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Dubai Design District (d3) is the design, fashion and luxury district of the Dubai Development Authority (DDA) free zone. A company licence costs AED 15,000 a year for most d3 segments, or AED 20,000 for fashion, luxury and interiors with manufacturing, plus AED 3,500 to register. Capital is AED 10,000, rising to AED 100,000 if you manufacture. Solo designers can take a GoFreelance permit for AED 7,520 a year.
How much does a d3 license cost?
d3 itself publishes no company package. Its FAQ says prices are in line with the market. The DDA fee table gives the official lines:
| Fee | Design, fashion, retail and services | Fashion, luxury or interiors with manufacturing |
|---|---|---|
| Registration, one time | AED 3,500 | AED 3,500 |
| Licence, each year | AED 15,000 | AED 20,000 |
| Minimum FZ-LLC capital | AED 10,000 | AED 100,000 |
| Added standard segment | AED 10,000 a year | AED 10,000 a year |
Source: DDA licence categories decision (fee and capital articles) and the DDA company registration page, checked . Studio and office rent comes on top.
What setup agencies quote for d3
Setup agencies publish Dubai Design District packages at AED 20,000 to AED 60,000 (published prices of 3 agencies, checked ). At the lower end you get a creative company licence with a flexi desk and a visa allocation. One agency starts its d3 licence at AED 40,000. The top of the range is a fuller setup with registration and the establishment card, with office rent priced per sq ft on top. These are agency figures, not ours, and they differ in what they include.
If you want to know how the DDA builds a licence from segments and activities, Dubai Internet City covers it step by step.
d3 segments: what Dubai Design District companies do
At AED 15,000 a year:
- Fashion, Luxury, and Interior Furniture and Objects, when you do not manufacture
- Design
- Art
- Beauty Care
- E-Commerce
- Marketing and Marketing Services
- Event Management
- Ancillary Services
At AED 20,000 a year, with AED 100,000 capital: Fashion, Luxury and Interior segments that include manufacturing. A furniture brand that only designs and sells pays the lower fee. The same brand making pieces in a d3 workshop pays the higher one. Be precise in your application, because the segment fixes both numbers.
The e-commerce segment is useful for online fashion and homeware labels. Our e-commerce licence in Dubai page compares it with other zones.
GoFreelance in d3
d3 is one of four districts covered by TECOM's GoFreelance permit, with Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and Dubai Knowledge Park. The package costs AED 7,520 a year and includes the permit and a hot desk with Wi-Fi and meeting rooms. It does not include a visa.
| GoFreelance item | Official fee |
|---|---|
| Permit with hot desk | AED 7,520 a year |
| Establishment card, needed before a visa | AED 2,000 |
| Employment visa | AED 4,600 for 1 year, AED 5,042 for 2 years |
Source: TECOM GoFreelance page, read . TECOM says visa fees may change.
Two limits: a freelancer cannot sponsor employees, and cannot trade under a brand name. If you want a label, you need a company. The DDA says the permit is issued in about 2 working days. Agencies selling the permit with a visa publish totals of AED 11,000 to AED 16,000 (published prices of 2 agencies, checked ). Read freelance license UAE for other options.
What office options does d3 offer?
The d3 FAQ lists:
- co-working with shared desks
- micro studios
- offices from 700 sq ft
in5 Design, the TECOM innovation centre for design startups, also sits in d3. Startups admitted by its committee pay an annual licence of AED 1,000 for their first 3 years under the DDA decision.
d3 does not publish a visa quota per desk or per sq ft on the pages we read. Ask for it in writing before you sign a lease.
What does a d3 visa cost?
The GoFreelance table above is the only visa price TECOM puts in public, and it covers freelancers. A d3 company, even a two-person studio, pays its visa and establishment card fees through axs, and axs shows the fee schedule only after a client logs in. We checked the DDA service cards, axs.ae with its archived pages, and the d3 site. No company figure on any of them. Setup agents fill the gap:
| d3 company cost | Agent figure | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Establishment card | AED 1,000 to AED 2,500 | 5 setup agencies, two of them quoting d3 directly |
| Employee visa | About AED 2,500 to AED 7,500 each | 6 setup agencies quoting TECOM districts |
| Visa security deposit | AED 2,500 each, refundable | 2 setup agencies |
Source: setup agency pages for d3 and the other TECOM districts, checked .
