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DubaiEducation✓ Checked 2026-10-24

Dubai International Academic City (DIAC)

مدينة دبي الاكاديمية العالمية

DIAC publishes a licence fee from AED 15,000 but no full package price and states incorporation in 7 days (checked 2026-10-24).

Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) is a education free zone in Dubai, licensed by Dubai Development Authority (DDA), established in 2007.

Official sources onlyOfficial site ↗Online portal ↗

Key facts

Solo, no visa · year 1
Not published
No package prices published. One founder, no residence visa, no office beyond a desk or virtual address, one activity.
Founder + 1 visa · year 1
Not published
No package prices published. One founder with one residence visa, flexi-desk or virtual office.
Team, 3 visas · year 1
Not published
No package prices published. Three residence visas, flexi-desk or small office.
Lowest package, any size
—
Licence fee from
AED 15,000
Largest visa quota
Not published
No package states a quota
Minimum office
Not published
Incorporation
7 days
As stated by the zone
Min. share capital
AED 50,000
General trading
No
VAT Designated Zone
No
FTA list
Annual audit
Yes

Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae, diacedu.ae, tax.gov.ae.

Figures as published by the zone. “Not published” means no official source states it. Scenario prices are the published package closest to each set-up: solo, no visa = one founder, no residence visa, no office beyond a desk or virtual address, one activity; founder + 1 visa = one founder with one residence visa, flexi-desk or virtual office; team, 3 visas = three residence visas, flexi-desk or small office.

Identity and legal basis

Official name (Arabic)
مدينة دبي الاكاديمية العالمية ↗
Licensing / regulating authority
Dubai Development Authority (DDA) ↗
Parent group / government body
TECOM Group ↗
Zone type
Education ↗
Year established
2007 ↗
Official website
diacedu.ae ↗
Online application portal
axs2.my.site.com/axslogin ↗
Listed on the Ministry of Economy and Tourism register of free-zone company registrars
Yes ↗
  • Physical locations / campuses: DIAC campus (Blocks 1-12), Dubai; head office Block 10, Ground Floor. [1]
  • Public contact phone: +971 4 360 2060. [1]
  1. [1] diacedu.ae · opened 2026-10-24

Verified on 2026-10-24 from diacedu.ae, moet.gov.ae.

Business activities

Official approved activity list
dda.gov.ae/-/media/F96847B045314EC080C15F0051E55 ↗
Licence types offered
Education ↗
General trading licence available
No ↗
  • Activity categories offered: Higher Education Provider; Non-Academic Services Provider; Educational Support Services; School; Early Learning Centre (Nursery). [1]
  • Activities included in base licence: 1. [1]
  • Activities needing another authority's approval: Higher Education Provider (Segment 22.1): initial Academic Authorization from KHDA before licence (LCD Art. 5.3); Early Learning Centre - Nursery (Segment 22.5): approval of KHDA and/or Ministry of Social Affairs before licence (LCD Art. 5.4); Educational Support Services (Segment 22.3) and School (Segment 22.4): KHDA NOC before licence (LCD Art. 5.5); DIAC (Segment 22) licensees: advertising and publicity must comply with KHDA requirements (LCD Art. 5.6); General Segment activities listed in LCD Art. 8.2 (e.g. clinics, restaurants, real estate) need NOCs from DHA/DHCA, Dubai Municipality, RERA, etc. [1]
  • Typical external approval time: 60 days. [2]
  • Restricted activities: Branch University (22.1.2): only bona fide branches of an approved foreign university, college or school that exercises full control of the branch (LCD Art. 5.1); School (22.4): operation of an existing accredited school from an approved country or one following the IB system (LCD Part Seven); Secondary (22.4.4): school must be accredited/authorised by a recognised international accreditation organisation for Grade 9 and above. [1]
  1. [1] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
  2. [2] web.khda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24

Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae, web.khda.gov.ae.

Cost - year one

Lowest licence fee (zero-visa)
AED 15,000 ↗
  • MoA / notary / attestation fees: AED 200. [1]
  1. [1] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24

Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae.

