Last updated
A flexi desk in Dubai is a shared workstation leased from a free zone. It gives your company the registered premises it needs for a licence and sets how many residence visas you can sponsor. Prices vary a lot. DMCC lists its flexi desk at AED 15,000 to AED 20,000 a year with up to 3 visas, while TECOM's Open Quarters desks start at AED 1,200 a month with 1 work permit. In some zones the desk is part of the licence package and has no separate price.
We are an independent directory, not a free zone or a desk provider. Ask through the form and your request goes to the zone or a licensed setup partner.
Flexi desk prices and visa quotas by free zone
| Free zone | Desk option | Published price | Visas |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMCC | Flexi desk | AED 15,000 to AED 20,000 a year | Up to 3 |
| DMCC | Jump Start package with standard flexi desk | AED 43,780 a year, licence included | 1 included, eligible for 3 |
| Dubai Media City and Dubai Science Park (TECOM D/Quarters) | Open Quarters shared desk | From AED 1,200 a month, licence extra | 1 work permit |
| Dubai Media City and Dubai Science Park (TECOM D/Quarters) | Desk Quarters dedicated desk | From AED 2,500 a month, licence extra | 2 work permits |
| Expo City Dubai | Business Hub Package 1, shared desk | AED 12,500 a year, licence included | None |
| Expo City Dubai | Business Hub Package 2, shared desk | AED 17,550 a year, licence included | 1 to 4 allocation, visa fees extra |
| Dubai South Business Hub | Essential tier with a flexi desk | AED 16,500 a year, licence included | 1, processing billed on top |
| Meydan Free Zone | Flexi desk eligibility with the licence | AED 12,500 a year licence | Visas extra |
| TECOM GoFreelance | Hot desk with freelance permit | AED 7,520 a year | None included |
| DIFC Innovation Hub | Coworking desk, tech firms only | USD 250 a month, billed yearly | Up to 4 on the first desk |
Sources: DMCC setup cost blog and packages page, dquarters.ae, Expo City Dubai fee list, Dubai South Business Hub tier list, Meydan Free Zone licence page, TECOM GoFreelance page and DIFC Innovation licence page, checked .
Two cautions on the table. The Expo City figures come from a fee list dated that says prices may change. And TECOM desk prices exclude the licence. For Dubai Media City, the licence adds AED 3,500 registration and AED 15,000 a year per media segment.
What agencies charge for desk packages
Several Dubai free zones offer flexi desks but publish no desk price. Setup agencies fill the gap:
- DWTC: about AED 16,845 to AED 17,800 for a licence, a flexi desk and 1 visa (published prices of 2 setup agencies, checked ). DWTC's own visa form puts the visa fee at AED 2,000 from outside the UAE.
- Dubai CommerCity: about AED 27,545 to AED 28,000 with a smart desk and visa allocations, visa fees extra (2 agencies, same check).
- Jafza: about AED 40,000 to AED 60,000 for a first year with a flexi desk or workstation and one visa (2 agencies).
These are agency estimates, not zone price lists. Ask for an itemised quote that splits the licence, the desk, deposits and visa costs.
Flexi desk, office or virtual Ejari
A flexi desk is the cheapest way to hold premises in most Dubai free zones. You can work from it, receive the lease the zone requires and sponsor a small number of visas. When you need more visas, you need a bigger space. At DMCC, a serviced office allows 4 or 5 visas and a physical office allows 1 visa per 9 sq m.
A virtual Ejari is a different product. Ejari is Dubai's tenancy registration, and virtual Ejari packages give a registered address, mainly to mainland companies. Providers sell virtual Ejari at about AED 1,950 to AED 8,000 a year (2 providers, checked ). The top of that range is a Downtown address with Dubai Land Department fees extra. A free zone company normally takes its lease from the zone instead. Some zones ask for Ejari later: Dubai Healthcare City's Zawel licence has no office or Ejari in year one but needs one at renewal.
How to choose a desk
- Count the visas you need in the next two years, not just now.
- Shortlist zones whose desk quota covers that number.
- Check whether the desk is inside the licence price or charged on top.
- Ask about deposits and what happens to the desk at renewal.
- Compare the full first year cost, using the free zone visa cost page for visa fees.
Get desk quotes
Use the form on this page with your activity, visa count and preferred area. We pass it to the free zones or a licensed setup partner, who reply with prices. For zone details, see DMCC, Expo City Dubai and Dubai Media City, or compare the cheapest free zones in Dubai. The full list is on Dubai free zones.
Sources
- https://dmcc.ae/blog/dubai-freezone-company-setup-cost (DMCC flexi desk price)
- https://dmcc.ae/business/business-setup-packages (Jump Start package)
- https://dmcc.ae/blog/the-4-types-of-dubai-free-zone-visas-at-dmcc (visa quota by office type)
- https://dquarters.ae (TECOM D/Quarters desks)
- Expo City Dubai fees and service charges list (Business Hub packages)
- https://dubaisouthbh.com/ (Dubai South Business Hub Essential tier with flexi desk)
- https://www.meydanfz.ae/dubai-trade-license-aed-12500 (Meydan licence and flexi desk eligibility)
- https://dic.ae/offerings/gofreelance (GoFreelance hot desk)
- https://landing.difc.ae/innovation-license-offer (DIFC Innovation Hub desk)
- https://www.dhcc.ae/E-Services/DepartmentService/view/zawel-commercial-license (Zawel licence without office)
- https://virtualejarisdubai.com/services/virtual-ejari-dubai and https://www.ohmydesk.com/services/virtual-office-ejari (virtual Ejari prices)
