DMCC activity register
Industrial licence activities in DMCC
Get my UAE setup planThe short answer
DMCC's Industrial licence is for companies that manufacture goods, and its register lists 25 Industrial activities: food and drink production, and gold, gemstone, jewellery and watch production. DMCC's own guide says manufacturing may need specific facilities and that some activities need approval from other authorities. The production site and those approvals therefore have to be settled with DMCC for the specific activity before the company can operate.
DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) files 25 of the 973 activities on its register under the Industrial classification, its smallest licence family. The food and drink entries include Bakery Products Manufacturing, Dairy Products Manufacturing & Packing and Soft Drinks Manufacturing. The metals, stones and watches entries are Gold & Precious Metal Casting, Gold Refinery, Goldsmith, Silversmith, Precious Jewellery Manufacturing, Precious Stones Cutting & Polishing, Laboratory Grown Diamonds Production and Watches & Clocks Manufacturing. DMCC's own guide describes the licence as one for manufacturing: turning natural materials and resources into final products.
DMCC separates its licences by what the company physically does, not by industry label. A business that bakes, blends, bottles, refines, casts or cuts goods needs the Industrial activity that names that process. DMCC describes its [trading licence](/zones/dmcc/trading-licence) as the one for importing, exporting, distributing or selling goods, so a company that resells finished goods with no production step belongs there. Advice and consultancy work sits under the [service licence](/zones/dmcc/service-licence). DMCC also offers a fourth type, the commercial licence, for trading across several product categories.
Gold production sits under federal oversight. DMCC's gold page says the UAE Ministry of Economy regulates the sector at federal level, and the UAE Good Delivery (UAEGD) standard covers responsible sourcing, refining and distribution of gold. For diamonds, the System of Warranties (SoW) statement goes on every invoice or memo each time a diamond, loose or set in jewellery, changes hands, so a jewellery maker using diamonds meets it at each sale. Laboratory Grown Diamonds Production sits in an ecosystem whose members keep lab-grown and natural diamonds unmixed and disclose lab-grown products.
Velarozone advises on company setup. It does not issue the DMCC licence, decide which production facility DMCC accepts, or grant the food-safety or precious-metals approval an Industrial activity may need. [Why Velarozone](/why-velarozone) explains how an advisory firm fits around those decisions.
What the Industrial classification covers
Each register entry names what is produced, such as Animal Feed Manufacturing, Adhesive Materials Manufacturing or Basic Organic Chemical Acids Manufacturing, and the licence attaches to that named activity. AFZ describes the licence as covering the import of raw materials, the manufacture of the listed goods and their export.
AFZ sets the premises options for this licence. Warehouses start at 100 m², come with free office space inside and make a business eligible for a minimum of 14 resident visas. Land starts at 1000 m², and the facility built on it needs AFZ approval based on technical requirements.
What a industrial licence here is structured for
It suits an operation that will physically produce, process or assemble inside the zone, in a leased warehouse from 100 m² or in a facility built on land from 1000 m².
Choose premises alongside the activity. Pre-built warehouses are ready to occupy, but a facility on leased land has to be built first, with AFZ approval based on technical requirements, so the two routes give very different start dates.
From the register
Named Professions on RAKEZ's Freelance List
All 25 activities DMCC files under Industrial, exactly as the register names them. Activity names are the authority's own wording and are shown in English in every language; register codes are not published.
- Bakery Products Manufacturing
- Biscuit Manufacturing
- Cheese Manufacturing
- Cocoa & Chocolate Candies Manufacturing
- Coffee Roasting & Packaging
- Cream of Milk Manufacturing
- Dairy Products Manufacturing & Packing
- Fruit Flavored Drinks Manufacturing
- Gold & Precious Metal Casting
- Gold & Precious Metal Products Manufacturing
- Gold Refinery
- Goldsmith
- Ice Cream Manufacturing
- Jewellery Repair
- Laboratory Grown Diamonds Production
- Mayonnaise Manufacturing
- Pastry & Sweets Manufacturing
- Precious Jewellery Manufacturing
- Precious Stones Cutting & Polishing
- Sauces, Spreads & Condiments Preparation
- Silversmith
- Soft Drinks Manufacturing
- Tea Blending & Packaging
- Watches & Clocks Manufacturing
- Yogurt Manufacturing
What this page does not decide
Decision factors
How the Permit Differs from a Company Licence
These facts decide whether an Industrial application at DMCC goes through or stalls: the activity list, the production site, the sector rules, selling goods you do not make, and visa allocation.