Cost - ongoing

  • Renewal costs more than the first-year price: no. [1]
  • Late renewal penalty: Licence renewed >30 to 60 days after expiry: AED 2,500; >60 to 90 days: AED 5,000; >90 days: AED 10,000 (on top of the next year's licence fee). DDA may also refuse to renew and refuse government/sponsorship services. [1]
  • Renewal grace period: 30 days. [1]
  • Fee for shareholder change: AED 3,000. [2]
  • Fee for name change: AED 2,000. [2]
  • Deregistration / liquidation fee: AED 1,500. [2]
  1. [1] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
  2. [2] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24

Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae.

Visas and residency

  • Visa quota rule: One employee (visa) per 80 sq ft of leased space. [1]
  • Employee visa available: yes. [1]
  • Dependant / family visa sponsorship allowed: yes. [1]
  1. [1] diacedu.ae · opened 2026-10-24

Verified on 2026-10-24 from diacedu.ae.

Office and facilities

Office / facility types
Private office, Retail unit, Land plot ↗
  • Land plots for build-to-suit: yes. [1]
  • Minimum sqm per visa: 7.43 sqm. [2]
  • Meeting rooms, co-working, amenities: Venues for meetings and conferences; Business centers; Dedicated business account managers; Auditorium, amphitheatres and conference facilities (TECOM venues); Banks/ATMs, restaurants, supermarkets, Wi-Fi, 24-hour security, prayer areas. [3]
  1. [1] diacedu.ae · opened 2026-10-24
  2. [2] diacedu.ae · opened 2026-10-24
  3. [3] diacedu.ae · opened 2026-10-24

Verified on 2026-10-24 from diacedu.ae.

Market access and customs

Physical operations on the mainland allowed without an extra licence
No ↗
  • Customs duty in the zone: Licensees choose one of: (i) a free zone customs code from Dubai Customs allowing import and re-export from the zone, with goods stored within the zone bounded area; (ii) a local customs code, paying customs duty on arrival of goods; or (iii) no customs code, in which case no imports are allowed. [1]
  1. [1] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24

Verified on 2026-10-24 from diacedu.ae, dda.gov.ae.

Tax status

VAT Designated Zone (per the FTA list)
No ↗

Verified on 2026-10-24 from tax.gov.ae.

Compliance and reporting

Annual audited financial statements required by the zone
Yes ↗
  • Audit submission deadline: No fixed filing deadline stated; audited accounts must be prepared, retained and supplied to DDA on demand (LCD 2021 Art. 2.8). [1]
  • Annual return and renewal documents: Commercial licence renewal via axs portal; NOC from external authorities per licensed activity (if applicable, e.g. KHDA); Certificate of continuity/good standing or current trade licence for branch of onshore UAE company (if applicable). [2]
  1. [1] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
  2. [2] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24

Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae.

Setup process and speed

Typical incorporation time stated by the zone
7 days ↗
Direct application without an agent
Yes ↗
  • Documents for an individual shareholder: Application Form; Valid passport copies of natural member(s), director(s) and General Manager (with residence visa page if any); Resolution for the Incorporation of an FZ-LLC; Declaration of Appointment as General Manager (if GM holds a valid visa); Power of Attorney for legal representative/negotiator (notarised and attested up to UAE Embassy), if any; NOC from external authorities per LCD (e.g. KHDA) where applicable. [1]
  • Attestation requirements for corporate shareholders: Incorporation resolution notarised by a Notary Public and attested by the UAE Embassy; plus incorporation certificate, certificate of continuity/existence/good standing and Memorandum & Articles for each corporate member; POA notarised and UAE-embassy attested. [2]
  1. [1] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
  2. [2] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24

Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae, diacedu.ae.

Operations, ecosystem and flexibility

  • Adding shareholders: Share transfer: AED 3,000 per transaction; Articles amendment AED 500; change of director/secretary AED 200 per person (max AED 1,000); plus AED 20 Knowledge & Innovation Dirhams per transaction. [1]
  • Moving a company in or out (re-domiciliation): yes. [2]
  • Multiple licences under one group: yes. [3]
  1. [1] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
  2. [2] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
  3. [3] diacedu.ae · opened 2026-10-24

Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae, diacedu.ae.

