What counts as a DMCC Trading activity?

Any activity involving buying, selling, importing, exporting or distributing physical goods. The register has 385 of them, from broad General Trading to goods-specific entries such as Adhesives Trading.

How does the Trading licence differ from DMCC's Service licence?

DMCC's own guidance separates the two by what the business actually does: Trading covers the movement of goods, while Service covers professional and consultancy work such as advisory or IT services.

My business sells a product but also installs or supports it; is that Trading or Service?

DMCC draws the line by core activity rather than by industry: Trading covers the goods side, Service the professional or consultancy side. A business that genuinely does both needs that combination checked against DMCC's current activity list during the application, rather than assumed from either description alone.

Does trading gold or diamonds in DMCC need more than the Trading licence?

Yes. Gold and diamonds are activities within the Trading family, and each carries rules on top of the licence. The UAE Ministry of Economy regulates gold at federal level, with the UAE Good Delivery standard covering responsible sourcing, refining and distribution. Every diamond invoice or memo must carry the System of Warranties statement.

How many visas come with a DMCC Trading licence?

DMCC sets the number of employee visas a company can apply for according to the size and type of its registered office, rather than attaching a fixed number to the Trading licence itself.

Does a DMCC Trading company pay corporate tax?

Qualifying income can be taxed at 0%. DMCC is a qualified free zone under Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 on Taxation of Corporations and Businesses, which allows the 0% Corporate Tax rate on qualifying income. Income outside that definition is treated differently, so check which of your sales qualify before assuming 0%.

DMCC activity register

Trading licence activities in DMCC

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The short answer

DMCC's Trading licence is for companies that buy, sell, import, export or distribute physical goods, and its register lists 385 such activities, from General Trading to goods-specific ones such as Agarwood & Incense Trading. Professional and consultancy work falls under DMCC's separate Service licence. DMCC issues the e-licence electronically once registration is complete, typically in around 10 working days, and may ask for extra documents or approvals depending on the activity.

DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) runs a Trading licence family of 385 of the roughly 973 activities on its register. DMCC's own guidance defines the Trading licence as the one for importing, exporting, distributing or selling goods, as distinct from the Service licence, which covers professional or consultancy work such as advisory and IT services. General Trading is a single broad entry in the family. The other entries are narrow: Acids & Alkalines Trading, Adhesives Trading and Advertising Requisites Trading each name one product group.

Take a founder applying under Agarwood & Incense Trading, one of the named activities in DMCC's Trading family. The business buys, imports or distributes agarwood and incense products, so it is a goods business, not a consultancy. DMCC says it may request additional documents or approvals depending on the nature of the activity, so the founder should ask at the pre-approval stage whether any permit applies to agarwood before signing supplier contracts. Gold or diamonds under the same family bring a commodity layer on top of the standard Trading requirements: the UAE Good Delivery standard for gold, the System of Warranties for diamonds.

Gold and diamonds are where a Trading licence meets a separate rulebook. For gold, the UAE Ministry of Economy regulates the sector at federal level, and the UAE Good Delivery (UAEGD) standard covers responsible sourcing, refining and distribution. DMCC adds the DMCC Vault in Almas Tower, operated by Brink's Global Services, the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) and DMCC Tradeflow for trade finance. For diamonds, the System of Warranties (SoW) must be affixed to every invoice or memo each time a diamond, rough or polished, loose or set in jewellery, changes hands. It confirms that the stone complies with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which the UAE joined in 2003. Members register on the SoW website, complete the self-assessment, put the warranty statement on invoices and memos, and keep a record of every SoW transaction.

Every DMCC company needs a registered office in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT): a flexi desk, serviced office or dedicated workspace. DMCC ties the number of employee visas to the size of that space and the type of licence, not to a flat allocation per licence. Its package listings show the effect: a standard flexi desk or co-working space in the Jump Start package is eligible for three UAE residency visas, while the Basic Biz flexi desk is eligible for one.

DMCC, not Velarozone, issues the licence and decides which activities a Trading company can combine, and it does so through its online portal. Velarozone advises on the application as described in [why Velarozone](/why-velarozone).

What the Trading classification covers

Activities in this family describe trade in physical goods. Each register entry names a product line, such as "(G.P.S) Retail sale of Global Positioning System" or Acids & Alkalines Trading, and the licence covers that named line, not goods in general.

A licence that names one product line does not quietly cover another. If you also want to sell a second line, such as signage alongside chemicals, it needs its own activity on the licence, and Ajman Free Zone decides whether the two can sit together.

What a trading licence here is structured for

A licence built from this family suits a business whose revenue comes from goods changing hands between businesses: import and re-export, wholesale and distribution. RAKEZ's rules bar a free-zone entity from retail trading inside the free zone, and online selling falls under its separate E-Commerce licence.

The activity wording should match what you will actually invoice for. Where your product range spans several register categories, the licence should carry several activities. Leaving one off to simplify the application is the mistake that surfaces later at the bank or at renewal.

From the register

Named Professions on RAKEZ's Freelance List

A sample of the 385 activities DMCC files under Trading, 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.

