About
DIFC licensing, done in the right order
In short
We set up and maintain entities in the Dubai International Financial Centre. Licence selection, DFSA authorisation, incorporation, banking, visas and the compliance calendar that runs for as long as the entity exists. The work starts with the regulatory position, because everything else follows from it.
How we work
Four things we hold to
This market has a lot of firms that will sell you a licence. Fewer that will tell you which one you need, or that you do not need one at all.
The regulatory question comes first
Whether your activity is a Financial Service decides the cost, the timeline and the structure. We settle it in the first conversation rather than discovering it in month three.
We will tell you when the answer is no
A commodities trader does not need a common law jurisdiction. A software company selling to SMEs does not need the DFSA nearby. When another free zone or the mainland is the better fit, we say so.
Compliance is part of the quote
Six recurring obligations start the day the licence is issued, across four different bodies. They belong in the budget and the calendar from the outset, not as a surprise at the first renewal.
Figures are labelled for what they are
Official fees change. Everything on this site carries a review date and is presented as indicative. We would rather you confirm a number than rely on one that moved.
What we cover
Ten licence routes, from a standard non-regulated commercial licence through to Category 3C fund management and Representative Offices. Six corporate forms. The full DFSA authorisation process including the Regulatory Business Plan and the Authorised Individual applications. And the regulation library, which covers the thirteen bodies of law a DIFC entity actually lives under.
After incorporation we run annual compliance for clients who want it: licence renewal, audited accounts, the data protection notification, beneficial ownership updates, corporate tax registration and filing, and DEWS administration.
Who we work with
Asset and wealth managers applying to the DFSA. Families consolidating regional holdings into Foundations and Prescribed Companies. Consultancies and professional firms opening a Gulf base. International groups registering a branch. Technology companies coming in through the Innovation Hub.
Where to start
If you know what you need, go straight to the licence routes. If you do not, the licence finder takes about two minutes and gives you a route, a cost and a timeline. If you want to know what it costs before anything else, the fee tables are published in full.
Not sure which DIFC licence you need?
Answer eight questions and we will tell you the licence route, the likely cost and the realistic timeline. It takes about two minutes and there is no obligation.