Free Zones

Dubai Healthcare City: Company Setup & Accounting Guide

2025-12-01 · 4 min read · By Aureus Worldwide

Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) is a specialised healthcare free zone in Dubai, created as a cluster for clinics, hospitals, diagnostics, medical education, research and the businesses that support them. It pairs a free-zone company framework with sector-specific clinical regulation, making it the natural home for healthcare providers and medical companies in Dubai. This guide explains how a DHCC company setup works, the licences and approvals it requires, the steps, and the accounting and tax obligations that follow.

Why choose Dubai Healthcare City

DHCC offers a purpose-built healthcare ecosystem with co-located providers, a recognised regulatory framework and a strong reputation for clinical quality. Like other free zones it offers 100% foreign ownership, full profit repatriation and a single-authority company process, but with an added layer of clinical licensing and credentialing for healthcare activities. It suits providers and medical businesses that value being inside a regulated healthcare cluster.

Who it suits

DHCC is a strong fit for:

• Clinics, hospitals and day-surgery centres
• Diagnostics, laboratories and imaging providers
• Medical, dental and allied-health professionals
• Pharmaceutical, medical-device and life-science companies
• Medical education, training and research organisations

Licence and activities

DHCC issues both clinical and non-clinical licences. Clinical activities carry additional regulatory requirements.

Clinical operators must obtain facility licensing and professional credentialing from the DHCC regulatory authority, in addition to the company licence. Confirm the current activity list and clinical requirements with the authority.

Setup steps

1. Choose your activity and licence type (clinical or non-clinical).
2. Reserve a compliant company name.
3. Select your structure and shareholders (full foreign ownership permitted).
4. Obtain clinical approvals and credentialing where the activity is healthcare.
5. Choose premises suitable for the activity (clinical space has standards).
6. Submit documents and receive approval and the licence.
7. Process establishment card and visas, then open a corporate bank account, see our bank account guide.

Our company formation team can run this end to end.

Accounting, audit and tax considerations

A DHCC company has the same UAE-wide obligations as any other entity, with sector nuances:

• Bookkeeping. Healthcare providers need careful revenue, insurance-claims and inventory accounting, see our accounting service.
• Audit. Free zones commonly expect audited financial statements at renewal; our audit team arranges this through licensed partner firms.
• Corporate Tax. Register and file federally. A QFZP may access 0% on qualifying income with substance and within the de minimis limits; otherwise 9% applies above AED 375,000. See our tax service.
• VAT. Certain healthcare services and medicines may be zero-rated or exempt, getting VAT treatment right is essential, so plan it carefully.

Setup timeline and costs

A DHCC setup typically takes longer than a standard trade-zone licence because clinical operators must also complete facility licensing and professional credentialing, which has its own requirements and timelines. Non-clinical and commercial licences are quicker. Costs depend on the licence type, the premises (clinical space must meet standards), the number of visas, credentialing and your activities, and DHCC revises its terms periodically. Confirm current fees, clinical requirements and packages directly with the free zone authority rather than relying on third-party figures, and build the clinical-approval lead time into your launch plan.

Staying compliant after setup

A DHCC licence is renewed annually, and clinical licences and professional credentials carry their own renewal cycles that must be kept current to keep operating. Diarise all of these dates and prepare early so neither the company nor clinical operations are disrupted. Healthcare providers should keep revenue, insurance-claims and inventory records current throughout the year, alongside Corporate Tax registration and careful VAT treatment of healthcare services and medicines. Coordinating company, clinical and tax obligations together is what keeps a regulated healthcare business running smoothly.

Dubai Healthcare City at a glance

DHCC versus Dubai Science Park

DHCC is built for clinical and medical operators inside a regulated healthcare cluster, while Dubai Science Park serves the broader science, energy and life-sciences value chain. Choose based on whether you deliver clinical care or sit upstream in research and trade. For a broader framework, see choosing the right UAE free zone.

How Aureus Worldwide helps

Aureus Worldwide helps healthcare founders set up in DHCC end to end, navigating company and clinical licensing and coordinating visas through our company formation team. We then keep you compliant with accounting, Corporate Tax and the specific VAT treatment of healthcare, and arrange audit through licensed partners. We confirm changeable clinical and fee rules with the authority before you commit. To set up in Dubai Healthcare City, contact us.

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