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An ecommerce license Dubai sellers ask for is, in most cases, a free zone licence with an online trading activity on it. Inside Dubai, Dubai CommerCity is the zone set up only for digital commerce, but it does not publish a price. If you want a fixed price, SPC Free Zone in Sharjah lists a Publishing / E-commerce package at AED 5,750 a year with no visa, or AED 13,165 with one investor visa.
What does an e-commerce licence in Dubai cover?
A trade licence names the activities your company may carry out. For an online shop you need an e-commerce activity, and the goods or services you sell must sit inside the activity groups you picked. Selling cosmetics and selling software are different activities, even when both happen on a website.
The bigger question is where your buyers are. The u.ae business portal says free zone companies trade freely inside their zone and abroad. To sell into the UAE market they use a licensed mainland distributor or open a mainland branch or company. If most of your orders come from the UAE, plan for that from the start.
Which free zones issue an e-commerce licence?
| Free zone | Emirate | What the zone publishes |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai CommerCity | Dubai | E-commerce licence and a Dual Licence with DET. No prices on the site |
| DWTC Free Zone | Dubai | E-commerce is one of seven licence types. No package price; visa fee AED 2,000 on its own form |
| Dubai Design District (d3) | Dubai | E-Commerce segment, licence fee AED 15,000 a year plus AED 3,500 registration |
| Expo City Dubai | Dubai | Holding or E-Commerce licence fee AED 30,000 a year (fee list dated April ) |
| SPC Free Zone | Sharjah | Publishing / E-commerce package AED 5,750, no visa, up to 5 activities, co-working lease |
| Ajman Media City | Ajman | E-commerce among its licence categories. Business Club package AED 4,999, no visa |
| Ajman Free Zone | Ajman | E-commerce licence and an E-Commerce Hub office type. No prices on the site |
| RAKEZ | Ras Al Khaimah | E-Commerce licence type. Biz Starter AED 6,000 with no visa |
Source: each zone's licence and package pages, d3 figures from the DDA licence categories decision, checked .
The Ajman Media City and RAKEZ prices are general starter packages, not e-commerce packages. Confirm your online activity fits on them before you pay. For an Ajman Free Zone e-commerce license, AFZ sends a quote from its online cost calculator instead of printing a price.
Dubai CommerCity in short
The zone is in Umm Ramool, next to Dubai International Airport. Its base licence covers three activities from one group, and you can stretch one licence to 20 activities from four groups. You can register an FZCO, a PLC or a branch, with 1 to 50 shareholders and a minimum share capital of AED 1,000.
What sets it apart is the space list: smart desks at the bottom, then offices, retail units, dedicated warehouses, third party warehouses and a fulfilment centre. Setup agencies publish CommerCity smart desk packages at about AED 27,545 to AED 28,000 a year (published prices of 2 agencies, checked ). The cheaper one comes with 2 visa allocations, and the visa fees themselves are left out.
DWTC is the other Dubai option with a named e-commerce licence. Agencies show a DWTC licence with a flexi desk and 1 visa at about AED 16,845 to AED 17,800 (published prices of 2 agencies, checked ). DWTC prints its own visa fee: AED 2,000 when the person applies from outside the UAE and AED 3,200 from inside, on a form dated .
How much does an e-commerce licence in Dubai cost?
The package price is rarely the full bill. SPC shows the steps from a licence to a resident owner line by line:
| Item at SPC | Fee |
|---|---|
| Publishing / E-commerce licence | AED 5,750 |
| Visa allocation | AED 1,600 |
| Establishment card | AED 640 |
| E-channel registration | AED 2,280 |
| Investor visa with Emirates ID | AED 2,530 |
| Medical test | AED 365 |
| Total, one investor visa | AED 13,165 |
Source: SPC Free Zone licence page and pay-as-you-go list, checked . Health insurance is extra, from AED 450 a month.
Other costs to budget for:
- Stock and space. A desk is enough for dropshipping or digital goods. Holding inventory means a warehouse or a third party store.
- VAT. Registration is mandatory above AED 375,000 of taxable supplies in 12 months. Some free zones are designated zones, where goods can be treated as outside the UAE for VAT if conditions are met. Services are taxed as normal. See VAT registration.
- Corporate tax. A new company must register within three months of incorporation. Late registration costs AED 10,000. See corporate tax registration.
- Bank account and payment gateway. Banks and gateways read your licence activities, so get these right first.
Our list of free zone hidden costs covers the rest.
Can I get a visa with a Dubai e-commerce licence?
Zones that publish a price with one residence visa included:
- SPC Free Zone: AED 13,165, Publishing / E-commerce licence plus investor visa (table above)
- RAKEZ All Inclusive: AED 14,000 a year, licence, one residence visa, Emirates ID and medical, e-channel and a shared workstation
- Ajman Media City Visionary: AED 12,999 a year, one residency visa, establishment card and e-channel included
Ask each zone whether the e-commerce activity is allowed on the package you pick.
How do I get a mainland (DET) e-commerce licence?
Mainland licences in Dubai come from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), the emirate's economic department. We have not checked DET's e-commerce fees, so we do not quote them. Since early , most mainland companies can be fully foreign owned.
There is also a middle path. Under Executive Council Resolution No. 11 of , a Dubai free zone company can get a Free Zone Mainland Operating Permit at AED 5,000 for up to six months, or a licence for a branch operating out of the free zone at AED 10,000 a year. Trading is in the first phase of activities. Dubai CommerCity also offers its own Dual Licence with DET. Our free zone vs mainland page compares the routes.
How do I get an e-commerce licence in Dubai, step by step?
- Write down exactly what you sell and to whom. This decides the activities.
- Choose the zone and the space: desk, office or warehouse.
- Reserve a trade name and send passports and the application.
- Receive the licence and sign the lease.
- Apply for the establishment card, then the visa, medical and Emirates ID.
- Open the bank account and connect a payment gateway.
- Register for corporate tax, and for VAT when you reach the threshold.
What documents do I need for an e-commerce licence?
- Passport copy for each shareholder and manager
- Passport photo
- UAE visa or Emirates ID if you already live here
- Proposed trade names and the activity list
- For a corporate shareholder: certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles, and a board resolution
For a side by side view of which zones fit online sellers, read best free zone for e-commerce.
Ask for quotes
Use the form on this page to tell us what you sell, where your customers are and how many visas you need. UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com is an independent directory, not a free zone and not DET. We pass your request to the zones or a licensed setup partner, and they quote you directly.
Sources
- CommerCity licence types
- Activities, company types, shareholders, share capital
- DWTC licence types
- D3 E-Commerce segment fee
- Expo City licence fees
- SPC package and visa breakdown
- SPC visa, card and e-channel fees
- Ajman Media City licence categories and packages
- Ajman Free Zone licence types
- RAKEZ licence types
- RAKEZ All Inclusive package
- Selling into the UAE market
- Dubai Executive Council Resolution No. 11 (PDF on dlp.dubai.gov.ae): mainland permit and branch licence fees
- VAT thresholds
- BusinessDubai CommerCity guide and Virtuzone CommerCity page: CommerCity agency prices
- Emirabiz DWTC page and Virtuzone DWTC page: DWTC agency prices
- DWTC visa application form: visa fee
