DMCC insurance requirements

Who runs DMCC?

Fact	Detail	As of
Emirate	Dubai
Authority	Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Authority17
Legal basis	Decision No. 4 of 2002 establishing the Dubai Metals and Commodities Centre, later renamed Dubai Multi Commodities Centre17
Established	2002
Companies	26,000+, with 2,300+ added in 2025	End of 2025
People	90,000+ employed by member companies	2025
Main sectors	Commodities, technology, energy, finance
Website	dmcc.ae

What insurance and guarantees do companies in DMCC need?

Third party liability

• DMCC's licence renewal FAQs say every company licensed by DMCC must maintain third party liability or public liability insurance for its business operations at the minimum limit DMCC advises, currently AED 1 million. The FAQs say it is not required on flexi desk or serviced office units, where a copy of the provider's policy is required instead.⁴
• DMCC's insurance guideline says third party liability insurance is mandatory for all companies except those on business centre or flexi desk units, that your licence cannot be renewed if your insurance is not active at renewal, and that a sanction is placed on your portal account if the insurance is not valid.⁵

Workmen's compensation

• DMCC's licence renewal FAQs say workmen's compensation insurance is mandatory for all free zone member companies that sponsor employees, including those on flexi desk or serviced office units, and that it is not required for shareholders or for holders of two other categories the FAQs name only as PIC and PAC.⁴
• DMCC's insurance guideline says workmen's compensation insurance is mandatory if your company has active employees, whatever their officeholder title, such as shareholder or director, and that if you cancel all your visas you no longer need to submit a workmen's compensation policy.⁵

Employee protection scheme

• A DMCC press release, with no year shown, announced that a mandatory employee protection insurance scheme with Dubai Insurance Company would be rolled out across the DMCC business district within May, replacing the bank guarantee security deposit of AED 3,000 per employee.¹⁴
• DMCC's schedule of charges sets employee protection insurance premiums by salary band, with AED 85 for a one-year visa for an employee earning less than AED 4,000 and cover of AED 10,000 in that band, and bands rising to AED 50,000 of cover.¹⁵

Do you need health insurance for your staff in DMCC?

• DMCC's business insurance page states that under UAE law all businesses operating in the country must provide mandatory health insurance to employees.¹⁶

The rule for employers across Dubai is on the Dubai page.

Two DMCC rule texts contain no insurance term

The Licensing Rules (Version 3, 2024)¹ and the DMCCA Company Regulations 2024² have 0 matches for “insur”. DMCC’s Help Centre lists both among the rules its companies must follow, with federal law and applicable Dubai law.³ The Licensing Rules define Applicable Laws and Rules to include policies and procedures DMCCA issues from time to time.¹ That is the nearest link between the rules and the insurance guidance.

A market page says cover is mandatory in free zones such as DMCC, without citing a rule. What is evidenced is authority guidance, enforced through the portal and at renewal.

DMCC’s own documents disagree on scope

The FAQ is undated and the guideline is dated 9 May 2023, so date alone does not show which reflects current practice. Ask DMCC.

Sources

The FAQ⁴, the guideline⁵, the Help Centre article⁶ and the renewal page.⁷

The FAQ’s Q32 cites Chapter 8 of a 1980 federal law for compensation. Masdar City’s 2026 regulations define the UAE Labour Law as Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021,⁸ so the FAQ citation looks out of date.

DMCC enforces through the portal and at renewal

• A company with an invalid third party liability or workmen’s compensation policy has its portal account sanctioned until valid details are submitted.⁵
• The guideline says policies run for one year and are renewed annually.⁵
• If licence activities are categorised high-risk, an insurance agent contacts the applicant.⁵ The guideline does not list high-risk activities.

The FAQ sets what each policy must show. Third party liability: the full company name with the DMCC suffix, and all units occupied (Q30). Workmen’s compensation: the company name, units if mentioned, and the names or number of employees (Q34). PIC and PAC card holders need not be included (Q35).⁴

The portal names one broker, and the guideline has an upload route

A Help Centre article dated 16 November 2023 says the Member Portal offers insurance through Marsh Emirates Insurance Brokers by a single request.⁹ A company preferring an alternative broker submits its insurance details manually after obtaining the policy.⁹ The guideline has an “Update Insurance details” route for uploading a valid policy.⁵ Ask DMCC whether Marsh is still the portal broker.

An older member guide mentions health insurance

An undated DMCC member guide tells companies to provide health insurance to employees and to contact DMCC for packages.¹⁰ The emirate rule on employee health sits in the register above.

Watch

Play: How to set up a business in Dubai (2026) | DMCCNothing loads from YouTube until you click. Plays through youtube-nocookie.com.