General Trading
Acids & Alkalines Trading
Adhesives Trading
Advertising Requisites Trading
Agarwood & Incense Trading
Agricultural & Veterinary Pesticides Trading
Agricultural Equipment & Accessories Trading
Agricultural Equipment & Machinery Spare Parts Trading
Agricultural Tools Trading
Agricultural Tractors & Machinery Trading
Air-Condition Trading
Air-Condition, Refrigeration Spare Parts & Components Trading
Aircraft Spare Parts & Components Trading
Aircrafts & Helicopters Trading
Airline Inflight Products Trading
Airport Equipment Trading
Animal & Birds Feed Trading
Animal & Poultry Farms Equipment Trading
Animal Fodder Supplements Trading
Antennas Trading
Aquariums & Display Cases Trading
Aquatic & live Animals Trading
Arab Wear Trading
Artificial Flowers & Plants Trading
Astronomy Equipment Trading
Audio-visual, Recording Equipment & Accessories Trading
Authentic Antiques, Artefacts & Artworks Trading
Auto Accessories Trading
Auto Spare Parts & components Trading
Auto Washing Equipment Trading

What this page does not decide

DMCC confirms which activities can be combined, and at what cost, through its own activity check against its current list. It may also ask for further documents or approvals depending on the activity.

Decision factors

How the Permit Differs from a Company Licence

Four conditions sit alongside the Trading licence and shape how a DMCC company operates once the e-licence is issued.

Qualifying income is taxed at 0% under the UAE's Corporate Tax regime for free zone companies; income that falls outside the qualifying definition is not automatically exempt.
Ultimate Beneficial Owner information must be maintained with DMCC under UAE AML/CFT regulations. It means valid supporting documents identifying anyone with 25% or more ownership or control, updated whenever that changes.
Employee visa numbers are tied to the size and type of the registered office rather than fixed by the Trading licence itself.
Gold traders work under the UAE Good Delivery standard, with the UAE Ministry of Economy as federal regulator. Diamond traders must register on the System of Warranties website, complete the self-assessment and put the warranty statement on every invoice and memo.

Where the Permit Is a Good Fit

Businesses that buy, sell, import, export or distribute physical goods, including general trading across unrelated product lines.
Companies trading a named DMCC commodity such as precious metals, diamonds, coloured gemstones, coffee, tea or energy that want to sit inside its ecosystem. DMCC says its Diamond Ecosystem has more than 1,350 companies and that Dubai accounts for 15% of worldwide gold trade.
Firms that want a registered presence in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), where DMCC cites 87 towers with space from co-working to multi-storey offices.
Businesses ready to keep records: diamond traders must keep a record of every transaction covered by the System of Warranties, and gold traders work under the UAE Good Delivery standard.

When to Choose a Company Licence Instead

Firms whose work is advisory, consultancy or another professional service rather than the movement of goods. DMCC licenses that work under its separate Service licence.
Businesses looking for a fixed, licence-wide visa number rather than one set by office size and type.
Companies planning to trade diamonds or precious metals that cannot meet the System of Warranties record-keeping and invoice wording, or the UAE Good Delivery standard.
Businesses whose work splits roughly evenly between goods and professional services. Whether that needs a Trading licence, a Service licence or both is for DMCC's own activity check to settle.
Anyone expecting one fixed price. DMCC prices its packages by plan, duration and office type, so the same activity costs differently on a flexi desk and in a co-working space.

About this listing

Activity grouping on this page follows the authority's own register as captured on 25 August 2026. Registers change, and authorities run promotions and package terms that change faster still, so current availability, inclusions, and pricing are confirmed directly with the authority at the point of application, never taken from this page.

Questions

Frequently asked

What counts as a DMCC Trading activity?: Any activity involving buying, selling, importing, exporting or distributing physical goods. The register has 385 of them, from broad General Trading to goods-specific entries such as Adhesives Trading.
How does the Trading licence differ from DMCC's Service licence?: DMCC's own guidance separates the two by what the business actually does: Trading covers the movement of goods, while Service covers professional and consultancy work such as advisory or IT services.
My business sells a product but also installs or supports it; is that Trading or Service?: DMCC draws the line by core activity rather than by industry: Trading covers the goods side, Service the professional or consultancy side. A business that genuinely does both needs that combination checked against DMCC's current activity list during the application, rather than assumed from either description alone.
Does trading gold or diamonds in DMCC need more than the Trading licence?: Yes. Gold and diamonds are activities within the Trading family, and each carries rules on top of the licence. The UAE Ministry of Economy regulates gold at federal level, with the UAE Good Delivery standard covering responsible sourcing, refining and distribution. Every diamond invoice or memo must carry the System of Warranties statement.
How many visas come with a DMCC Trading licence?: DMCC sets the number of employee visas a company can apply for according to the size and type of its registered office, rather than attaching a fixed number to the Trading licence itself.
Does a DMCC Trading company pay corporate tax?: Qualifying income can be taxed at 0%. DMCC is a qualified free zone under Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 on Taxation of Corporations and Businesses, which allows the 0% Corporate Tax rate on qualifying income. Income outside that definition is treated differently, so check which of your sales qualify before assuming 0%.

Sources

Official sources

DMCC profile

What DMCC is built for, who it suits, and what to verify before committing.

Industrial licence activities in DMCC

How business activities work

How activity classification decides jurisdiction and approvals.

Check your job title against RAKEZ's freelancer list

Velarozone can run the activity check against DMCC's current Trading list and advise on the setup that fits, without issuing anything on DMCC's behalf.

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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.