United Arab Emirates: Dubai Free Zone Companies to be Eligible for Dubai Mainland Activities

Update - January 26, 2026: As anticipated, this policy went into effect in September 2025. The list of permissible activities was published at that time but is not publicly available. As part of this policy change, Dubai free zone companies (excluding DIFC-licensed financial entities) operating in Dubai mainland under this policy must regularize their status by March 21, 2026.  

April 11, 2025: Eligible companies registered in one of the Dubai free zones will be able to apply for authorization to perform certain still-to-be-determined activities in the Dubai mainland (the list is expected to be published in September 2025). Companies will need to first obtain authorization from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and approval from their respective free zone authority. Once this policy change is in effect, it will grant eligible employers the flexibility to deploy existing free zone workers toward operations in the Dubai mainland, which should save costs for companies in the free zones seeking to also work in Dubai mainland.