DMCC activity register
Service licence activities in DMCC
Get my UAE setup planThe short answer
DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) issues the Service licence to companies that sell expertise, advice or a defined piece of work, not physical goods. It is the largest of DMCC's four licence categories, covering 562 of its 973 approved activities. If a physical product changes hands in the same business, DMCC's schedule of charges treats that activity as a different licence type, which needs a new licence at AED 20,265 a year (Industrial and special licences are priced differently).
DMCC groups its 973 approved activities into four licence categories, and Service is the largest, with 562 activities, just over half the register. A Service company also takes an office solution from DMCC, such as a flexi desk, and can be set up from abroad: DMCC checks identity by video call and documents are signed electronically. What it sells must be expertise, advice or a defined piece of work, not a physical product.
The practical test sits in the activity description itself, not in how a founder describes the business. A firm that buys stock and resells it, even alongside its own consultancy work, needs a [trading licence](/zones/dmcc/trading-licence) for that side of the business; a firm that physically transforms raw materials into a finished product needs an [industrial licence](/zones/dmcc/industrial-licence). Service sits between the two: fee-for-work or fee-for-advice, with no goods changing hands under the same licence.
Take two typical applicants. An accounting practice billing clients for bookkeeping and management-accounts work fits under Accounting & Bookkeeping, a Service entry with no extra approval attached. An IT consultancy advising on systems and recommending software, without importing or reselling the hardware itself, fits under Information Technology Consultants on the same basis. Both change category the moment they invoice for a box shipped to a client rather than for advice; the goods side then needs a Trading activity of its own.
A number of Service entries carry a second approval on top of DMCC's own review: virtual-asset activities need a VARA authorisation processed jointly with DMCC; insurance entries such as Insurance Brokers sit under Central Bank of the UAE oversight; health-practice entries such as Acupuncture Center need Dubai Health Authority clearance; and representative-office entries such as Academic Liaison Office need Knowledge & Human Development Authority clearance.
Before filing, match the plan to the 562 Service entries and check whether any entry needs a second licence or an outside approval. [How Velarozone works](/why-velarozone) is a pre-filing check of each planned activity against DMCC's current register and the relevant regulator. DMCC alone decides whether to issue the licence.
What the Service classification covers
Register entries name a defined service line, for example Accounting & Bookkeeping, Accounts Auditing, or the combined "Accounting, bookkeeping and auditing activities; tax consultancy". They describe work sold as a service, not goods held or traded.
Some services need another body's sign-off. AFZ's licence renewal service says external approvals may be required for regulated activities, and it lists a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the relevant external authority among its documents where the activity needs one. Ask AFZ at application which authority applies to your activity.
What a service licence here is structured for
A Service licence suits a business that invoices for expertise, time or operational work rather than goods: consultancies, agencies, technical services and support operations. DMCC's guide names advisory and IT services as its examples. Revenue from goods belongs under another licence type.
The activity description should match the service you deliver. AFZ says the final renewal fee depends on the activities licensed, and external approvals attach to regulated activities. A broad activity picked for convenience can add an approval you did not plan for, and it is the wording a client or bank reads on your licence.
From the register
Named Professions on RAKEZ's Freelance List
A sample of the 562 activities DMCC files under Service, 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.
- Academic Liaison Office
- Accidents & Liabilities Insurance
- Accounting & Bookkeeping
- Acupuncture Center
- Addiction Rehabilitation Center
- Advanced Driving School
- Advanced First Aid Training Center
- Advertising Agency
- Advertising Researches & Consultancies
- Aerial Photography Services
- Agricultural Research & Consultancy
- Air Ambulance Services
- Air Cargo Agent
- Air Cargo Services
- Air Charters for Passengers & Cargo
- Aircraft & Requisites Leasing
- Airplane Management & Operation
- Ambulance Services
- Arab Wears Tailoring
- Arabic Gowns Tailoring
- Art Gallery
- Artificial Intelligence Developing Services
- Assisted Fertilization Center
- Auction Hall
- Auction Organizing
- Audiology & Speech Center
- Auditing of Accounts
- Authentic Artifacts & Antiques Auction House
- Author's Copyrights & Neighboring Rights Collective Management Services
- Automobile Driving School
What this page does not decide
Decision factors
How the Permit Differs from a Company Licence
These DMCC rules decide whether a Service application runs through the standard process, costs more than the base licence, or stalls on an outside approval. DMCC states that the standard setup takes around 10 working days, depending on documents and approvals.
- A different licence type needs a new licence. DMCC's schedule of charges puts a Trading or Industrial activity added to a Service licence at AED 20,265 a year for the new licence, with Industrial and special licences priced differently. Within Service, activities beyond six in one two-digit code group cost AED 1,500 each a year.
- Some Service entries need approval from outside DMCC. Regulated virtual-asset work needs an additional VARA licence through DMCC, while non-regulated crypto work such as software development or consultancy does not. Insurance entries such as Insurance Brokers sit under Central Bank of the UAE oversight, and health-practice entries such as Acupuncture Center need Dubai Health Authority clearance.
