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The Dubai Silicon Oasis free zone license cost is not published by DSO. Three setup agents put the licence at AED 12,000 to AED 15,000 a year, and you add a desk or office lease and visas on top. The only figure DSO prints is a AED 100,000 minimum start-up capital. DSO is a 7 sq km technology park run by DIEZ, with over 40,000 registered company members. It suits tech companies, startups and light industry that want a campus with offices, labs and homes in one place.
What DSO publishes and what it does not
We read the DSO website, the open business page and the DSO Investor Guide. Here is what each cost item looks like.
| Cost item | Published by DSO? | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Licence fee | No | Agency quotes now; an old government release gave AED 12,000 |
| Registration fee | No | Not on the site; the same old release gave a AED 6,900 package |
| Workspace rent | No | Flexi desks, fixed desks, offices, warehouses and land are offered, prices on request |
| Visa quota | No | Not stated per workspace |
| Visa fees | No | Government parts are set by ICP, see the visa section |
| Establishment card | No | Not stated |
| Minimum capital | Yes | AED 100,000 start-up capital, on the business setup process page |
Source: dso.ae home page, open business page, business setup process page and the DSO Investor Guide PDF, checked .
So the real cost depends on three choices: your licence type, your workspace and how many visas you need. A quote for one of these without the other two is not a full price.
What do setup agencies charge for DSO?
| Cost line | Figure | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Licence, a year | AED 12,000 to AED 15,000 | Published by 3 setup agents, office and visas extra |
| Employment visa, per person | AED 3,000 to AED 5,100 | Published by 2 setup agents |
| Licence fee, | AED 12,000 | Official, Dubai Media Office release, old |
| Registration package, | AED 6,900 | Official, same release, old |
| Minimum start-up capital | AED 100,000 | Official, dso.ae |
Source: Flyingcolour (), SafeLedger () and Filings.ae for the agent lines; Dubai Media Office and dso.ae for the official lines. Checked .
The licence range is fairly tight. All three agents start at about AED 12,000, and the top of the range comes from one agent's AED 15,000 upper figure. That AED 12,000 also matches the licence fee in the old government release, when DSO waived both the licence and the registration package for new clients for a year. That offer ended long ago, and DSO has not published a fee since, so treat the release as history, not a price.
None of these lines includes a workspace. DSO leases desks and offices but does not print their rents, so a full first-year price needs a quote. These are agent figures, not ours and not DSO's.
Watch for IFZA prices labelled as DSO
IFZA has its offices in Dubai Silicon Oasis, and many agents publish IFZA packages under a DSO heading. A price of AED 12,900 with a DSO label is usually an IFZA licence, which is a different free zone with its own rules. Read our IFZA page if that is what you were quoted.
If you compare DSO with other Dubai zones, read Dubai free zone license cost first. Many low headline prices leave out the same items.
Dtec, the startup campus
Dtec, the Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus, sits inside DSO. It sells licences bundled with a co-working seat, which suits a founder who wants to start small. A Dtec package is still a DSO licence. You can move into a fixed desk or office in the wider park later. DSO also runs a startup investment programme described in its investor guide.
What does a DSO visa cost?
DSO does not publish how many visas each workspace allows or what it charges per visa. Plan for these parts in any quote:
- The zone's visa charge. Two agents publish AED 3,000 to AED 5,100 per person, depending on whether you apply from inside or outside the UAE and the service speed.
- The establishment card, which lets the company sponsor visas. DSO does not list its own fee. The federal ICP renewal fee is AED 100 per year, plus other ICP charges.
- The residence permit. ICP charges AED 100 per year, plus AED 100 application and AED 100 smart service.
- The Emirates ID: AED 100 per year of residence.
- A change of status if you are already in the UAE: AED 500.
Check whether a quote folds the medical test and Emirates ID into the visa line or lists them apart. Our free zone visa cost page shows how these parts add up.
What office options does DSO offer?
DSO leases more types of space than most Dubai zones:
- Co-working and flexi desks, the entry point for a new licence
- Fixed desks
- Offices, including boutique office buildings
- Warehouses and light industrial units
- Retail units
- Land for your own building
If you need a lab, a workshop or a small production line, this range matters. An office only zone cannot host light industry.