Industry-specific regulation

  • Healthcare and education approvals: KHDA approval is required alongside the DDA licence. Higher Education Providers need initial KHDA Academic Authorization before the licence (LCD Art. 5.3); Schools and Educational Support Services need a KHDA NOC (Art. 5.5); nurseries need KHDA and/or Ministry of Social Affairs approval (Art. 5.4); advertising must follow KHDA rules (Art. 5.6). KHDA higher-education permit: international branch campus application AED 150,000 (1-5 programmes), 175,000 (6-10), 200,000 (11+); MoE-accredited private universities AED 1,000; plus AED 20; 60 working days; Phase 3 needs the commercial licence, building lease and completion certificate. All programmes in Dubai free zones need KHDA approval and registration before advertising or recruiting; branch campuses choose UQAIB quality assurance or CAA accreditation, other free-zone private HEIs need CAA. [1]
  1. [1] web.khda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24

Verified on 2026-10-24 from web.khda.gov.ae.

Activity fit (our view)

Likely possible

  • None

Needs a regulator's approval

Not offered

Our assessment from the zone's published licence types. Always confirm your exact activity on the zone's official activity list. Official activity list ↗ Licence types the zone publishes: Education.

Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae.

Notes and history

  1. Legal basis · 2014-10-27

    Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) is one of the business districts of the free zone run by the Dubai Development Authority (DDA). The zone was created as the Dubai Technology & Media Free Zone under Law No. 1 of 2000 and is now governed by Dubai Law No. 15 of 2014, issued on 27 October 2014, which renamed it the Dubai Creative Clusters and gave its authority the power to license and register businesses there. [source 1][source 2]

  2. History · 2018

    The authority set up under Law No. 15 of 2014 was first called the Dubai Creative Clusters Authority; Law No. 10 of 2018 changed its name to the Dubai Development Authority. Several DDA rules still in force carry the older names, including the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Licensing Regulations 2003 and the Dubai Creative Clusters Private Companies Regulations 2016. [source 1][source 2]

  3. History · 2021-04-07

    DDA Decision No. 1 of 2021 on licence categories, issued on 7 April 2021, replaced Decision No. 1 of 2018. It lists the activity segments that can be licensed in each DDA district (DIAC's are in Part Seven), plus a General segment available in all of them. [source]

  4. History · 2025-09-25

    Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Knowledge Park together form TECOM Group's Education Cluster. On 25 September 2025 both districts signed a strategic partnership with Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) to strengthen the higher-education sector. [source]

  5. History · 2026-01-22

    In January 2026 the Government of Dubai Media Office reported that TECOM Group had acquired an integrated university campus of more than 300,000 sq ft in DIAC for AED 125 million. [source]

  6. Good to know

    Companies in DIAC are licensed and registered by DDA, not by the district itself or by TECOM Group, which operates the district (the district's website describes it as a member of TECOM Group). The UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism's list of free-zone company registrars (updated 23 October 2026) names DDA as the registrar for DIAC. [source 1][source 2][source 3]

  7. Good to know

    The DIAC About page reports more than 28,000 students and over 500 programmes in the district (page retrieved October 2026). [source]

Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae, diacedu.ae, moet.gov.ae and 2 more official sources.

Questions worth asking

How much does a DIAC licence cost?

DIAC publishes a licence fee from AED 15,000. Visa, office and registration costs are extra.

How long does DIAC company setup take?

DIAC states about 7 days for incorporation. Visas take extra time after the licence is issued.

Can I get a general trading licence in DIAC?

DIAC does not offer a general trading licence.

Is DIAC a VAT Designated Zone?

DIAC does not appear on the Federal Tax Authority's list of VAT Designated Zones.

What is the minimum share capital in DIAC?

DIAC states a minimum share capital of AED 50,000.

About this data

Every fact comes from DIAC's own channels or a UAE government source, linked next to it. Last checked 2026-10-24. Information collected from free-zone authorities and UAE government sources on the dates shown. Fees and rules change; the zone's current schedule prevails. Not legal, tax or financial advice.

Rules for every zone

Explained in the guides on corporate tax, VAT Designated Zones and mainland access.

How we check

Prices are re-checked every 90 days and other facts on a schedule. How we verify →