Free Zones

Dubai Science Park: Company Setup & Accounting Guide

2026-02-12 · 4 min read · By Aureus Worldwide

Dubai Science Park (DSP), part of TECOM Group, is a science-focused free zone in Dubai serving life sciences, pharmaceuticals, healthcare products, energy and environment businesses. It pairs a free-zone company framework with science-ready facilities such as fitted laboratories and warehousing, making it a base for the science and R&D value chain. This guide explains how a Dubai Science Park company setup works, the activities it supports, the steps, and the accounting and tax obligations that follow.

Why choose Dubai Science Park

DSP's main draw is a purpose-built science ecosystem: a community of life-science, pharma and energy companies with access to labs, warehousing and a recognised Dubai address. Like other TECOM zones it offers 100% foreign ownership, profit repatriation and a single-authority process. It suits science, pharma and environment businesses that need specialised facilities and want to be among sector peers rather than those purely seeking the lowest cost.

Who it suits

Dubai Science Park is a strong fit for:

• Pharmaceutical and life-science companies
• Healthcare-product, nutraceutical and cosmetics firms
• Medical-device and diagnostics businesses
• Energy, environment and sustainability companies
• R&D, laboratory and scientific-service providers

Licence and activities

DSP issues licences across science, commercial, service and industrial categories tied to defined activity lists.

Certain regulated products (such as pharmaceuticals) require additional sector approvals. Confirm the current activity list and approvals with the free zone authority.

Facilities

DSP is known for science-ready premises, typically including:

• Fitted and customisable laboratories
• Warehouses, including temperature-controlled storage
• Offices and business-centre space
• Facilities suited to pharma and R&D

Premises choices affect visa allocations, so size them with your hiring plans and confirm current options with TECOM.

Setup steps

1. Choose your activity and licence type.
2. Reserve a compliant company name.
3. Select your structure and shareholders (full foreign ownership permitted).
4. Obtain product/sector approvals where the activity is regulated.
5. Choose premises, lab, warehouse or office.
6. Submit documents and receive approval and the trade 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 DSP company has the same UAE-wide obligations as any other entity:

• Bookkeeping. Science and pharma businesses need careful inventory (including batch and expiry), R&D and project-cost 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 and the QFZP guide.
• VAT. Register at the threshold; certain medicines and medical equipment may be zero-rated, so VAT treatment needs care.

Setup timeline and costs

A Dubai Science Park setup is usually measured in days to a few weeks once documents are complete, but regulated products such as pharmaceuticals require additional sector approvals that add lead time, and fitting out a lab takes longer than an office. Costs depend on the licence type, the premises (office through to fitted laboratory or temperature-controlled warehouse), the number of visas and your activities, and TECOM revises its terms periodically. Confirm current fees, product approvals and packages directly with the free zone authority rather than relying on third-party figures, and build approval lead times into your plan.

Staying compliant after setup

A DSP licence is renewed annually, and any product or sector approvals carry their own renewal requirements that must be kept current. Diarise these dates and prepare early so neither the company nor regulated activities are disrupted. Science and pharma businesses should keep batch and expiry-aware inventory, R&D and project-cost records current throughout the year, alongside Corporate Tax registration and careful VAT treatment of medicines and medical equipment. Coordinating company, product and tax obligations together is what keeps a regulated science business running smoothly.

Dubai Science Park at a glance

Dubai Science Park versus Dubai Healthcare City

DSP serves the upstream science, pharma and energy value chain with lab facilities, while Dubai Healthcare City is built for clinical providers inside a regulated healthcare cluster. Choose based on whether you make/trade science products or deliver clinical care. For a broader framework, see choosing the right UAE free zone.

How Aureus Worldwide helps

Aureus Worldwide helps science founders set up in Dubai Science Park end to end, navigating licensing and product approvals and coordinating lab premises and visas through our company formation team. We then keep you compliant with accounting, Corporate Tax and the specific VAT treatment of medical products, and arrange audit through licensed partners. We confirm changeable rules and fees with TECOM before you commit. To set up in Dubai Science Park, contact us.

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