Dubai
Dubai Internet City: real costs, licences and review
The region's established tech cluster — Microsoft, Google, Meta and the startups around them.
Our view
Part of TECOM Group, Dubai Internet City has been the Middle East's technology address since 1999. The regional headquarters of most large software vendors sit here, and that concentration is the actual product: proximity to enterprise buyers, to a deep technical hiring pool, and to the region's investor community.
It prices accordingly, and it is selective about activity — this is a technology zone, and a general trading application will be redirected. For a funded startup selling enterprise software in the Gulf, the address carries weight that a Silicon Oasis licence does not. For a bootstrapped developer invoicing European clients, it is money spent on a signal nobody is reading.
Key facts
| Emirate | Dubai |
|---|---|
| Licence from | AED 28,000 |
| Typical cost (1 visa) | AED 58,000 |
| Issuance time | 10–25 working days |
| Visa quota | Unlimited (with office) |
| Flexi-desk | Yes |
| Remote setup | No |
| Licence types | Professional / service, Commercial |
| Established | 1999 |
Official source: dic.ae
Honestly
What works
- Strongest tech ecosystem in the region
- Credibility with enterprise buyers and investors
- Excellent central location
- Access to TECOM's talent programmes
What doesn't
- Expensive relative to generalist zones
- Activity list restricted to technology
- Office space expected
- Slower approval process
Who this suits
- Funded technology startups
- Enterprise software vendors
- Regional tech headquarters
- Companies hiring technical staff locally
Let's talk about your actual case
A twenty-minute call. We will also tell you if the UAE is the wrong answer for you — it often is.