Sources & methodology
How every figure on this site is verified
Costs, thresholds and rules on this site are traced to the body that sets them — the DIFC, the DIFC Courts, the DFSA or the UAE federal government. Below is the complete list of the 62 authorities we cite, what each one is authoritative for, and the rules we follow when a source is silent or two of them disagree.
Last verified 31 July 2026
Quick answer
Where do the facts on this site come from?
This site cites 62 primary sourcesand no secondary ones. DIFC registry and licence fees come from DIFC’s own published handbooks and Table of Fees; financial-services rules from the DFSA; jurisdiction, wills and probate from the DIFC Courts; and corporate tax, VAT, economic substance and visas from the UAE federal government, because those apply inside the DIFC too. Where a figure is not published anywhere — most professional fees, and real-world application timelines — the page says so instead of estimating.
The rules we hold ourselves to
Five rules, stated so you can hold us to them
Primary sources only
Every figure comes from the body that sets it — DIFC for registry fees, the DFSA for licence categories, the Ministry of Finance for corporate tax. We do not cite other advisory firms, aggregator sites or news write-ups, because a second-hand number carries a first-hand error forward without the correction.
Cited at the point of the claim
Citations sit next to the sentence they support, not in a pile at the bottom. If a paragraph makes three factual claims from two sources, it carries two citations in the right places.
If it cannot be sourced, it is not stated as fact
Some things genuinely are not published — most professional service fees, and how long a particular DFSA application takes in practice. Where that is so, the page says so plainly rather than filling the gap with a plausible number. An invented figure is worse than an admitted unknown, because the reader cannot tell it apart from a real one.
Dated, because it expires
Fees change, thresholds move, handbooks are reissued. Every page carries the date its facts were last checked. A page that does not tell you how old it is has asked you to trust it without telling you what you are trusting.
Written once, checked by someone else
Every page is written by Mirza Seraj Baig and reviewed before publishing by a named specialist — Midhun Mohandas Nair (accounting, tax & business setup consultant) or CA Akbar Ali (financial & regulatory specialist), depending on the subject. Both names appear on the page, and both are real people you can look up.
The registry
Every source we cite
Grouped by the body that issues it, in roughly the order of how binding each is on a DIFC entity. Every link goes to the authority’s own site — none is a mirror, a summary or a cached copy.
DIFC Authority
30 sourcesThe Centre itself: entity types, the Registrar of Companies, the client handbooks and the published table of fees. Authoritative for anything about registering and running a DIFC entity.
- DIFC — AI LicenceThe subsidised AI Licence fee, what it includes, the Dubai AI Campus and the three-step application route
- DIFC — AI, FinTech and Innovation FirmsThe Innovation, AI and Venture Studio licences and the Innovation Hub
- DIFC — Establish a BusinessBusiness categories and the setup process
- DIFC — Family BusinessesFamily office structures, the private register and the Family Wealth Centre
- DIFC — Financial FirmsThe financial-firm sectors DIFC licenses and their sub-categories
- DIFC — Industry leading achievements in H1 2026 (28 July 2026)Official DIFC performance statistics for the first half of 2026
- DIFC — Innovation LicenceThe subsidised Innovation Licence fee, its duration and what it includes
- DIFC — Non-Financial FirmsNon-financial activities, company structures and the Activities Guide
- DIFC — Private and Family Wealth OfferingFoundation, trust and family-arrangement laws, checklists and guides
