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DIC – Dubai Internet City Freezone

Dubai Internet City is one of the most successful freezones on making Dubai the leading city in the Arab world for Information technology and Digitalization. It is the largest technology hub in the entire Middle East and MINA region. It is where IBM, TWITTER, WIPRO, MICROSOFT, GOOGLE, HP, ORACLE, and INFOSYS kind of companies call their home.

About Dubai Internet City Freezone

Dubai Internet City is located 25KM from Dubai World Centre on Sheikh Zayed road. When it was planned, there was only Emirates Golf Club was a known address. Back in 1999, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid already had the blueprint of Dubai’s future ready, and one of the first in the vision was to be no. 1 in Technology. To make it happen, it was important to lure multinational behemoths like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, HP, Oracle, etc. This was done by ensuring that the new Tech hub is a Freezone where expatriate companies and owners can have 100% ownership of their companies/ branches/ operations and they can have tax-free 100% profit repatriation. These laws made DIC very attractive and companies from all over the world started to open their branches as Middle East HQs. Many expatriates saw this as a golden opportunity to open their unicorns by availing of options like Flexi Desk etc.

DIC consists of a series of Buildings constructed along the lines of a university campus. Tastefully constructed with wide pebbled pathways linking all the buildings and nice curated gardens as well as a manmade lake that flows throughout the DIC. At present, there are more than 1600 companies registered with DIC and more than 21,000 employees call DIC their 2nd home. The DIC shares its boundary with Dubai Media City and Dubai Knowledge Park. These 3 companies are part of a tech/media/knowledge ecosystem, complementing each other and thriving together.

The vision of Dubai Internet City Freezone

The vision of Dubai Internet City is, to transition into a knowledge-based economy. This vision means the development of an ecosystem in which knowledge drives the economy. Dubai was already a well-known trading hub in the Middle East, thanks to the Jabel Ali Port and then Jabel Ali Freezone that created heaven for supply-chain which is so important for trading. However, a sustainable economy that is not dependent on Oil has more wheels and a Knowledge economy was the perfect answer. Very soon, Dubai Internet City became the preferred destination of companies that majored in Information Technology, Telecom Technology, and emerging Internet Technology.

Companies in Dubai Internet City Freezone              

IT companies all over the world prefer Dubai Internet City Freezone because

  • 50 years of the tax freeze
  • 100% ownership
  • No tax on profit
  • World-class infrastructure
  • Metro Ethernet connection
  • Complete living communities around the Freezone make it easy for people to live and thrive
  • A huge network of members offering new businesses to secure business easily
  • A management that is constantly innovating to continually improve

The companies in Dubai Internet City Freezone read like a countdown of the world’s biggest. Take a look at the list here

  • Google
  • Microsoft
  • Oracle
  • 3M
  • Amazon
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Sony Middle East
  • LG
  • Huawei
  • Symantec
  • Sage
  • Wipro
  • Infosys
  • Dell Middle East
  • eSolutions
  • SAP Middle East
  • Bynder
  • Epicor Software
  • ZIVO

Of course, this list is very limited and you may find a more comprehensive list by visiting their website www.dic.ae.

Dubai Internet City Freezone Offerings

You can set up your business easily in Dubai Internet City Freezone because of the flexibility in its offerings. These offerings suit your limited start-up budget and as you develop and grow, you may scale up your establishment. The offerings will come up with DIC’s excellence in service provision. No matter what option you choose, their team will be with you all the way. All the help is available online and you may not have to move from your desk in completing all documentation, payment, and other start-up-related work. Its online portal also has preferred vendors for interiors, legal, and banks. So, while you are busy making business strategies and recruitment your office is getting ready in a few clicks.

Commercial Spaces

Dubai Internet City freezone offers a wide range of commercial spaces. It may be a small standard office in its buildings to huge warehouses and light Industrial units in association with Jabel Ali Freezone. It has a cluster of 14 buildings referred to as “@1 to @14”.  The commercial spaces start with 200 sqft and can go up to any size based on your requirements. Currently, the office rent space starts at Aed 1500/= per sqft per person per month.