Which licence types and company forms does DSO offer?
DSO issues three licence types:
- Service, for consulting, software, IT and other services
- Trade, for buying and selling goods
- Industrial, for manufacturing and assembly
New businesses register a Free Zone Company (FZCO). An existing company opens a Branch. DSO groups its tenants into 11 Future Industry Clusters, which shows where its focus sits: technology, research and industry. DIEZ dates the zone to , while other sources give a later year. One agency says a licence can carry up to seven related sub activities. DSO does not publish an activity count, so confirm your exact activities before you apply.
How do you set up a company in DSO?
DSO describes a three step process on its open business page:
- Consultation. You speak to a DSO advisor about your activity, licence type and workspace.
- Documentation and approval. You submit your documents and DSO reviews them. A same day approval option is offered.
- Community integration. You receive the licence, take up your workspace and the advisor introduces banking partners.
DSO does not publish a total setup time. One agency says the e-licence is issued two to three business days after complete documents.
What documents does DSO ask for?
DSO does not list documents on the pages we read. Expect at least:
- Passport copies of all shareholders and the manager
- Passport size photos
- A short business plan or activity description
- For a Branch: the parent company's licence and a board resolution
How do DSO companies open a bank account?
DSO says your advisor introduces banking partners once the licence is issued. It does not name the banks. Our corporate bank account page compares the published minimum balances of UAE banks.
How does DSO license renewal work?
DSO does not publish a renewal fee. Its renewal page explains the process but gives no amount. Ask what renewal includes: licence, workspace and establishment card.
Pros and cons of Dubai Silicon Oasis
Pros:
- Run by DIEZ, the same authority as Dubai Airport Freezone
- Industrial licence and light industrial units, which office only zones cannot offer
- Dtec gives founders a co-working start inside a large park
- Same day approval option
- Offices and homes in one community of over 100,000 residents and entrepreneurs
Cons:
- No published fee list, so you need a quote to compare
- No published visa quota per workspace
- Only FZCO and Branch, no FZ-LLC
- Not in DIFC or Business Bay, if your clients expect a central address
For a tech business you may also look at Dubai Internet City, or read our guide to the best free zone for an IT company. The Dubai free zones hub lists every zone in the emirate.
Ask DSO for a quote through us
Use the form on this page to send your activity, the number of visas you need and the workspace you want. UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com is an independent directory, not part of DSO or DIEZ. We forward your details to DSO or to a licensed setup partner, and they reply with a written price.
Setup consultants that work with DSO
Setup consultants that list DSO among their zones include ADS Management Tax Consultancy LLC, Crosslink International Business Setup in Dubai UAE and Elevate Business Solutions DMCC, the three highest ranked by weighted Google score. ADS Management Tax Consultancy LLC is based in Downtown Dubai. Ask each for a quote with government fees and service fees on separate lines, then compare it with the price above. More firms are in the directory of Dubai setup consultants.
Sources
- https://www.dso.ae/ : authority, size, community figures, office types
- https://www.dso.ae/open-business : licence types, FZCO and Branch, three setup steps, same day approval, banking partners
- https://www.dso.ae/business-setup-process : AED 100,000 minimum start-up capital
- Dubai Media Office, DSO incentives release: old licence fee and registration package, from
- https://www.dso.ae/documents/d/dubai-silicon-oasis/dubai-silicon-oasis-investor-guide-2026_v01 : office types, startup investment programme, absence of fees
- https://www.diez.ae/freezones : DIEZ zones and park size
- https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details/?serviceid=64afe3c1035448005bd52e64 : residence permit fees
- https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details/?serviceid=64afe3c1035448005bd52e6e : establishment card renewal fee
- https://www.flyingcolour.net/blog/dubai-silicon-oasis-complete-company-setup-guide/ , https://safeledger.ae/blog/dubai-silicon-oasis-free-zone-business-setup-guide and https://filings.ae/dso/dubai-silicon-oasis-free-zone-license-cost : agent licence and visa figures, checked