- Industrial at DMCC is limited to the 25 named activities: food and drink production or packing, and precious-metals, gemstone, jewellery or watch production. A manufacturing plan outside those two clusters has no Industrial entry on the register.
- The production space is checked against the specific activity, not against a standard rule. A registered office address in DMCC, which a flexi-desk, serviced office or dedicated workspace can supply, is an address and not a production site.
- Gold and diamond makers carry sector rules on top of the licence. The UAE Ministry of Economy regulates gold federally, and the UAE Good Delivery standard covers responsible sourcing, refining and distribution of gold. For diamonds, the System of Warranties statement goes on every invoice or memo when a stone changes hands.
- Each DMCC activity falls under one licence type. DMCC describes Trading as importing, exporting, distributing or selling goods, so a producer that also resells other makers' goods should ask DMCC whether a Trading activity has to be added.
- Visa eligibility follows the workspace, not the licence type. In DMCC's published packages, a standard flexi desk or co-working space is eligible for 3 UAE residency visas and a special flexi desk for one.
Where the Permit Is a Good Fit
- A bakery, confectionery or beverage producer baking, mixing or bottling on DMCC premises: Bakery Products Manufacturing, Soft Drinks Manufacturing and similar entries.
- A dairy or prepared-food business packing or processing under its own label: Dairy Products Manufacturing & Packing, Cheese Manufacturing, Mayonnaise Manufacturing.
- A goldsmith, silversmith or jewellery manufacturer casting, refining or assembling precious-metal pieces.
- A producer of laboratory-grown diamonds, which must be kept apart from natural stones and disclosed as lab-grown, or a stone-cutting and polishing operation.
- A watch or clock manufacturer, or a jewellery repair business mending pieces rather than only selling them.
When to Choose a Company Licence Instead
- A business that imports finished jewellery, watches or packaged food and resells it without producing, refining, cutting or packing anything itself. That is Trading, which DMCC describes as importing, exporting, distributing or selling goods.
- A restaurant, café or catering operation that plates and serves food to the public rather than manufacturing or packing it for sale.
- A plan to manufacture something outside these two clusters (electronics, textiles, furniture, chemicals, heavy equipment) on the assumption that manufacturing in general has a home here.
- A production plan with no facility arranged yet, or a business that only labels or private-brands goods someone else has already fully produced.
About this listing
Questions
Frequently asked
- Is DMCC's Industrial licence a general manufacturing licence?
- No. DMCC's register files only 25 activities under Industrial, almost entirely in two clusters: food and drink manufacturing or packing, and the production of precious metals, gemstones, jewellery or watches. A manufacturing plan outside those clusters has no home in this family at DMCC.
- I make jewellery, do I need the Industrial licence or the Trading one?
- It depends what the business physically does. Casting, refining, goldsmith or silversmith work, stone cutting and polishing, or assembling precious jewellery are named Industrial activities. Buying finished jewellery and reselling it without producing anything is DMCC's Trading family instead.
- Does a DMCC Industrial licence come with production space included?
- No. Every DMCC company needs a registered office address in DMCC, which a flexi-desk, serviced office or dedicated workspace can supply, but manufacturing may require specific facilities. DMCC decides which site it accepts for the activity, and that site needs arranging before the company can operate.
- Do gold or diamond production activities need approval beyond DMCC's own review?
- Yes, sector rules apply on top of DMCC's review. The UAE Ministry of Economy regulates gold federally, and the UAE Good Delivery standard covers responsible sourcing, refining and distribution of gold. For diamonds, the System of Warranties statement goes on every invoice or memo when a diamond is transferred.
Check your job title against RAKEZ's freelancer list
Velarozone can check a planned production activity against DMCC's current Industrial list and the facility it implies, without arranging premises or approvals on DMCC's behalf.
General information drawn from the CBUAE Rulebook, including the Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes Regulation (C 15/2021), and Cabinet Resolution No. (134) of 2025 as published, not legal or tax advice. Rules and guidance change, so confirm the current text and each institution's own requirements before you submit.