Before you apply
Migration into the DIFC
Continuing an existing company or foundation into the Centre
In short
The DIFC allows companies and foundations from other jurisdictions to continue into the Centre, keeping their legal identity, their contracts and their assets. That avoids transferring every asset and renegotiating every agreement, which is what re-incorporation would require.
What you get
- Eligibility review against DIFC requirements and the original jurisdiction's rules
- Consents and good standing evidence from the departing registry
- Continuation application to the DIFC Registrar
- DIFC-compliant constitutional documents
- Post-continuation registrations for tax, data protection and banking
Timeline: 6 to 12 weeks, driven by the original jurisdiction
Why continuation beats starting again
A company that re-incorporates has to transfer every asset, novate every contract and reopen every bank account. If it holds shares in operating subsidiaries or registered property, that means consents, filings and potentially tax in several countries.
Continuation keeps the same legal person. The contracts, the shareholdings and the history all travel. The counterparty sees a change of jurisdiction rather than a change of party.
The departing jurisdiction sets the pace
The DIFC side is predictable. The variable is the original registry: whether it permits outward continuation at all, what consents it requires, whether tax clearance is needed and how long its own process takes. Some Caribbean registries move in days, others in months.
Check that first. There is no point preparing a DIFC application for an entity that cannot legally leave where it is.
Questions
Can any company redomicile to the DIFC?
Only where the original jurisdiction permits outward continuation and the entity meets DIFC requirements. A good number of offshore and common law jurisdictions allow it. Many civil law jurisdictions do not.
Does the company keep its incorporation date?
It keeps its legal identity and its history. The DIFC registration records the continuation, so the corporate record shows a continuous entity rather than a new one.
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.