DGDP: the only dedicated jewellery, gold & diamond free zone in the MENA region
Dubai Gold & Diamond Park (DGDP) is a specialised cluster on Sheikh Zayed Road, operated under the JAFZA umbrella. Licenses start from AED 20,000, with on-site manufacturing workshops, secured vaults and customer-facing retail showrooms in one regulated facility. Hallmarking pickup by Dubai Central Laboratory is built into the address.
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Why DGDP exists, and why it has no real equivalent in the region
Dubai Gold & Diamond Park was launched in 2001 by Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (JAFZA) as the UAE's first and only purpose-built free zone dedicated entirely to the jewellery, gold and diamond trade. The mandate has not shifted since: one regulated address that combines manufacturing workshops, secure vaults and retail showrooms under a single licensing regime.
Unlike DMCC, which licenses gold and diamond traders at a generalist tower address in JLT, DGDP is a physical cluster. Workshops, retail units and back-of-house vaults sit side by side on Sheikh Zayed Road, and the entire complex is wired for the realities of the trade: gas distribution for casters and refiners, acid disposal lines, 24/7 surveillance and security, and direct on-site pickup by Dubai Central Laboratory (DCL) for hallmarking and Bareeq certification. Companies licensed here inherit the JAFZA legal framework (FZE, FZCO, branch) while operating in a precious-metals environment audited to international standards.
What you can run under a DGDP license
DGDP is a specialist cluster. The five activity families below cover almost every licensed operator on site. We confirm yours during the consultation and map it to the correct JAFZA license code.
Gold & jewellery trading
Wholesale and retail of gold bars, bullion, finished jewellery and bridal sets. Bareeq-certified product flows directly to your DGDP showroom.
Diamond trading & cutting
Rough and polished diamond trading, cutting, polishing and grading. On-site access to gemological laboratories for certification.
Gemstone trading
Loose gemstones, coloured stones, certified rubies, sapphires and emeralds. Secure vaulting included with workshop units.
Hallmarking & assay
Assay services, purity testing, lab support and quality-control activities feeding the DCL hallmarking pipeline.
Jewellery manufacturing
Casting, refining, design, CAD/CAM, stone setting and finishing. Workshop units are pre-fitted with gas, ventilation and acid disposal infrastructure required by the trade.
What you actually get with a DGDP license
The practical entitlements that come with every DGDP license. Specialist cluster benefits the generalist free zones cannot match.
Only dedicated jewellery, gold & diamond free zone in the MENA region.
100% foreign ownership under the JAFZA umbrella, no local sponsor required.
100% repatriation of capital and profits, no currency restrictions.
On-site hallmarking pickup by Dubai Central Laboratory (DCL) and Bareeq certification.
Workshops pre-fitted with gas distribution, exhaust ventilation and acid disposal.
24/7 security, continuous video surveillance and integrated fire safety.
Secure vaults on premises, no need to contract a third-party custody provider.
Combined manufacturing + retail address: produce, certify and sell from one license.
JAFZA legal framework: FZE, FZCO or branch of an existing company.
Shuttle services to nearby hotels for buyers and trade visitors.
Pick the license that matches your model
Three license families cover the precious-metals trade at DGDP. Pricing scales with workshop or showroom size and visa quota.
Most picked
Trading
The most-picked option for gold, diamond and gemstone traders.
- Gold bullion, bars and finished jewellery
- Loose diamonds, polished stones and gemstones
- Import / export with the DGDP customs corridor
- Retail showroom or wholesale unit
- Bareeq-certified product handling
Industrial
For jewellery manufacturers, refiners and stone-cutting workshops.
- Casting, refining and stone setting
- CAD / CAM and design studios
- Workshop unit with gas + ventilation
- Acid disposal infrastructure included
- Direct DCL hallmarking pickup
Service
For assay, gemological labs, appraisal and trade-support firms.
- Assay and purity testing
- Diamond grading and certification labs
- Jewellery valuation and appraisal
- Consultancy to the precious-metals trade
Notable names established at Dubai Gold & Diamond Park
DGDP hosts the regional flagships of the GCC and Indian-subcontinent jewellery industry, plus specialist trading houses for certified diamonds and coloured stones.
Jewellery
Damas Jewellery
Heritage UAE jewellery house, one of the founding tenants and a benchmark for the Khaleeji bridal segment.
Gold & diamond
Joyalukkas
Pan-GCC and Indian retailer of gold and diamond jewellery with a flagship showroom inside the park.
