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Dubai Production City, the former IMPZ, licenses printing, publishing, packaging and signage businesses. Most of its segments cost AED 15,000 a year. Publishing is AED 20,000, and signage and exhibition fabrication or paper packaging manufacture is AED 25,000. Every new company pays AED 3,500 once to register. Capital is higher than in most media districts: AED 50,000 and up. Each visa needs 80 to 100 sq ft of leased space.
DPC sits under the Dubai Development Authority fee decision that also covers Dubai Internet City and Dubai Media City. If you want the background on segments and extra segment fees, read our Dubai Internet City page. This page covers the industrial side that only DPC has.
How much does a DPC license cost?
| DPC segment type | Licence a year | Minimum capital |
|---|---|---|
| Most segments | AED 15,000 | AED 50,000 |
| Printing press, printing machinery | Standard segment fee (confirm with DPC) | AED 100,000 |
| Publishing | AED 20,000 | AED 50,000 |
| Paper packaging and recycling manufacture | AED 25,000 | AED 100,000 |
| Signage and exhibition fabrication | AED 25,000 | AED 500,000 |
| Extra standard segment | AED 10,000 added | |
| Registration, once | AED 3,500 |
Source: Art. 14.1 and Art. 15 of the DDA Licence Categories Decision, plus the DDA registration page, reviewed .
The DDA table has 11 DPC segments in total, and only the three named above go beyond the standard fee. A signage fabricator is the extreme case: AED 25,000 a year in licence fees and AED 500,000 in capital before a single sign is made.
Does DPC require share capital?
The DPC FAQ tells applicants the minimum refundable capital is AED 10,000. The DDA decision, which is the legal rule, sets AED 50,000 to AED 500,000 by segment. We use the decision, but ask DPC to confirm your capital in writing before you budget, as the two figures are far apart.
What do setup agencies charge for DPC?
Two setup agencies now publish Dubai Production City figures, and together they span about AED 18,000 to AED 65,000 (published prices of 2 agencies, checked ). They are not pricing the same thing:
- The low end is a yearly package for one visa on a flexi desk, from an agency page dated .
- The high end is a first-year "all in" estimate with a virtual office and one visa, from a page dated .
Neither looks like a fixed price list, and one of them lists a registration charge that does not match the DDA's own fee. Read them as a rough band, not as our price or DPC's. A printer or packager that needs a warehouse and the higher capital will sit outside both, so ask for a quote built on your unit.
What office options does DPC offer?
DPC leases fitted and non-fitted offices and warehouses. Rates are not published. A warehouse matters here because printing and packaging need floor space for machines and stock, which a desk-only zone cannot give you.
in5 Media is the in5 start-up centre in DPC. If the in5 Evaluation Committee accepts your early-stage media business, the DDA decision gives these terms:
- No application or initial registration fee
- Licence AED 1,000 a year for the first three years
- Visas at AED 1,500 each, with no visa deposit
- Deregistration AED 1,000
- Standard DDA fees after the three years
in5 also runs a tech centre in Dubai Internet City, a design centre in d3 and a science centre in Dubai Science Park.
What does a DPC visa cost?
The DPC FAQ gives a range: one employee per 80 to 100 sq ft. A 2,000 sq ft warehouse would support 20 to 25 visas depending on which end applies.
What each of those visas costs is harder to pin down. DPC companies apply for visas and the establishment card on axs, and the axs fee schedule is only visible behind a client login. The DDA's public service cards cover licensing and leave immigration to axs. We found no company fee on dpc.ae, axs.ae or archived axs pages.
| Visa cost item | Amount | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Employee visa, per person | About AED 2,500 to AED 7,500 | Published by 6 setup agencies (TECOM-wide) |
| Security deposit, per person | AED 2,500, refundable | Published by 2 setup agencies |
| Establishment card for the company | AED 1,000 to AED 2,500 | Published by 5 setup agencies |
| Freelancer visa under GoFreelance | AED 4,600 or AED 5,042 | Official TECOM figure, 1 or 2 years, not for DPC companies |
Source: setup agency visa pages covering the TECOM districts and the TECOM GoFreelance page, checked .