- DIFC — Public RegisterThe Registrar's public register of DIFC entities — status, type, permitted activities and registered address, searchable by name or registered number
- DIFC — Registered and Recognised AuditorsThe Registrar of Companies auditor register, the requirement to appoint from it, and the published list of registered firms
- DIFC — Retail and Leisure BusinessesRetail, food and beverage, and art-gallery activities in the district
- DIFC — Special Purpose Vehicles (Prescribed Companies)SPV/Prescribed Company fees, qualifying applicants and restrictions
- DIFC — Variable Capital Companies (VCC)The VCC regime, segregated and incorporated cells, CSP requirement and published fees
- DIFC — Venture Studio LicenceThe Venture Studio Licence fee and what the price includes
- DIFC Client Handbook — Foundations, DIFC-CS-GL-18 Rev. 03, approved 30 March 2026Foundation registration fee (nil) and the annual operating licence fee, plus the Foundation compliance calendar
- DIFC Client Handbook — Private Company (Non-Financial and Retail), DIFC-CS-HB-03 Rev. 02, approved 24 March 2026Private company incorporation and annual licence fees, establishment card, sponsorship deposit, data protection fees and the compliance calendar
- DIFC Client Handbook — Public Company (Non-Financial and Retail), DIFC-CS-GL-15 Rev. 05, approved 7 April 2026Public company incorporation and annual licence fees
- DIFC Client Handbook — Recognised Company (Non-Financial and Retail), DIFC-CS-GL-14 Rev. 04, approved 28 March 2026Branch (Recognised Company) registration and annual licence fees
- DIFC Client Handbook — Setting up a Fund, DIFC-CS-HB-01 Rev. 04, updated 8 October 2024Registrar fees for fund vehicles — investment companies, protected cell companies, fund limited partnerships, general partners and incorporated cells
- DIFC Client Handbook — Setting up a Non-Financial Entity, DIFC-CS-HB-06 Rev. 09, updated 8 October 2024Registered address, lease registration deadlines and the penalty for late registration
- DIFC Client Handbook — Variable Capital Company, DIFC-CS-GL-38 Rev. 02, approved 30 March 2026VCC formation and licence fees, and the fees for incorporated and segregated cells
- DIFC Commissioner of Data ProtectionThe DIFC Data Protection Law, the Commissioner's role, notifications and data export
- DIFC Family Wealth Centre — Understanding DIFC TrustsDIFC's own guide to trusts — creation, trustees, registration, firewall provisions and the Article 8 certificate
- DIFC Foundations Law — DIFC Law No. 3 of 2018The statute governing DIFC Foundations
- DIFC Handbooks & Fees (Registrar of Companies Table of Fees)Official DIFC checklists, handbooks and the ROC Table of Fees
- DIFC Laws & Regulations — Legal DatabaseThe full text of DIFC laws and regulations
- DIFC Registrar of Companies (ROC)Registration of entities and the public register
- DIFC Trust Law — DIFC Law No. 4 of 2018 (updated 2024)The statute governing DIFC trusts, published with the DIFC Trust Handbook
- Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)Entity types, incorporation, licences and DIFC fees
DIFC Courts
7 sourcesAn independent English-language common-law court with its own rules, fees and Wills Service. Authoritative for jurisdiction, dispute resolution, wills and probate.
- DIFC CourtsDIFC common-law jurisdiction and dispute resolution
- DIFC Courts — Court structureThe Small Claims Tribunal thresholds, Court of First Instance, Court of Appeal and specialised divisions
- DIFC Courts — EnforcementEnforcement of DIFC Courts judgments locally, regionally and internationally
- DIFC Courts — FeesDIFC Courts and Wills Service registration fees
- DIFC Courts — JurisdictionThe DIFC Courts' jurisdictional gateways, including opt-in by written agreement
- DIFC Courts — Probate RegistryProbate and enforcement of a registered DIFC Will
- DIFC Courts Wills ServiceThe registered will types, eligibility and the Wills Service
DFSA
9 sourcesThe Dubai Financial Services Authority regulates every financial service in the DIFC. Authoritative for licence categories, authorisation, capital requirements and funds.
