Off-hours — we reply first thing at 9:00 local. Vy is always on.
Dubai Design District is the city's cluster for design and fashion: studios, ateliers, agencies and brand businesses license here, in a district built around creative work rather than adapted for it. We file the licence, run KYC and handle the visa.
d3 is a purpose-built creative district: studios, showrooms and event space in one cluster, with an activity list written for design rather than borrowed from a general register.
Studios, brands and agencies sit together, which shortens the distance to collaborators, suppliers and clients.
Design, fashion and creative categories are licensed directly rather than adapted from a general services list.
Premises in the district suit studios that need to show work, not only desks to sit at.
The district runs a design programme through the year, which is part of what the address is for.
Full foreign ownership with no local partner requirement, as across the UAE free zones.
Qualifying Free Zone Person status keeps corporate tax at 0% on qualifying income when the structure and activity support it.
d3 licenses design, fashion and creative activities from premises inside the district. The space you take is part of the licence and sets the visa allocation, and the district's own events calendar comes with the address.
d3 suits design-led businesses that want to sit inside the creative cluster — where the studios, the events and the client base already are.
Product, graphic, interior and industrial design practices.
Fashion labels, ateliers and the businesses around them.
Brand, communications and creative agency businesses.
Architectural and interior practices, including project-based studios.
Day 1–5
Diagnostic, KYC, activity scoping, d3 name reservation.
Week 2–4
Filing, MOA, initial approval.
Week 5–6
Licence issuance, establishment card, eSignature.
Week 7–9
Investor visa: entry permit, medical, Emirates ID.
Week 8–12
Corporate bank account (varies by bank).
Final cost depends on the zone, activity and visa count.
| Feature | Dubai Design District |  Dubai Media City |  Sharjah Media City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal framework | UAE Civil Law | UAE Civil Law | UAE Civil Law |
| 100% foreign ownership | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 0% on qualifying income | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 100% profit repatriation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Emirate | Dubai | Dubai | Sharjah |
| Focus | Design, fashion and creative practice | Advertising, publishing, broadcast and communications | Media, content and creative licensing |
| Best for | Design studios, fashion labels, creative agencies | Agencies, publishers and regional media HQs | Creators, small agencies and content businesses |
Bank suitability depends on your activity, ownership, documents and transaction profile.
Tell us the activity and headcount. We shortlist the zones that actually accept it.
No obligation. We tell you if it is not the right route.
Sonsoto quoted us a line-item budget for the licence, visas and the bank pack up front. Nothing crept in later. That alone was worth the fee.
I’d already been rejected by two banks. Sonsoto told me why, changed the pack, and we opened with WIO in three weeks. Straight answers, no theatre.
They caught a corporate-tax filing we were about to miss and re-scoped the renewals so we stopped paying twice for the same work. Now they run everything.
We’d spoken to four firms and got four different price sheets. Sonsoto was the only one that showed us where the extras came from — and we didn’t need them.
Golden Visa done, family visas done, licence renewed. Same team, same WhatsApp thread. I don’t chase PRO agents anymore.
They told me RAK was a better fit than Dubai for our margin. I’d already paid a deposit somewhere else. They still refunded my Sonsoto retainer and helped me exit.
More clients onboarded, higher payout.
Straight to the account.
More referrals unlocks higher payouts.
