Dubai Production City (DPC)
مدينة دبي للإنتاج
DPC publishes a licence fee from AED 15,000 but no full package price and states incorporation in 7 days (checked 2026-10-24).
Dubai Production City (DPC) is a media and industrial free zone in Dubai, licensed by Dubai Development Authority (DDA), established in 2003.
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 10,000
- General trading
- No
- VAT Designated Zone
- No
- FTA list
- Annual audit
- Yes
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae, dpc.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 للإنتاج ↗
- Licensing / regulating authority
- Dubai Development Authority (DDA) ↗
- Parent group / government body
- TECOM Group PJSC (district developer/operator); licensing by Dubai Development Authority ↗
- Zone type
- Media, Industrial ↗
- Year established
- 2003 ↗
- Official website
- dpc.ae ↗
- Online application portal
- axs2.my.site.com/axslogin ↗
- Listed on the Ministry of Economy and Tourism register of free-zone company registrars
- Yes ↗
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dpc.ae, moet.gov.ae, dda.gov.ae.
Business activities
- Official approved activity list
- dda.gov.ae/-/media/67662280247F46F2B94A853943F01 ↗
- Licence types offered
- Media, Industrial, Trading, Services / consultancy ↗
- General trading licence available
- No ↗
- Activity categories offered: Printing & Packaging Machinery; Printing Consumables; Printing Press; Signage & Exhibition (except Fabrication and Production); Signage & Exhibition - Fabrication and Production; Packaging (except Paper Packaging and Recycling Product Manufacture); Packaging - Paper Packaging and Recycling Product Manufacture; Publishing; Publishing Support Services; Promotional Services; General Warehousing. [1]
- Activities included in base licence: 1. [1]
- Trading and services on one licence: yes. [1]
- Activities needing another authority's approval: Publishing (Segment 19.6): register with and follow the requirements of the NMC; titles registered with the Authority and NMC; General Warehousing (19.9.1): restricted to persons already licensed for this precise activity by relevant authorities in Dubai or elsewhere in the UAE; Service Provider (Segment 26.1) and listed General-segment activities: approvals from DED, DHA, Dubai Municipality, RERA, DCAA, RTA etc. per LCD Art. 8. [1]
- Restricted activities: Publishers (Segment 19.6) may not open a branch within the UAE including other free zones (LCD Art. 4.1); Publishing (Segment 19.6) only as a free zone limited liability company (LCD Art. 4.2); Property Holding Company (26.7.6) issued on an exclusive basis (LCD Art. 3.10); Operating outside the free zone without a separate DED licence (DPC FAQ). [1]
- [1] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae.
Cost - year one
- Lowest licence fee (zero-visa)
- AED 15,000 ↗
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae.
Cost - ongoing
- Renewal costs more than the first-year price: no. [1]
- Late renewal penalty: AED 2,500 if renewed more than 30 and up to 60 days after expiry; AED 5,000 if 61-90 days; AED 10,000 if more than 90 days; the Authority may also refuse renewal or government/sponsorship services. [2]
- Renewal grace period: 30 days. [2]
- Fee to add activity: AED 500. [3]
- Fee for shareholder change: AED 3,000. [4]
- Fee for name change: AED 2,000. [5]
- Deregistration / liquidation fee: AED 1,500. [6]
- [1] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
- [2] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
- [3] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
- [4] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
- [5] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
- [6] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae.
Visas and residency
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dpc.ae.
Office and facilities
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dpc.ae.
Legal structure and ownership
- Entity types available
- FZ-LLC, Branch of a foreign company, Branch of a UAE company, Freelancer permit ↗
- Legal system
- UAE civil law ↗
- Minimum share capital
- AED 10,000 ↗
- Minimum shareholders: 1. [1]
- Maximum shareholders: 75. [1]
- Corporate shareholders allowed: yes. [2]
- Foreign corporate shareholders allowed: yes. [3]
- Share capital must be paid in: yes. [4]
- Courts and arbitration: Dubai Courts (PCR Reg. 108); for share pledges the DIFC Courts if the parties agreed (PCR Reg. 48.2). [1]
- [1] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
- [2] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
- [3] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
- [4] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae, dpc.ae.
