# DIFC Innovation Licence

- **Type:** license
- **Status:** evergreen
- **City:** Dubai
- **Equity:** No equity
- **Cost:** USD 1,500/yr (published rate)
- **Duration:** Evergreen licence
- **Apply:** https://www.difc.com/business/establish-a-business/innovation-licence
- **Page:** https://www.dxbstart.com/programs/difc-innovation-licence

The DIFC Innovation Licence is a subsidised commercial licence for tech startups in Dubai’s financial centre: about USD 1,500 a year on the public page, discounted coworking, a small visa quota on the first desk, and a path into Ignyte. Evergreen. It is paper and an address, not a cohort. FinTech Hive and the DFSA testing licence are separate applications. If you need to sell to the mainland from day one, this is the wrong structure — look at a DED licence. If you want cheap and remote with no DIFC story, Meydan or IFZA will be simpler and less performative.

## Desk take

Buy this if you want DIFC on the invoice and you will use the building. Do not buy it to look regulated. The Innovation Licence does not make you a financial-services firm.

## Eligibility

A subsidised commercial licence for tech and innovation companies that want a DIFC address and access to its MEASA ecosystem.
- Open to all technology and innovation firms at any stage — startups to unicorns — across AI/ML, fintech, gaming, AR/VR, healthtech, edtech, e-commerce, Web3 and similar sectors
- Subsidised at USD 1,500 per annum for 2 to 5 years; for firms developing or testing new, novel or innovative products
- Access to premium DIFC coworking at discounted rates (50% off flexi desks per the current offer) and discounted visas — up to 4 visas on the first desk
- Includes discounted access to Ignyte, DIFC's platform connecting founders with investors, mentors and perks
- Three-step process: register interest with the DIFC team, in-principle approval via the DIFC portal, then entity registration and procuring space in DIFC

## Questions

### Does this include the Hive accelerator?

No. Licence and accelerator are different objects.

### How many visas?

Public copy has mentioned up to four discounted visas on the first desk. Confirm on the DIFC page when you apply.


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Source: DXBStart — the working index of the UAE startup ecosystem. Canonical page: https://www.dxbstart.com/programs/difc-innovation-licence
More machine-readable resources: https://www.dxbstart.com/llms.txt
Startups can request a listing at https://www.dxbstart.com/submit — free, editorially reviewed.