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Dubai Science ParkSetup cost, licence types and visa rules

Dubai

100% Ownership

Dubai's life sciences and energy sciences free zone, with purpose-built labs.

Dubai Science Park in Al Barsha is the only Dubai free zone specialising in life sciences, pharmaceuticals and energy sciences, and it is built around LEED-certified purpose-built laboratory space rather than generic offices. A community of more than 3,600 professionals works across pharma and healthcare, biotechnology, environmental and energy research, and food, beverage and perfumery laboratories. Laboratory space in a free zone is genuinely scarce in Dubai, which is the main reason a science company would choose DSP over a cheaper general-purpose zone. Offices, warehouses, light industrial units, D/Quarters co-working and in5 incubator space are also available. As a TECOM district it publishes no pricing, and its licence categories were not retrievable from a primary source.

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Overall Score
4.5/10
CostsNot scored
Regulation4.5
BankingNot scored
VisaNot scored

"Not scored" means we found no evidence for that dimension, not that the zone scored zero. Compare zones against each other, not against 10.

How much does Dubai Science Park cost?

Dubai Science Park does not publish its pricing. That is the finding, not a gap in our data.

Dubai Science Park does not publish its pricing

We checked on 22 August 2026 and found no published figure. That is a finding about Dubai Science Park, not a gap in our data: every "from AED …" number you will see for this zone elsewhere is a consultant's quote presented as an authority price. We would rather show you nothing than show you that.

What its site does show: Not published. Not covered by the GoFreelance four-zone freelance licence either. Purpose-built LEED-certified laboratories are its distinguishing asset and are entirely unpriced publicly.

Get a quote for Dubai Science Park

What licence types does Dubai Science Park issue?

Dubai Science Park does not publish a named licence-type taxonomy. What it does publish about permitted activity is below.

Permitted activities

Pharmaceuticals and healthcareLife sciencesEnergy sciencesWellness and medical researchFood and beverage and perfumery labs

What office options does Dubai Science Park offer?

Dubai Science Park publishes 7 workspace options: Office, Laboratory, Light industrial unit, Warehouse, Retail, D/Quarters co-working, In5 centre. Dubai Science Park requires a physical presence in the zone, so the workspace cost is part of the real entry price rather than an optional extra.

OfficeLaboratoryLight industrial unitWarehouseRetailD/Quarters co-workingIn5 centre

Published workspace options: Office, Laboratory, Light industrial unit, Warehouse, Retail, D/Quarters co-working, In5 centre. Important: a virtual address or flexi-desk satisfies the free zone's own licensing rule but is a separate question from the adequate-substance test that a Qualifying Free Zone Person must meet to claim the 0% Corporate Tax rate.

Tax and compliance at Dubai Science Park

Dubai Science Park publishes no blanket audit obligation of its own. Separately, every free zone company in the UAE falls under Federal Decree-Law 47 of 2022: the 0% rate applies only to the qualifying income of a Qualifying Free Zone Person, and a QFZP must file audited accounts at any revenue under Ministerial Decision 84 of 2025. Non-qualifying income is taxed at 9%.

Regulatory authority
TECOM Group, under the Dubai Development Authority (DDA) (DDA)
Zone-level audit requirement
Not published as a blanket requirement

Tax treatment the authority publishes

  • 0% Corporate Tax on Qualifying Income for a Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) - conditional, not automatic
  • 9% Corporate Tax on any income that is not Qualifying Income; the AED 375,000 zero-rate band does not apply to a QFZP
  • 0% personal income tax in the UAE
  • 100% repatriation of capital and profits, with no UAE exchange controls
  • QFZP status requires adequate free zone substance, arm's length pricing, transfer pricing documentation, audited accounts and non-qualifying revenue within the de minimis limit (lower of AED 5,000,000 or 5% of revenue)
  • Small Business Relief is NOT available to a Qualifying Free Zone Person

Substance requirements

Federal position (applies to every UAE free zone): to claim the 0% Qualifying Free Zone Person rate a company must maintain adequate substance in the free zone - core income-generating activity carried out there, plus adequate assets, an adequate number of qualified full-time employees and adequate operating expenditure relative to that activity (Cabinet Decision No. 100 of 2023, Art. 8). Under Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025 every Qualifying Free Zone Person must prepare audited financial statements regardless of revenue; a free zone company that is not a QFZP needs audited accounts only where revenue exceeds AED 50,000,000. Economic Substance Regulations notifications and reports were cancelled for financial years ending after 31 December 2022 by Cabinet Decision No. 98 of 2024, so ESR is no longer a live annual filing. UBO disclosure under Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023 does still apply. Zone-level audit position: no primary source stating this zone's own audit requirement was retrievable during research. The audit_required flag is recorded as false because the field cannot express 'unknown'; do not read it as confirmation that no audit is required. The federal rules above apply in any case.