D/Quarters is the latest and most innovative offering from Dubai Internet City Freezone for professionals who thrive in a collaborative community. These are people who are game changers and need to work in a radically different environment. During regular office hours, day long sitting on one chair with a computer screen in Infront of them does not work. They need more flexibility, a more “live” environment, and better person-to-person connectivity. Dubai Internet City offers a 24/7 “open” workspace with all the facilities that ensure visions into action. Under D/Quarters, the following options are available;

Office D/Quarters

Starting at Aed 4,500/= per month, Office Quarters means a dedicated office space for you. Depending upon the size, the rental amount would change. The office quarters package includes;

  • Minimum 2 visas
  • Dedicated parking facility
  • Fully ready to move office space

You also get free credit for meeting rooms. As the office may not accommodate a bigger meeting space when your customers and suppliers come calling, Dubai Internet City has bespoke meeting rooms. These meeting rooms are fully plug-and-play kind. All meeting rooms come with a tea/coffee station. You need to book a meeting room by paying a certain amount depending upon the size of the meeting room. However, if you book Office D/Quarter, you get certain credit points that you can use against the meeting room payment.

Desk Quarters       

If you are looking to have a cheaper option, and feel that open desk space is the right call then you can opt-out of Desk Quarters. Under this option, you will get a completely dedicated work desk that is well connected to the internet. This is ideal for those who need an open workspace so that ideas can be exchanged in a collaborative environment. The Desk Quarters start at Aed 3000/ per month. Desk Quarters include

  • Work permit for up to 2 with visas included
  • Parking facility
  • Well-connected and dedicated desk
  • You also get credit points for meeting rooms

Open Quarters

At times you may have a minimum office space requirement as you prefer to mostly work from home or work at a client’s place as a consultant or advisor. However, you still need to have a trade license and a valid visa. You should opt out for Open Quarters as it allows you to use an office desk only when you need to get connected to a global think tank. This option is called Open Quarter. The services include;

  • 1 work permit and visa
  • Shared Desk space
  • Parking option in surrounding parking zone
  • Credits for meeting rooms

Dubai Internet City Freezone offers the following common services to all the 3 options

  • 24 X 7 Access
  • Meeting room
  • Gaming room
  • Lounge area
  • High-Speed Internet
  • 5G wifi
  • Prayer Rooms
  • Lockers
  • Multiple parking options
  • Tastefully interior workspaces
  • Open Courtyard
  • Café
  • Pantry option
  • Flexible payment plan

In5 Tech is home to hundreds of start-ups in the area of technology. If you have a brilliant idea and need support to incubate and access world-class facilities including tech labs, a collaborative environment to share ideas, and investment in your project then Dubai Internet City Freezone’s in5 Tech is your perfect call.

Located on Sheikh Zayed Road, in the heart of Dubai Internet City, in5 tech is conceptualized to integrate ideas with an ecosystem that helps bring them to reality. Dubai Internet City freezone provides access to all the components of an ecosystem like investors, smart labs, coworking spaces, and education. The in5-center technopreneurs can pitch their ideas to investors to raise funds and then bring the ideas to reality. So far the tech start-ups in in5 Centre have raised more than AED 1.4 billion in funding since 2013.

in5 is home to hundreds of technopreneur start-ups. This innovation center is strategically located in the heart of Dubai Internet City and enjoys access to other media and educational hubs. 

To apply for in5 Centre, you need to note that

  • It is open 24 X 7
  • You may apply from any part of the world, any time of the day

Who you are is not important, how innovative your idea is

To apply you need to

  • Fill up the online application form
  • Present business plan
  • Upon shortlisting, you will be called for pitching your business plan and idea in front of a committee
  • Once the committee accepts your plan, you go ahead and incorporate your business and avail of various benefits

In5 Centre facilities

  • A separate in5 hub
  • Investor meet space and investor meeting organized by the DIC freezone
  • In5 event space (outdoor and indoor)
  • In5 Meeting and Board Room
  • In5 Multifacility Hall
  • Conference Room

Freelance

The go freelance option is for those who are like one man army. They don’t need anything but a valid trade license and visa to get going. They need a very short lead time to start their business at a very less cost. Go freelance in Dubai Internet City Freezone can be for 1 year to 3 years. It has no additional cost apart from trade license cost, visa cost, and establishment card. In total, you don’t need to pay anything more than Aed 12000 per annum. Go freelance will get you a trade license, and a local phone number and there you go.