- A one-year renewal of a standard Service licence is AED 20,265. Late fees are AED 2,500 for 31 to 60 days and AED 5,000 for 61 to 90 days. DMCC also asks for a No Objection Certificate for any regulated activity.
- Visa entitlement follows the office, not the licence type. DMCC gives up to 3 visas for a flexi desk, 4 to 5 for a serviced office depending on size, and 1 visa for every 9 square metres of physical space.
- A DMCC licence does not by itself allow direct trade with the UAE mainland. DMCC lists a distributor, a branch, a separate licence, an applicable permit from Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), or a mainland company as the routes. Income from mainland activity may be subject to standard corporate tax treatment.
- DMCC is a qualified free zone under Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 on Taxation of Corporations and Businesses, so qualifying income is taxed at 0%. Whether a Service company's income qualifies depends on its activity and the income it earns, under Cabinet and Ministerial decisions, and is not automatic for every Service entry.
- Audited financial statements are required annually and must be prepared by a firm on DMCC's own Approved Auditor list, not any audit firm a company already uses elsewhere.
- UBO disclosure, naming anyone with 25% or more ownership or control, is required at setup and again whenever ownership changes.
Where the Permit Is a Good Fit
- Accounting & Bookkeeping practices billing for hours or engagements, not selling accounting software or hardware alongside
- Academic Liaison Office functions coordinating between institutions, agents, or students, once cleared by the Knowledge & Human Development Authority
- Management consultancy and advisory offices selling deliverables or retainers rather than stock
- IT and software consultancy work, such as an Information Technology Consultants entry, that does not also import or resell hardware under the same company
- Acupuncture Center and comparable licensed wellness-practice entries, once Dubai Health Authority has cleared the practitioner
- Addiction Rehabilitation Center and other clinical or therapeutic practice entries, subject to the same Dubai Health Authority clearance
When to Choose a Company Licence Instead
- DMCC frames Trading as the import, export, distribution, and sale of goods, and Service as professional or consultancy expertise: a plan built around goods needs a Trading licence even with some advisory work alongside it
- A business that imports goods and resells them, even goods it also installs or services, needs a Trading licence for the goods side of the business
- A business that manufactures or physically transforms materials, such as gold and jewellery casting or refining, or food and beverage manufacturing and packing, needs an Industrial licence rather than Service
- A business built around a Holding Company, a Special Purpose Vehicle, or a Single or Multi Family Office structure sits under DMCC's Commercial licence category, not Service
- A single individual wanting to work alone under their own name, rather than through a company, fits DMCC's Freelance licence rather than a company Service licence
About this listing
Questions
Frequently asked
- My business is mostly consultancy but will also sell some goods, but can that still sit on one DMCC Service licence?
- Not on a standard Service licence. DMCC licenses by activity category, and a company stays on Service only while what it earns is fee-for-work or fee-for-advice. DMCC's schedule of charges says an activity from a different licence type needs a new licence, at AED 20,265 a year, with Industrial and special licences priced differently.
- Does a DMCC Service licence let me sell services directly to mainland Dubai clients?
- Not by itself. DMCC says free zone companies trade within their zone and internationally, and that mainland access depends on the business model and activity. The routes it names are a distributor, a branch, a separate licence, an applicable Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism permit, or a mainland company.
- Do I need approval from anyone other than DMCC to get a Service licence?
- Most Service activities are approved by DMCC alone. DMCC names financial services and investment, crypto and virtual assets, healthcare and medical services, and oil, gas and energy as fields where an outside approval is added. Virtual-asset work needs an additional VARA licence through DMCC, insurance work such as Insurance Brokers sits under Central Bank of the UAE oversight, and health-practice activities such as Acupuncture Center need Dubai Health Authority clearance.
- Does a holding company, SPV, or family office structure sit under the Service licence?
- No. In DMCC's own register, Holding Company, Special Purpose Vehicle and Family Office entries sit under DMCC's Commercial licence category rather than Service. DMCC's schedule of charges also lists the single-family office as a standalone activity, which cannot be carried out with any other activity, so advisory work cannot be added to it.
- Are audited financial statements required for a DMCC Service licence?
- Yes. DMCC requires member companies, including Service licence holders, to submit audited financial statements prepared by a firm on DMCC's own Approved Auditor list, not any audit firm a company may already use elsewhere.
- How many visas come with a DMCC Service licence?
- It depends on the office, not the licence category. DMCC's published figures are up to 3 visas for a flexi desk, 4 to 5 for a serviced office depending on size, and 1 visa for every 9 square metres of physical space. A company that outgrows its quota can request an Increase Visa Quota through the DMCC Member Portal or take a larger office.
Sources
Official sources
Check your job title against RAKEZ's freelancer list
Send us the activities you plan to file. We check each one against DMCC's current Service register, flag any that need a second licence or an outside approval, and count them against DMCC's code-group fee rules before an application is filed.
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.