Customs treatment

This zone does not appear on the compiled VAT Designated Zone list and was not explicitly excluded from it, so its Designated Zone status is recorded as unknown rather than as 'no'. Goods held inside a customs-controlled free zone area are generally not subject to UAE customs duty until they enter the mainland, at which point 5% import VAT and any applicable duty arise. Verify Designated Zone status with the FTA before relying on it for goods movements.

Profit repatriation

The UAE imposes no exchange controls and no restrictions on repatriating capital or profits from a free zone company, and there is no personal income tax on distributions to individuals. Corporate Tax is assessed on the company, not on the remittance.

Ownership

The ownership position was not confirmed against an official source for this zone during research. UAE free zones generally permit 100% foreign ownership, but treat that as unverified here rather than as a published fact.

Local partner
Not required

Why there is no banking section

We publish no per-zone bank lists, acceptance rates or account-opening timelines, here or anywhere else on the site. No bank and no regulator publishes that data by free zone. Account opening is a decision each bank makes on your shareholders and your activity — it is not a property of the zone you register in, and any site that scores it per zone is inventing a fact.

Who Dubai Science Park suits

Every line below is a restatement of something Dubai Science Park publishes, not a recommendation we were paid to make. We are not a reseller for any zone on this site, which is why the right-hand column exists at all.

Consider it if

  • You want 100% foreign ownership with no local partner.

Don't pick this if

  • You are not ready to lease space: a physical presence in the zone is required.
  • You want a firm number before you talk to anyone: this zone publishes none, so you will have to request a quote.

Key benefits, as Dubai Science Park states them

These are the selling points the authority publishes about itself. We reproduce them; we do not endorse them.

Only Dubai free zone specialised in life sciences, pharma and energy sciences
LEED-certified purpose-built laboratories, uncommon among general-purpose zones
Community of 3,600+ professionals

Common questions about Dubai Science Park

Does Dubai Science Park publish its setup cost?

Dubai Science Park does not publish its pricing. That is the finding, not a gap in our data. Not published. Not covered by the GoFreelance four-zone freelance licence either. Purpose-built LEED-certified laboratories are its distinguishing asset and are entirely unpriced publicly.

Can a foreign investor own 100% of a company in Dubai Science Park?

The ownership position was not confirmed against an official source for this zone during research. UAE free zones generally permit 100% foreign ownership, but treat that as unverified here rather than as a published fact.

What tax treatment applies to a Dubai Science Park company?

Dubai Science Park publishes the following: 0% Corporate Tax on Qualifying Income for a Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) - conditional, not automatic, 9% Corporate Tax on any income that is not Qualifying Income; the AED 375,000 zero-rate band does not apply to a QFZP, 0% personal income tax in the UAE, 100% repatriation of capital and profits, with no UAE exchange controls, QFZP status requires adequate free zone substance, arm's length pricing, transfer pricing documentation, audited accounts and non-qualifying revenue within the de minimis limit (lower of AED 5,000,000 or 5% of revenue) and Small Business Relief is NOT available to a Qualifying Free Zone Person. The 0% federal rate applies only to the qualifying income of a Qualifying Free Zone Person; other income is taxed at 9%.

Where is Dubai Science Park located?

Dubai Science Park is a free zone in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Compare Dubai Science Park against

See all UAE free zones

Guides that cover Dubai and this zone's situation

Cost data for Dubai Science Park was last checked against TECOM Group, under the Dubai Development Authority (DDA)'s own site on 22 August 2026. We publish no figure for this zone rather than repeat one we cannot source. We do not charge to be listed, to be listed accurately, or to be ranked. If something here is wrong or out of date, send us the page that says so and we will correct it and re-date the record.