Free zone company
Dubai Silicon Oasis company setup for technology businesses
Dubai Silicon Oasis is a Dubai free zone and planned community dedicated to knowledge and innovation. It is a member of the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ). It suits technology, electronics, engineering and research companies, from start-ups on a shared desk to firms that need offices, warehouses or light industrial units.
At a glance Fact sheet
- Emirate
- Dubai
- Authority
- Dubai Silicon Oasis, a member of Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ)
- Location
- Dubai Silicon Oasis district, Dubai
- Known for
- Technology, electronics, research and development, and start-ups
- Ownership
- Full foreign ownership
- Office options
- Co-working desks, offices, warehouses, light industrial units, retail space and land
Overview
Dubai Silicon Oasis, usually shortened to DSO, was created under a Dubai law of 2005 to give technology companies a base of their own. It is laid out as a complete district. Offices and industrial units share the area with homes, a hotel and shops, so people who work for DSO companies can live in the same community.
Since 2021 DSO has been a member of the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority, known as DIEZ, together with Dubai Airport Free Zone and Dubai CommerCity. Company rules for the zone come from the DIEZ regulations, and the zone issues service, trade and industrial licences. Dubai's 2040 urban plan names DSO as one of five urban centres, the one dedicated to knowledge and innovation.
DSO is also home to Dtec, the Dubai Technology Entrepreneurship Campus, where early-stage founders work among other technology start-ups. The zone supports trials of newer technology too, including robotics, drones and autonomous vehicles. If your business is software, hardware, engineering or applied research, DSO deserves a place on the shortlist. Caliph compares it with the other Dubai technology zones for you.
Why technology companies choose Dubai Silicon Oasis
Offices and light industry in one zone
A software team, a hardware lab and an assembly unit can be licensed and housed in the same free zone.
A start-up campus on site
Dtec gives founders desks and a community of other technology start-ups inside DSO.
Live where you work
DSO is a residential community as well as a business zone, with homes, a hotel and shops inside the district.
Part of a larger authority
As a DIEZ member, DSO follows the DIEZ company regulations and belongs to the same group as Dubai Airport Free Zone and Dubai CommerCity.
Room to test new technology
The zone hosts trials of robotics, drones, autonomous vehicles and smart city systems.
What to have ready for Dubai Silicon Oasis
- The completed application form
- Passport copies for the shareholders and the manager
- A business plan for the company
- A letter of intent that explains the planned activity
- A bank statement, a bank reference letter or audited accounts
- A no objection certificate from your current sponsor, if you are a UAE resident
- For a corporate shareholder or a branch: memorandum and articles of association, certificate of incorporation and trade licence
The authority can ask for other papers after it reviews the activity. Your Caliph consultant confirms what applies to you.
How Dubai Silicon Oasis setup works
Licence type confirmed
Your consultant checks whether your activity needs a service, trade or industrial licence and whether you register a new FZCO or a branch.
Application submitted
The application form and the legal documents are filed through the DSO customer portal.
Document review
The authority reviews the file, including the activity and security check, and gives initial approval.
Lease agreement signed
The digital lease agreement for your desk, office or unit is issued and signed.
Licence issued
The company is registered and the licence is issued electronically through the portal.
Visas and after-licence work
With the licence in hand we handle the establishment card and residence visas for founders and engineers, then assemble the bank account file.
Good to know
- New companies in DSO are registered as a Free Zone Company (FZCO) or as a branch of an existing company. The older FZE form is no longer used.
- DSO states that it is a qualifying free zone for UAE corporate tax. Whether your company benefits depends on meeting the conditions for a qualifying free zone person.
- IFZA has its headquarters and business park inside Dubai Silicon Oasis. If a small service licence is all you need, compare the two before you decide.
Questions people ask
Which authority is Dubai Silicon Oasis under?
Dubai Silicon Oasis is a member of the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority, or DIEZ. DIEZ was established in 2021 and brings together Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Airport Free Zone and Dubai CommerCity. Applications for DSO are filed through the DSO customer portal.
What kinds of business suit Dubai Silicon Oasis?
DSO is aimed at technology-based businesses: software, electronics, hardware, engineering, and research and development. Start-ups, small and mid-sized firms and multinational companies are all present. A business with no technology or innovation angle may find a general free zone a simpler fit.
What licence types does Dubai Silicon Oasis offer?
DSO issues three operating licences. A service licence covers the specific services listed on it. A trade licence covers importing, exporting and distributing the goods listed. An industrial licence covers manufacturing, processing, assembly and packaging. Your consultant matches your activity to the right one.
What office and facility options are there in Dubai Silicon Oasis?
DSO offers co-working desks and workstations, office space, boutique office buildings, warehouses and light industrial units, retail space and land for development. The mix means a company can begin on a desk and later take an office or an industrial unit in the same zone.
What is Dtec in Dubai Silicon Oasis?
Dtec is the Dubai Technology Entrepreneurship Campus, a campus for technology start-ups inside Dubai Silicon Oasis. Founders take a desk or a small office there and work alongside other early-stage technology companies. Caliph checks whether Dtec or a standard DSO office suits your stage.
How does Dubai Silicon Oasis differ from Dubai Internet City?
Both focus on technology. Dubai Silicon Oasis is a DIEZ free zone with offices, warehouses, light industrial units and homes in one district, so it also suits hardware and assembly. Dubai Internet City is an office district under the Dubai Development Authority for software and technology services, and it does not license manufacturing.
- Dubai Silicon Oasis: about
- Dubai Silicon Oasis: business setup process
- Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority: free zones
Reviewed by Caliph Business Solutions on . Rules differ by activity and by authority. Your Caliph consultant confirms what applies to you.
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