Retail

The retail area in Dubai Internet City Freezone is to reach out to the entire community with your products or services. It is ideally suitable for Food and Beverage services, Courier services, Stationery sales, travel desks, etc. The retail space is generally available on the ground floor of its buildings and the license, as well as rental, shall vary as per the space and number of visas. You need to fill in an online application form to get the complete and comprehensive solution from the leasing team of Dubai Internet City Freezone.

Light Industrial Units

You may choose to establish a tech production facility under the aegis of Dubai Internet Freezone. The Light industrial units are located in Dubai Science Park and Dubai Production City. These industrial units are in the size of 5000sqft to 6000 sqft in Dubai Science Park. For a larger size, you may opt for Dubai Production City where Industrial units are available from 7500 sqft up to 13500 sqft. The other facilities include;

  • Joining multiple spaces
  • Mezzanine floor for office purposes
  • Dedicated service roads for heavy vehicle approach
  • Parking, loading, and unloading bays already built-in
  • 24 x 7 security
  • Strident fire safety mechanism in place
  • Apt for storage, light manufacturing, showroom, and manufacturing

Warehouses

If you have requirements for a warehouse as you offer supply chain part of technology, then Dubai Internet City freezone has a warehouse solution through warehouses located in Dubai Industrial Park. These warehouses come in the standard sizes of 5600 sqft and go up to 11000 sqft. Apart from the size, the following facilities are available;

  • The front door of 6ft X 6 ft for easy flow of goods in and out of the warehouse
  • Advanced fire management system in place
  • Mezzanine floor for office purposes
  • Facility and option to join warehouse units
  • Parking, loading, and unloading bays built-in
  • 24 x 7 security
  • Apt for storage, office, and showrooms

Business Setup with Dubai Internet City Freezone

All you need to do is visit www.dic.ae and go to the section Set up Business and click the options, either

  • Set up a business,
  • I am a freelancer.

You need to fill in the online application form. The DIC Freezone Customer Relation team shall liaise with all the other departments like PRO/ Leasing/ Government Services and complete the documentation process. Please ensure that you keep some documents like;

  • Your current passport and visa
  • Business Plan
  • Your bank statements
  • Passport size photograph
  • Proposed shareholding document

For Gofreelancing and i5 center licenses, the process is completed the same day. However, for other types, it may take a couple of days. It also depends upon your readiness with payment.

FAQs

What is Dubai Internet City Freezone?

Dubai Internet City Freezone is a freezone tailormade for transitioning Dubai to a Knowledge-based economy by luring global IT corporates to make Dubai their Middle East/ MINA headquarters. The DIC freezone is located just close to Dubai Marina and after Al Barsha. It was established in 1999 and till today it has issued more than 1600 trade licenses. More than 30000 employees work in Dubai Internet City freezone. It is not only a workplace but also a thriving community with extensive retail, living communities, hotels, cafes, and restaurants.

Where is Dubai’s Internet city Freezone?

Dubai Internet City Freezone is located on Sheik Zayed Road. It is in between Al Barsha and Dubai Marina. It is part of a cluster of three freezones, i.e., Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, and Dubai Knowledge Park.

How to reach Dubai Internet city Freezone?

It can be reached by Dubai Metro Redline. You alight at Dubai Internet City metro station and take the ramp to cross over the Sheikh Zayed Road In the metro station, you would see the signages also to reach the Internet City Freezone.

Conclusion

Dubai Internet City freezone is actively encouraging start-ups and unicorns. It has been home to global tech companies for almost 23 years and counting. Every year new ideas are incubated, new businesses are made, and new millionaires are made here. Innovation is the keyword and tech is the buzzword. You combine it and then the significance of what the DIC freezone is contributing to Dubai’s economy would be clear.

Dubai Internet City freezone offers companies complete facilities to join its community and take advantage of the offers. These facilities are not only office and infrastructure but beyond. The companies of Dubai Internet City freezone can use its tech lab, its investor forum, its business-to-business events, and its vision to create successful businesses that are knowledge-based so that Dubai’s economy and Dubai society also benefit from them.