Why the agent figures are so far apart: some include the medical test and Emirates ID, others only the permit, and a few add a service fee. One of the two DPC agencies above prices visas well above this band, which is one more reason to get every line in writing. For an investor visa we found no reliable figure. Our free zone visa cost page lists the government parts.
Which licence types and company forms does DPC offer?
DPC registers FZ-LLCs and branches of UAE or foreign companies. Its FAQ also mentions a freelance permit. The DDA licence table has no freelancer segment for DPC, and the TECOM GoFreelance scheme covers four other districts. A freelance designer or writer would apply through Dubai Media City or Dubai Knowledge Park instead.
How do you set up a company in DPC?
- Pick your segment. If you manufacture, confirm the capital before anything else.
- Find a unit. The visa range and any machine needs decide the size.
- Apply online on axs or through a TECOM Partner Relationship Manager.
- Pay registration and the licence fee, deposit the capital and sign the lease.
- Receive the licence, Certificate of Incorporation, Register of Directors and Articles of Association.
- Apply for the establishment card and staff visas.
Timing: the DPC FAQ promises 4 working days to initial approval and 3 to licence issue. The DDA service page lists 10 working days provisional approval and 2 for registration. The clock starts once documents and fees are in.
Documents for an FZ-LLC owned by individuals:
- Application form
- Passports of members, directors and the general manager
- Resolution for incorporation
- Notarised and attested power of attorney, if used
What does DPC license renewal cost?
Each licence is valid for one year and renews online. Late renewal fines step up from AED 2,500 to AED 5,000 and then AED 10,000 after 90 days.
Pros and cons of Dubai Production City
Pros:
- Segments for printing, packaging, recycling and fabrication that office-only zones lack
- Warehouses as well as offices
- in5 Media cuts the licence to AED 1,000 a year for accepted start-ups
- Public fee lines from the DDA
Cons:
- Capital from AED 50,000, rising to AED 500,000 for signage fabrication
- The zone FAQ and the DDA decision disagree on capital
- Only two agency price bands, and they measure different things
- Company visa fees are only visible inside axs
- No freelancer segment or GoFreelance permit
Film and TV companies usually look at Dubai Studio City instead. For a wider view, read Dubai free zone license cost or the best free zone for media. Every Dubai zone is on the Dubai free zones hub.
Ask DPC through our form
Give us your segment, unit size and visa count in the form on this page. We run UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com as an independent directory. We are not DPC, TECOM or a government office. Your request goes to the zone or a licensed setup partner, and the reply comes from them.
Setup consultants that work with DPC
Several setup consultants name DPC on their own websites. The highest ranked of them by weighted Google score are Elevate Business Solutions DMCC, Al Ameer Corporate Business Services and TFZ Business Set Up - Business Setup in Dubai Mainland & Freezone | Get General Trading License in Dubai, UAE. Elevate Business Solutions DMCC is based in JLT. Check any quote against DPC'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 : DPC fee lines, capital by segment, in5 terms, late 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, timing
- https://dpc.ae/connect/faqs : capital wording, 80 to 100 sq ft visa range, entity types, 7 day setup
- https://www.dic.ae/offerings/in5-centres : in5 Media location
- https://www.tecomgroup.ae/ : district list, DPC opened in
- https://consulting.ae/services/dubai-production-city-business-setup-licenses-process-costs and https://noblecoreventures.com/production-city-dubai/ : the two agency package bands
- https://dic.ae/offerings/gofreelance : official freelancer visa fees
- https://axs.ae/ and the DDA service cards at https://dda.gov.ae/ : checked for company visa fees, none public
- Staff visa, deposit and card ranges from agents: Pro Deskk, FZVS, Noble Core Ventures, Dubai Business Zone, Emirabiz, UAE Consultants, UAE Free Zone Finder, Business Setup Consultants, Creative Zone, Dubai Business Zone visa guide
