Established by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, Ruler of Dubai, the Dubai World Trade Centre Authority (DWTC Authority) provides a unique and highly desirable proposition for businesses looking for an effective, competitive and well-regulated business ecosystem to compete even more effectively regionally and globally.

This Free Zone licenses independent free-zone licenses, as well as catering to onshore registered businesses, or can also facilitate dual licensed entities from within the same zone.

If physical office space is not a mandatory requirement for your business, the hot-desk DWTC Free-Zone have to offer is located in Sheikh Rashid Tower and unlike other free-zones, this is a dedicated desk available for use on a 24/7 basis and also comes with a visa quota of 2 visas.

Built in 1979, the Sheikh Rashid Tower was amongst the earliest skyscrapers to be constructed in Dubai. Renamed after the late Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the 39-storey Sheikh Rashid Tower no longer stands alone as it did when it was first built.

Over the years, the Dubai World Trade Centre has been extended to include Exhibition Halls, Sheikh Rashid Hall and Maktoum Hall as well as the Al Mulaqua Ballroom, Sheikh Saeed Halls, Za’abeel Halls and the Trade Centre Arena. In addition, commercial buildings have been added including the Convention Tower and the One Central development with several mixed-use buildings within the area.

The type of licenses that can be formed at DWTC Free-Zone are as follows:-

Commercial: Carrying out commercial activities limited to those specified in the licence which allow the import, export, sale, distribution and storage of specific items

General Trading: Carrying out commercial activities across an unrestricted range of activities, products and/or items, and  allows for the holder to import, export, sell, distribute and/or store all such categories under this license.

Professional: To carry out services specified in the licence (subject to local licences and permits that may be required in other jurisdictions). These include services such as advisory, general consulting, software implementation, training, onsite repair, catering and human resource activities.

Event Management: Organising of Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) as well as business and leisure events.

Business Operating Permits: One of DWTC Authority’s unique selling points is the option for locally licenced onshore entities to either relocate or become established in the Free Zone, which often proves difficult in other Free-Zones. This is achieved though the issuance of a Business Operating Permit which allows companies already licenced by the Dubai Department of Economic Development to obtain a lease and operate within this Free-Zone.