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A consultancy license in Dubai is normally a free zone service or professional licence that names your advisory activities, such as management, IT or HR consultancy. Meydan Free Zone publishes the clearest Dubai entry price: AED 12,500 a year for the licence and registration, up to 3 activity groups and no visa. Sharjah zones are lower: SPC's Standard licence from AED 6,875 and the Shams Standard Package at AED 6,885, both with no visa.
Who licenses consultants
A consultancy sells advice, not goods, so you need a service or professional licence rather than a trading one. Each zone groups activities differently:
- Meydan Free Zone: over 2,500 activities. The AED 12,500 licence takes up to 3 activity groups. Extra activities cost AED 1,000 each.
- IFZA: Commercial and Professional licences, which can sit on one licence. IFZA does not publish prices; it sells through partners, and six of them list the zero visa licence at AED 12,900.
- DMCC: Service is one of its four licence categories.
- Dubai Knowledge Park: HR consultancy, training, research, assessment and executive search segments.
- Dubai Internet City: IT Services is one of its segments.
- SPC Free Zone: the Standard licence covers trading, consulting and commercial activities.
- Shams: the Standard Package takes any 5 activities.
- RAKEZ: Professional and Individual/Professional licence types.
- UAQ Free Trade Zone: a Service (Consultancy) licence with two activities.
- Ajman Media City: Consultancy is one of its licence categories.
Consultancy license cost in Dubai and nearby
| Zone | Entry price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Meydan Free Zone | AED 12,500 a year | Licence, registration, up to 3 activity groups, no visa |
| DMCC Basic Biz | AED 35,484 | Licence, flexi desk options, 1 eligible visa (visa cost extra), individual shareholders only |
| Dubai Knowledge Park | AED 15,000 a year licence fee | Plus AED 3,500 registration and a lease |
| Dubai Internet City | AED 15,000 a year licence fee | Plus AED 3,500 registration and a lease |
| SPC Free Zone Standard | from AED 6,875 | Licence, up to 5 activities, no visa |
| Shams Standard Package | AED 6,885 a year | Any 5 activities, LLC, flexi desk, no visa |
| RAKEZ Instant Licence Basic | AED 6,000 | One shareholder, one activity, coworking, no visa |
Source: Meydan, DMCC, SPC, Shams and RAKEZ package pages, and the DDA licence categories decision for Dubai Knowledge Park and Dubai Internet City, checked .
The Dubai Knowledge Park and Dubai Internet City lines are licence fees, not packages. The IFZA figure is an agency price, not an IFZA tariff (6 agencies, checked ). Some include a flexi desk and the card; others add the card at AED 1,500 to AED 2,200.
Adding a visa
Most consultants want a residence visa for themselves. Published examples:
- SPC Standard licence with one investor visa: AED 14,290
- RAKEZ Instant Licence Lite: AED 12,000 with up to 5 shareholders, 5 activities and one residence visa
- Meydan: investor visa AED 4,000, plus medical and Emirates ID at AED 2,250 and an establishment card at AED 2,000
- IFZA with one visa: AED 14,900 to AED 15,000 for the licence and a visa slot (3 agencies), or AED 21,450 to AED 22,200 with the visa processed (2 agencies), checked
Health insurance, change of status inside the UAE and family visas come on top. See free zone visa cost for the detail.
HR consultancy license in Dubai, training and IT
Specialist consultancies can face extra rules. At Dubai Knowledge Park, training segments need a KHDA no objection letter before the licence. Executive search firms must keep a deposit or bank guarantee of AED 100,000 with the authority. Dubai Knowledge Park gives one visa per 80 sq ft of leased space, or one per freelancer on a hot desk.
Dubai Internet City suits IT consultancy. Its licence fee is AED 15,000 a year for up to 5 activities in a segment, setup takes 7 working days, and the visa quota is one per 60 sq ft of leased space.
If you work alone and do not need a company, a freelance permit may be cheaper. Read freelance license UAE.
Serving mainland clients
Plan this part before you sign anything. A free zone licence covers work inside your zone and for clients abroad. Regular work for companies in mainland Dubai needs one of the routes below.
Since , Executive Council Resolution No. 11 gives Dubai free zone firms three routes to mainland work: a branch licence in the emirate, a licence for a branch operating out of the free zone, or a temporary permit. The permit, launched as the Free Zone Mainland Operating Permit, costs AED 5,000 for up to six months. Consultancy, technology, design and professional services are in its first phase. The branch-from-free-zone licence costs AED 10,000 a year. You need your free zone's approval and separate financial records for the mainland income.
A full mainland licence comes from Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism. Since early , most mainland companies can be fully foreign owned. We have not checked DET consultancy fees, so ask for a quote. Our free zone vs mainland page sets the two side by side.
Tax for consultants
- Corporate tax. Register within three months of incorporation. Registration is free; late registration costs AED 10,000. A qualifying free zone person pays 0% on qualifying income and 9% on the rest. The Dubai Media Office says 9% applies to revenue under the mainland permit.
- VAT. Services supplied in a designated zone are taxed like services anywhere in the UAE. Registration is mandatory above AED 375,000 of taxable supplies a year.
See corporate tax registration for the filing steps.
Setting up a consultancy business in Dubai
- Write a one-line description of your service and match it to the zone's activity list.
- Choose the zone by client location, visa needs and budget.
- Pick the desk or office that gives the visa quota you need.
- Apply online with passports and proposed names. Meydan advertises setup within 24 hours, Shams a licence in under 60 minutes, DMCC 2 to 3 weeks.
- Get the establishment card, then your visa, medical and Emirates ID.
- Open a bank account and register for corporate tax.
- If you will bill mainland clients, apply for the DET permit or branch licence.
Documents
- Passport copy and a digital photo for every owner
- Current UAE visa and Emirates ID, if you live here
- A short business description and your chosen activities
- For IFZA: an application form with UBO details
- For training or education activities: the KHDA approval
Talk to the zones
Fill in the form on this page with your field, your clients' location and the visas you need. This site is an independent directory and does not issue licences. We hand your request to the zones or a licensed setup partner, and they come back with prices.
Sources
- Meydan licence page: Meydan price and inclusions
- Meydan home page: activities, visa and card fees, setup time
- IFZA set up your business: IFZA licence types
- DMCC business setup packages: Basic Biz package
- DMCC licence guide: DMCC licence categories
- DDA licence categories decision (PDF): DKP and DIC licence fees, executive search deposit
- Dubai Knowledge Park FAQ: visa allocation
- Dubai Internet City FAQ: licence term and setup
- SPC licence blog: SPC Standard licence and visa price
- Shams packages: Shams Standard Package
- RAKEZ instant licence: RAKEZ Basic and Lite
- UAQ FTZ licences and entities: consultancy licence activity limit
- Ajman Media City services: licence categories
- Dubai Executive Council Resolution No. 11 (PDF): mainland routes and fees
- Dubai Media Office on the mainland permit: first-phase activities and tax note
- FTA free zone person bulletin: qualifying free zone person rates
- Avyanco IFZA cost, Safe Ledger IFZA cost, Rizmona IFZA page, BusinessDubai IFZA guide, Emirabiz IFZA cost and Binderr IFZA page: IFZA agency prices
