside Dtec: registration, licence and renewal fees, and late renewal penalties.
• The establishment card and visa fees.
• Rents for offices, warehouses and light industrial units.
• Dtec prices from the second year, and what the year 1 prices include.
• A current processing time and a full activity list.

Ask DSO or Dtec for a written quote that lists each of these before you sign.

Other Dubai free zones we cover: JAFZA, DMCC, DIFC, Meydan Free Zone, DWTC, Dubai Development Authority zones, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Design District and Dubai Healthcare City.