You apply through the DWTC Authority's eServices portal with details of the owners and passport copies for all shareholders, directors and the manager. The authority says formation can be done online from anywhere in the world.
You can form a company with up to ten shareholders, a single-shareholder establishment, or a branch of a UAE or foreign company. NXTSTAR prepares the application and any outside approvals your activity needs.
Last reviewed: by the NXTSTAR team.
Rules are set by the authority and can change. Confirm the current position before you apply.
Who DWTC Free Zone suits
DWTC suits professional services, consultancies, event and exhibition businesses and regional offices that want a central address on Sheikh Zayed Road.
It is not a warehousing or industrial zone.
Company structures
- Free Zone Company (FZCO): up to ten shareholders, managed by the shareholders or an appointed manager.
- Free Zone Establishment (FZE): one shareholder, an individual or a company.
- UAE branch: a branch of a local limited liability company.
- Foreign branch: a branch of a company established outside the UAE, under the parent's name.
Licences and activities
- Commercial licence, for import, export, sale, distribution and storage.
- General trading licence, for an unrestricted range of trading activities.
- Professional licence, for services such as advisory, consulting, software, training and human resources.
Documents
- Online application through the eServices portal
- Ultimate beneficial owner details
- Passport copies for all shareholders, directors and the manager
- For a branch: the parent company's corporate documents
The process, step by step
- Choose the structure and licence category.
- Check whether your activity needs approval from another authority.
- Submit the application online.
- Receive the licence and arrange office space, visas and banking.
What is particular to DWTC
The authority issues some licences only after another regulator has approved the activity. It names healthcare, education, retail food outlets and hotels as examples. If your activity is one of these, that approval sets the pace of the whole setup.
What NXTSTAR does, and what we do not
- We help you choose the structure, licence and activities.
- We prepare and submit the application.
- We handle the visa and bank account steps afterwards.
- We do not decide approvals. The authority does, and banks decide on accounts.
- We are an independent consultancy and are not part of DWTC Free Zone.
Common questions
How many shareholders can a DWTC company have?
An FZCO can have up to ten shareholders. An FZE has one.
Can I open a branch of my foreign company in DWTC?
Yes. A foreign branch keeps 100% ownership and operates under the parent company's name.
Can I apply from outside the UAE?
The DWTC Authority says company formation can be done online from anywhere in the world.
How much does DWTC Free Zone setup cost?
We do not publish prices. Ask us for a written quote that separates authority fees from our service fee.
Sources
The rules on this page come from the authority's own published material, checked on 7 October 2026.
Talk to NXTSTAR about DWTC Free Zone
Tell us what you want to do and we will tell you which route fits, what it involves and what we would need from you.