Jewellery
Malabar Gold & Diamonds
Global jewellery retailer, present at DGDP for both wholesale operations and customer-facing retail.
22k Gold
Chetan Jewellers
Specialist in traditional 22-carat gold jewellery, serving the Indian-subcontinent diaspora trade.
Diamonds
Kanz Jewels
Diamond-focused jewellery house with a long-standing presence inside the park complex.
Gems
Tejori Gems
Coloured-gemstone trader operating from the DGDP workshop and showroom cluster.
Certified diamonds
Clara Diamond
Certified-diamond specialist focused on lab-graded polished stones for the trade and retail market.
Gem trading
Kuntal Gems
Wholesale gemstone trading house, representative of the specialist B2B trade hosted at DGDP.
On Sheikh Zayed Road, opposite Mall of the Emirates
DGDP sits on Sheikh Zayed Road in the Al Quoz Industrial 3 corridor, directly across from Mall of the Emirates. It is the only free zone in Dubai where retail buyers, B2B traders and manufacturing workshops share the same address.
- 15 min to Downtown Dubai
- 20 min to DXB International Airport
- 5 min to Mall of the Emirates and Sharaf DG Metro
- Direct Sheikh Zayed Road access with covered customer parking
Secure vaults
Bonded storage included with workshop units
Workshop units
Pre-fitted with gas, ventilation and acid disposal
Retail showrooms
Customer-facing units on the SZR frontage
DCL pickup
On-site hallmarking by Dubai Central Laboratory
How we incorporate your DGDP company in 10–15 working days
Six steps from first call to issued license. JAFZA handles the regulator side; we run the file.
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5
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Scope activities with us
30-minute call to confirm whether you trade, manufacture, refine or run a service. We map the JAFZA activity code to your business model.
Pick the legal form & unit
FZE, FZCO or branch. We pair it with the right physical unit type: retail showroom, workshop or back-of-house vault.
Reserve trade name & package
JAFZA name approval, license-term selection, visa quota and Bareeq enrolment if you handle gold.
KYC, source-of-funds & lease
Precious-metals KYC is stricter than a generalist zone. We compile passport, address proof, bank reference, business plan and the workshop or showroom lease.
Sign MoA & pay establishment
Memorandum of Association signed and JAFZA establishment card issued. Bank-account intro starts in parallel.
Receive license & fit-out
Trade license issued, unit handover, DCL hallmarking enrolment and secure-vault keys delivered.
Four realities first-time jewellery founders miss
Specialist licence required
Precious metals and stones are not a generalist trading activity. JAFZA requires a specialist DGDP licence with enhanced KYC, source-of-funds proof and (for gold) Bareeq enrolment. A standard free-zone licence elsewhere will not let you handle gold or rough diamonds.
Setup timeline
License in 10–15 working days, slower than a generalist zone because of the precious-metals KYC layer. Residence visa adds 2–3 weeks. Budget 6–8 weeks end-to-end with visa and unit fit-out.
Corporate tax 9% trigger
UAE corporate tax kicks in at 9% on net profit above AED 375,000. Below that, the effective rate is 0%. Free-zone "qualifying income" can stay at 0% with substance, but gold and diamond trading has specific qualifying-activity rules. Plan with an auditor.
Hallmarking compliance
Every gold piece sold from a DGDP retail unit must carry a Dubai Central Laboratory Bareeq hallmark. DCL operates regular on-site pickup, but you must register your products and supply chain to the assay process before going live.
What's inside our DGDP all-in-one package
One transparent fee covers company formation, residence visa and UAE banking introductions. From AED 35,000: 1 year, 1 visa, JAFZA establishment card and DCL hallmarking enrolment included.
