Dubai free zone profile
Dubai Silicon Oasis
A technology park with genuine industrial capacity. Located in Academic City corridor, 20 minutes from Downtown.
From
AED 14,500
Setup
About 1 week
Ownership
100% foreign
Visas
Scales with premises
About DSO
Dubai Silicon Oasis is a 7.2 square kilometre technology district that mixes offices, labs, light industrial units and housing in one master plan. It is one of the few Dubai zones where a hardware company can prototype, assemble and ship from the same address its engineers live in.
The Dubai Digital Park within DSO hosts the newer office stock, while the industrial precinct carries fabrication and assembly tenants. The zone belongs to DIEZ alongside DAFZA and CommerCity, and licence pricing lands mid-market.
The resident community matters here: schools, apartments and retail inside the district make it practical for teams that want short commutes, and the Rochester Institute of Technology campus supplies engineering graduates.
Licence types at DSO
- Service licence. Software, consultancy and technology services.
- Trading licence. Electronics, equipment and general trading.
- Industrial licence. Assembly, prototyping and light manufacturing.
Offices and facilities
- Flexi desks
- Digital Park offices
- Industrial units and warehouses
What DSO costs
Indicative first-year cost for a service licence. Confirmed quote issued on application. Budget from AED 14,500 for the first year, then add visa allocations, medicals and Emirates ID per person, and workspace if you upgrade beyond the entry package. Renewals typically come in below year-one totals. Our costs page breaks down every line item, and your written quote fixes the numbers before you pay.
Questions
DSO questions, answered
Is DSO only for tech companies?
Tech anchors the district, but the licence list spans trading, consulting and light industry. The practical question is whether the location and facilities fit your operation.
Can I live and work in Dubai Silicon Oasis?
Yes, the master plan includes apartments, villas, schools and retail. Plenty of founders licence, office and live within the same district.
What does a DSO licence cost?
Service licences start around AED 14,500 indicative in year one. Industrial setups depend on the unit, power and approvals, and we scope those individually.
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