# Company Setup in Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) Freezone



## zed1212 (Feb 13, 2014)

Hi All

I am in the process of setting up a company in the DSO freezone and have enquired through a PRO for assistance in getting the company setup. 

The proposal I have received is as follows:

•	For initial approval fee will be AED 500/- 
• License Fee AED 15,000/- (License Fee for Retails is AED 10,000/-)
• Registration Fees AED 15,000/ (FZCO – 2 to 10 Shareholders) ; AED 10,000 (FZE); Branch – No Registration Fee, (Registration Fee for Retails is AED 5,000/-)
• De-Registration Fees (Deposit) AED 6500/-
• Board Resolution Fees AED 3000/-
• Name Reservation AED 500/-
• Attestation of Manager’s Specimen Signature AED 200/-
• E Quota will be 550/- AED
•	Visa cost per head will be 6000/- AED
•	Dependence visa will be 3000/-AED per head

Can anyone confirm if this is abour right and if there is anything else i need to consider as additional requirements?

Thanks!


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## AnjulaMalshan (Jul 17, 2013)

zed1212 said:


> Hi All
> 
> I am in the process of setting up a company in the DSO freezone and have enquired through a PRO for assistance in getting the company setup.
> 
> ...



Once I received a quote from a person. Here it is below. You can compare  

Trade Name Approval AED 260
Initial Approval AED 160
Court Agreement AED 230 
Legal Document Typing & Legal Translation AED 1,000 
Trade License Fees AED 30,000 approx (+5% of the rent)
Immigration Card AED 830 every 3 years
Company Post Box AED 500 every year
Company Stamp AED 100
Local Service Agent AED 10,000 every year
Investor’s Visa (each person) AED 3,500
Service Charges AED 8,000


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## zed1212 (Feb 13, 2014)

Thanks Anjula

Did you proceed with the setup in DSO and if so how do you find it there?

I would welcome any advice you have on the PRO you consulted and how long the process may take to get the company setup and the Visa approved for the family

thanks


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## cautious_mover (Dec 9, 2009)

Why do you need a PRO - you can do it yourself quite easily. Plsu its always best to do it yourself so you know the full process and don't have to rely on someone else's advice.


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## zed1212 (Feb 13, 2014)

I had considered that but in order to ensure it is all done correctly in the first place I would prefer to go with a PRO to get everything setup as i am not familiar with the local requirements etc. 

Then from there i will do the renewals etc myself once i get comfortable with the laws of the land.

Given the proposal from the PROs do you suggest it would be more cost effective doing it myself. How much of the pricing given is for the PRO services and how much is statutory official fees? 

Thanks for your help!


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## cautious_mover (Dec 9, 2009)

Any reason as to why you are going for DSO? Before I opened my company in 2012, I noticed the share capital requirements were quite high compared to other locations...


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## zed1212 (Feb 13, 2014)

Our shareholders had purchased an office unit in DSO a few years ago however delayed the plan to move part of the business to Dubai. Now that the plan is in the pipeline they want to make use of the office space and locate the business in DSO.

Where did you decide to setup your business?


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## cautious_mover (Dec 9, 2009)

I set up my company in DMCC in 2012. Relatively painless, but since then a lot has changed especially regarding the banks. Most, if not all, of the international banks will not open accounts for SME customers in UAE. This of course is all due to the banks themselves falling foul of US regulations and now passing the blame on to us, the law abiding customers. The end result is draconian banking regulations, Q&A sessions on a monthly basis with call centres in Chennai and the omni present worry that one day (just like Barclays) other banks will decide to exit the retail banking sector and leave everyone high and dry. The fall out from that is a mad rush to local banks who then can't cope with the onslaught of new customers....


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## cautious_mover (Dec 9, 2009)

Also - I guess you are aware that you have to own or rent commercial property within the free zone you are registered in? For example - if you are in DMCC you cant rent an office in DSO. Your company has limited itself in terms of free zone options by doing the opposite! It might not make much difference but some commercial activities are not available in some free zones.

The new Dubai World Central (DWC) free zone is supposed to be offering very attractive benefits as its relatively new. Some friend of mine recently setup there. Again the banking issue and I think they ended up with Mashreq.


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## zed1212 (Feb 13, 2014)

Thanks for your advice and if it wasnt for the fact that the shareholders already own the office space in DSO, i certainly would have pushed to have the company setup in a different area. As it happens they want the new company to use the office unit in DSO and run the business from there. 

I believe the business activity type (consultancy and international marketing) is allowed to operate from DSO and so far we have authorization to setup the company with this function.

On a banking front we currently use HSBC who have also agreed to provide services in Dubai. I have heard mixed reviews about their service and actually much of it has been negative so will have to see how that goes but for now we will use them in the initial stage.


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## cautious_mover (Dec 9, 2009)

Good luck with it...


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