Choosing the Business Activities on Your UAE Licence

The activities written on your UAE licence define what the company is allowed to do. Choosing them well at formation saves an amendment later, and choosing them badly can leave you unable to invoice for work you are already doing. This article covers how activities are structured at two free zones, Meydan and DMCC, and where extra approval is needed.

How activities are structured at Meydan

Meydan states that "A Meydan Free Zone trade license allows founders to include up to three business activity groups under one license, from 2,500+ business activities." The three groups are a ceiling at the standard price. The same page says "Each additional business activity beyond this costs AED 1,000."

How activities are structured at DMCC

DMCC sorts licences by type. Its guide describes a service licence as "Suitable for businesses providing professional or consultancy services, such as advisory, IT services" and a trading licence as "Designed for businesses involved in importing, exporting, distributing, or selling goods". It also lists commercial and industrial licences. DMCC says it offers "over 1,000+ approved activities across 20 sectors" and that "Every company registered in DMCC must operate under at least one approved business activity."

The practical point is that the licence type and the activity must match what you sell. A consultant and an importer are on different licence types even if both work from the same desk.

Regulated activities need approval

Some activities need a second sign off. DMCC says "Certain regulated activities require additional approval from relevant authorities", and lists financial services and investment activities, crypto and virtual asset activities, healthcare and medical services, and oil, gas and energy. At Meydan, education activities may require approval from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), healthcare activities often involve clearance from the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), and food and beverage or manufacturing activities may require approval from the Dubai Municipality.

If your business sits in one of these areas, ask for the approval requirements before you pay for the licence, since approval timing can decide when you can trade.

Changing activities later

Meydan says an amendment is submitted through the Meydan Free Zone portal and that there is no resubmission of formation documents and no shareholder change required. Other zones have their own forms and fees, so ask yours before assuming the same process applies.

How to choose

1. Write down every way the company will earn money in the next 12 months, in plain words.
2. Match each to an activity on the zone's published list, using the exact wording.
3. Group related activities so they fit inside the included number of groups.
4. Mark any activity that touches a regulated sector and ask the zone for the approval route.
5. Keep a short list of activities you might add later, with the cost of each addition.

A worked example

A consultant selling strategy workshops and an online course has two income streams. Workshops are professional services, so the service side of the licence applies. The course is a digital product, and the zone's activity list may place it under a different wording. The consultant writes both streams down before applying and asks the zone to confirm the wording for each. That conversation takes an hour and prevents an amendment request in month three.

Use the same method for any business: list each way you get paid, find the closest activity wording, and ask the zone to confirm it in writing.

Mistakes to avoid

• Choosing a licence type by price alone, then finding the activity you need sits on another type.
• Listing activities you do not intend to carry out, which adds cost and may add approval steps.
• Leaving out a service you already sell, which then needs an amendment before you can invoice for it.

What we have not verified

We have verified the figures above for Meydan and DMCC only. We have not verified activity counts, amendment fees or approval lists for other free zones, and we have not verified how banks view particular activities.

Where DBC fits

DBC packages start from USD 1,948 (AED 7,150) at Ajman Free Zone and USD 5,313 (AED 19,500) at Meydan. Packages are set per zone, so activity choice is part of the first conversation. See /pricing or /pricing/calculator.

Choose your activities with us

Describe how you earn money and we will match it to the activity list of your free zone. Book a Free Discovery Call