Company formation
- JAFZA trade name reservation
- License issuance (Trading, Industrial or Service)
- Memorandum of Association drafting + e-signature
- JAFZA establishment card
- Unit lease coordination (showroom or workshop)
- Corporate Tax registration & initial compliance filing
- DCL Bareeq hallmarking enrolment (gold activities)
Residence visa
- Entry permit issuance
- Medical fitness test coordination
- Emirates ID application & biometrics
- Visa stamping inside passport
- Status change inside the UAE
- Valid 2 years, renewable
Banking
- Business and personal account introductions
- Document pack prepared to precious-metals KYC standard
- Source-of-funds narrative coaching
- Follow-up support until account is opened
- Backup option with a UAE digital bank
DIY vs working with us
On your own
Compare 45+ providers
Rules, prices and procedures all over the place
Check trade-name availability
Submit the request and wait for approval
Fill admin forms & files
Errors = delays or fines
Gather supporting documents
Missing or incorrect = rejection or fines
Chase extra approvals
Miss one and you trigger penalties or delays
Shop prices and locations
Hidden costs likely
Handle the payments
Procedural errors = fines or delays
Run the visa process
Strict steps and timelines, fine risk
Shop UAE banks cold
High rejection risk
Track compliance yourself
VAT & renewals → penalties if missed
Time sink
Stress, errors, financial risk
Recommended
With us
An optimal structure
Tailored to your goals
Trade name reserved
Fast and approved
Dedicated personal support
By your side at every step
Compliant, validated file
Optimised to pass first time
Easier networking
Targeted introductions
Optimised investment
No unnecessary costs
End-to-end support
Fast and stress-free
Single point of contact
Clear, personalised follow-up
Bank account opening
Fast and simplified
Zero stress, total peace of mind
We look after everything
100% business focus
We handle the rest
Teams we've set up at Dubai Gold & Diamond Park
"The process isn't finished yet, but so far, everything is going well! Thanks to Akhil for his help during the various appointments; he was always there and welcoming."
"Everything went perfectly with Créer Société Dubai. The team is very efficient, professional, and provides clear support at every stage. Responses to every question are quick and precise. A serious and very well-organized service."
"The service was incredible. No hidden fees like with many agencies I'd heard about. The service was truly top-notch. I didn't have to manage a single thing. I highly recommend them!"
DGDP: frequently asked questions
License pricing starts from AED 20,000 for a Trading or Service license without unit. Total Year 1 cost depends heavily on three variables: license type, unit size (showroom or workshop), and visa quota.
- 1-year Trading licence, no visa, no unit: from AED 20,000
- 1-year Trading + 1 visa + small showroom: typically AED 80,000–150,000
- Industrial (manufacturing workshop) + 2–3 visas: AED 150,000–250,000
Workshop and showroom leases inside DGDP are the largest line item: expect AED 150–300 per sqft per year depending on frontage.
DMCC and DGDP both regulate the precious-metals trade, but they are not the same product:
- DMCC is a generalist free zone in JLT. You get a tower-office address and a trading licence. It is ideal for pure traders who do not need a physical workshop or customer-facing retail showroom.
- DGDP is a specialised physical cluster on Sheikh Zayed Road, under the JAFZA umbrella. You get a workshop or showroom in a regulated jewellery precinct, with on-site hallmarking pickup and secure vaults.
Rule of thumb: if you manufacture, refine or sell to walk-in customers, pick DGDP. If you only trade B2B from an office, DMCC usually wins on flexibility and TCO.
Yes. Dubai Central Laboratory (DCL), part of Dubai Municipality, operates regular pickup and drop-off services inside DGDP for all gold manufactured or sold from the park. Every certified piece carries the Bareeq hallmark, the UAE's official guarantee of purity. DCL is also accredited by the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) and the Association of European Assay Offices (AEAO), so a Bareeq hallmark is recognised internationally.
The formation paperwork can be done remotely, but precious-metals KYC is stricter than at a generalist zone. JAFZA may request an in-person source-of-funds interview for licences that handle physical gold or rough diamonds. You will need to travel for the residence visa in any case (medical, Emirates ID, stamping). Budget a 7 to 10 day trip.
Service licences (assay, valuation, consultancy) can sometimes start with a shared address, but Trading and Industrial licences at DGDP require a physical unit: a showroom on the retail frontage, or a workshop in the manufacturing wing. This is the whole point of the cluster. Generalist zones (IFZA, Meydan, SHAMS) accept flexi-desk addresses; DGDP does not, for gold and diamond activities.
Plan 6 to 10 weeks after the license is issued. Banks apply enhanced due diligence (EDD) to precious-metals businesses: detailed source-of-funds, supplier list, expected transaction volumes and AML procedures. We prepare a precious-metals-grade document pack and introduce you to 2 pre-qualified banks. Without that pack, account-opening for gold traders frequently stalls or is declined.
Other free zones worth considering
Each free zone serves a different model. If Dubai Gold & Diamond Park isn't quite the right fit, these are the closest alternatives.
Book your free 30-minute consultation
We'll tell you within 30 minutes whether DGDP is the right cluster for your jewellery, gold or diamond business, and if it isn't, which free zone is.