Market access and customs
- Physical operations on the mainland allowed without an extra licence
- No ↗
- Customs duty in the zone: Licensee chooses: (i) free zone customs code from Dubai Customs allowing import and re-export, with goods stored within the Zone bounded area; (ii) local customs code, paying customs duty on arrival; or (iii) no customs code, meaning no imports. [1]
- [1] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dpc.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 ↗
- Beneficial-owner register filing required
- Yes ↗
- Audit submission deadline: Retained by the licensee and supplied to the Authority on demand (no fixed annual filing date found). [1]
- Annual return and renewal documents: Licence renewal application via axs portal; NOC from external authorities per the LCD (if applicable); Certificate of continuity/good standing or current trade licence for a branch of an onshore UAE company (if applicable). [2]
- [1] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
- [2] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae.
Setup process and speed
- 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 (applicable if holds a valid visa); Power of Attorney for Legal Representative/Negotiator (if any), with passport copy. [1]
- Attestation requirements for corporate shareholders: Resolution notarised by a Notary Public and attested by the UAE Embassy; corporate member's incorporation certificate, certificate of continuity/good standing, and parent MoA/AoA required. [2]
- [1] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
- [2] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae, dpc.ae.
Operations, ecosystem and flexibility
- Adding shareholders: Online via axs; AED 3,000 per transaction + AED 500 AoA amendment + AED 20; 5 working days; new corporate member resolutions notarised and UAE-Embassy attested; UBO form and bank proof of paid-up capital. [1]
- Moving a company in or out (re-domiciliation): yes. [2]
- Multiple licences under one group: yes. [3]
- [1] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
- [2] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
- [3] dpc.ae · opened 2026-10-24
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae, dpc.ae.
Freelancer and solo founder
- Freelancer permit available
- Yes ↗
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dpc.ae.
Industry-specific regulation
- Media content licensing / filming permits: Publishing (Segment 19.6) is FZ-LLC only, may not branch elsewhere in the UAE, must register with and follow NMC requirements, and must register each newspaper/magazine title with the Authority and NMC before publishing (AED 5,000 per title, volume discounts from 10 titles). Content disputes fall under the DCCA Broadcasting and Publication Standards Tribunal. [1]
- [1] dda.gov.ae · opened 2026-10-24
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae.
Activity fit (our view)
Likely possible
Needs a regulator's approval
- None
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: Media, Industrial, Trading, Services / consultancy.
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae.
Notes and history
Legal basis · 2014-10-27
Dubai Production City (DPC) 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]
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]
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 (DPC's are in Part Four), plus a General segment available in all of them. [source]
Good to know
Companies in DPC 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 DPC. [source 1][source 2][source 3]
Good to know
DPC is part of TECOM Group's Media Cluster together with Dubai Media City and Dubai Studio City, according to a DPC press release of June 2024. [source]
Good to know
The GoFreelance freelance permit shown on the DPC website is a TECOM Group offer that covers Dubai Media City, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Design District and Dubai Knowledge Park; DPC is not one of the listed districts. [source]
Verified on 2026-10-24 from dda.gov.ae, dpc.ae, moet.gov.ae.
Questions worth asking
How much does a DPC licence cost?
DPC publishes a licence fee from AED 15,000. Visa, office and registration costs are extra.
How long does DPC company setup take?
DPC states about 7 days for incorporation. Visas take extra time after the licence is issued.
Can I get a general trading licence in DPC?
DPC does not offer a general trading licence.
Is DPC a VAT Designated Zone?
DPC does not appear on the Federal Tax Authority's list of VAT Designated Zones.
What is the minimum share capital in DPC?
DPC states a minimum share capital of AED 10,000.
About this data
Every fact comes from DPC'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 →