- DFSA — About the DFSAThe DFSA's status as independent regulator and the scope of its regulatory mandate
- DFSA — AlertsThe DFSA's published scam alerts, its verification guidance, the alert categories (Unauthorised, Clone, Regulator impersonation, Clarification) and the complaints route
- DFSA — Auditor RegistrationWhich entities must appoint a DFSA-Registered Auditor, and the nine conditions of registration including the Audit Principal and Senior Officer roles
- DFSA — Authorisation Services OverviewWho must be authorised or registered by the DFSA, and how licences are issued
- DFSA — Collective Investment Funds (the DFSA Funds Regime)Domestic fund types, minimum subscriptions, notification periods, fund vehicles and the External Fund Manager route
- DFSA — How we regulateThe DFSA's six functions, its risk-based approach and the Regulatory Law 2004 rulemaking power
- DFSA — Innovation and Technology (Innovation Testing Licence)The Innovation Testing Licence, the DFSA regulatory sandbox and cohort process
- DFSA — Public RegisterThe searchable register of Registered Auditors and Audit Principals, including withdrawn registrations
- Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA)Financial services authorisation, the Rulebook and supervision
UAE federal government
11 sourcesCorporate tax, VAT, economic substance, visas, residency and banking are federal matters and apply inside the DIFC too. The Centre's own rules never override them.
- Central Bank of the UAEBanking regulation in the UAE
- The Official Portal of the UAE Government (u.ae)Mainland company rules, licensing and foreign ownership
- UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP)UAE residence visas and Golden Visa eligibility
- UAE Federal Tax Authority (FTA)VAT and corporate tax registration, thresholds and filing
- UAE Government — Full foreign ownership of commercial companies100% foreign ownership on the UAE mainland and the strategic-impact exceptions
- UAE Government — Running a business in a free zoneFree zone customs treatment, import/re-export rights and the limits on selling into the mainland
- UAE Government — Starting a business in a free zoneFree zone entity types, licensing through the free zone authority and typical timelines
- UAE Government — Work and residency permitsResidence visa steps, medical fitness testing, Emirates ID and the 60-day completion window
- UAE Ministry of Finance — Amendment to the Cabinet Decision on Economic Substance RequirementsCabinet Decision No. 98 of 2024 ending ESR filings for periods ending after 31 December 2022
- UAE Ministry of Finance — Corporate TaxUAE Corporate Tax law, rates and Qualifying Free Zone Person rules
- UAE Ministry of Finance — Economic Substance RegulationsThe UAE Economic Substance Regulations, Relevant Activities and who they applied to
Other jurisdictions
5 sourcesCited only on comparison pages, and only from each jurisdiction's own website. We do not describe a competing centre using someone else's summary of it.
- Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)ADGM's own description of its authorities, framework and district
- ADGM — Our JurisdictionADGM's geographic extent and its direct application of English common law
- DIFC Innovation Hub — AI LicenceThe AI Licence registration fee, coworking desk price, visa allowance and discount, and the permitted activity list
- Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC)DMCC's own description of its status, scale, sectors and districts
- RAK International Corporate Centre (RAK ICC)The UAE's international corporate registry — its enabling decrees and regulations
Questions
About the sourcing
- Where do the DIFC fees on this site come from?
- DIFC's own published client handbooks and the Registrar of Companies Table of Fees, which are public PDFs on difc.com. We read the figures out of those documents rather than repeating them from other advisory sites, and each handbook carries a document control number and approval date so you can confirm you are looking at the same revision we did.
- Why does this site not publish company setup prices?
- Government charges are published and appear here with their source. Total setup cost is not a published number — it depends on your structure, activity, office requirement and headcount, and the professional fees around it vary by provider. Quoting a headline figure that later differs from a real quotation would mislead you, so we quote after understanding the requirement instead.
- What happens when sources disagree?
- We follow the hierarchy: federal law overrides DIFC rules, DIFC rules override guidance, and guidance overrides a summary page. Where two authorities genuinely conflict — usually because one has not been updated — the page says so and links both, rather than silently picking the more convenient one.
- Is this site affiliated with the DIFC?
- No. HenryClub Advisory is an independent information and referral service and is not a licensed corporate service provider. "DIFC" is used for identification only. This is not the official DIFC website, and nothing here is legal, tax or regulatory advice.
Fees, tax rules and requirements are indicative and change. Verify current figures with the DIFC, the DFSA and the UAE Ministry of Finance before acting. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Found something out of date? Tell us — corrections are welcome and we would rather hear it from you than leave it wrong. See also who writes this site.
Want this applied to your situation?
Tell us what you are setting up and we will point you to the rules that actually bind it — then introduce you to a licensed provider who can quote.