Treat the visa band with care. The agents behind it do not count the same parts: some fold in the medical test and Emirates ID, some show the permit alone, and one d3 cost article runs higher still once admin fees go in. The card figure from a d3 specialist agency sits near the top of its range. We found no investor visa figure we would rely on. When a partner quotes your d3 setup, ask for the visa lines per person.
Dubai Design District free zone or mainland licence
The d3 FAQ says companies in the district can hold either a DDA free zone licence or a mainland licence. A free zone company trades freely abroad and inside the zone, but selling into the UAE market needs a distributor, a mainland licence or a permit. A boutique or showroom that sells to local shoppers should ask d3 which licence fits. Our free zone vs mainland guide sets out the differences.
How do you set up a company in d3?
- Choose your segment, with or without manufacturing.
- Pick a desk, micro studio or office.
- Apply through the DDA axs portal or with a Partner Relationship Manager.
- Pay the AED 3,500 registration and your licence fee, and deposit the capital.
- Receive the Certificate of Incorporation, Commercial Licence, Register of Directors and Articles of Association.
The d3 FAQ says 4 working days for initial approval and 3 more for the licence, 7 in all, after documents and payment. The DDA service page says 10 plus 2 working days. Both are official figures. Keep the longer one in your plan.
What documents does d3 ask for?
- Application form
- Passport copies for shareholders, directors and the general manager, with UAE visa page if resident
- Incorporation resolution
- Manager appointment declaration where the manager is a UAE visa holder
- Notarised power of attorney if a representative applies
- Branches add the parent's resolution, incorporation certificate, good standing and constitutional documents
What does d3 license renewal cost?
Licences and permits run for one year. You renew on axs at the same segment fee. Late renewal adds AED 2,500 after 30 days, AED 5,000 after 60 and AED 10,000 after 90.
When d3 started
TECOM Group lists d3 from . The d3 FAQ says the free zone was set up by decree in , which refers to the wider DDA free zone, not the district itself.
Pros and cons of Dubai Design District
Pros:
- Segments written for fashion, luxury, interiors and art
- GoFreelance covers d3, with a published fee table
- Micro studios as well as desks and offices
- Option of a mainland licence in the same district
- in5 Design for startups
Cons:
- Manufacturing raises the licence to AED 20,000 and capital to AED 100,000
- No published visa quota for d3 offices
- Rents on request, and company visa fees visible only inside axs
- Freelancers cannot hire or use a brand name
For media and advertising work, see Dubai Media City and the best free zone for media. The Dubai free zones hub has every other option.
Ask d3 through us
Share your segment, your space and how many people you need on visas through the form on this page. UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com is a separate, independent directory. It is not d3, TECOM or the DDA. We send your request on to the district or a licensed setup partner, and they answer with figures.
Setup consultants that work with d3
Several setup consultants name d3 on their own websites. The highest ranked of them by weighted Google score are Creative Zone, Elevate Business Solutions DMCC and My Business Consulting DMCC. Creative Zone is based in Downtown Dubai. Check any quote against d3's own price on this page, and browse every firm in the directory of Dubai setup consultants.
Sources
- https://dda.gov.ae/-/media/67662280247F46F2B94A853943F014C4.pdf : d3 segments and fees, capital rules, freelancer fee, in5 terms, late renewal penalties
- https://dda.gov.ae/registration-licensing/setting-up-a-business/free-zone-limited-liability-company/registration-fz-llc-with-natural-person : registration fee, documents, deliverables, 10 plus 2 working days
- https://dda.gov.ae/en/registration-licensing/setting-up-a-business/freelancer/freelancer-license-registration-sole-professional-license : freelancer permit and 2 working days
- https://dubaidesigndistrict.com/connect/faqs : licence term, 7 working days, offices, mainland option, decree date
- https://dic.ae/offerings/gofreelance : GoFreelance package, visa and establishment card fees
- https://dubaiindustrialcity.ae/en/offerings/gofreelance : districts covered by GoFreelance, freelancer limits
- https://www.tecomgroup.ae/ : d3 start year
- Agency prices: published d3 and GoFreelance pages of setup agencies, checked
- https://axs.ae/ and the DDA service cards at https://dda.gov.ae/ : no public company visa or card fee
- d3 and TECOM-wide visa, deposit and card figures from agents: Creative Zone, FZVS, Dubai Business Zone, Emirabiz, Pro Deskk, Noble Core Ventures, UAE Consultants, Business Setup Consultants, UAE Free Zone Finder, Dubai Business Zone visa guide
