Table of Contents
- What SPC Plus Is
- Corporate Banking Assistance
- VIP Medical, Biometric and Emirates ID
- Documentation and Attestation
- Customs Code
- SPC Finance and Flexible Payment
- Coworking and Office Solutions
- Dedicated Account Manager
- Virtual Receptionist
- Spouse and Dependants Visa Processing
- How to Add Services to Your License
- Frequently Asked Questions
Setting up your license is just the starting line. Running a business in the UAE day to day means opening a bank account, sorting visas and medicals, clearing customs for trade, and keeping an office presence, and most of that sits outside what a standard trade license covers.
That’s what SPC Plus exists for. It’s SPC Free Zone’s add-on suite of concierge services, priced and booked separately from your license, so you only pay for what your business actually needs and get premium business support through your entrepreneurial journey in the UAE.
SPC Plus is SPC Free Zone’s suite of more than 60 optional, individually priced support services: corporate banking assistance, VIP medical and Emirates ID, documentation and attestation, customs code registration, SPC Finance (tax, VAT, audit and bookkeeping), coworking, a dedicated account manager, a virtual receptionist and family visas. Any SPC Free Zone license holder can add them at any time and pay only for the services they use.
So, let’s walk through each SPC Plus service, why it matters, who it’s actually useful for, and how to add it to your setup.
| Service | What you get | Published fee | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate banking assistance | Bank introduction, document review, follow-up until the account is open | AED 2,000 | 3 business days |
| VIP medical, biometrics & Emirates ID | Appointment booking, pick-up and drop-off, fast-track medical and biometrics, Emirates ID collected for you | AED 3,025 | On request |
| Documentation & attestation | Verification, translation, notarisation, attestation and submission to authorities | AED 2,525 per corporate document, AED 650 per personal document (varies by document type) | Varies by document |
| Customs code | Customs registration linked to your trade license; access to six UAE ports | AED 650 | 3 business days; renew every 12 months |
| SPC Finance, corporate tax registration | Advisory, registration, return filing, bookkeeping in Excel up to 2 transactions a month, annual management accounts | AED 1,200 | 1 business day |
| SPC Finance, VAT registration | Document collection and registration with the Federal Tax Authority | AED 1,500 standard, or AED 3,000 for the faster option | 28 business days at AED 1,500; 14 business days at AED 3,000 |
| SPC Finance, bookkeeping | Entries, profit and loss, balance sheet, bank reconciliation | AED 850 a month up to 50 transactions, or AED 1,500 up to 100 | 4 business days |
| SPC Finance, financial audit report | Independent audit by a Ministry-certified accountant | AED 3,000 | 14 business days |
| Coworking & office solutions | Desk, meeting rooms and business address at the SPC Free Zone business centre | On request | Immediate |
| Dedicated account manager | One relationship manager for all applications, renewals and amendments (up to 3 stakeholders) | AED 3,000 per year, plus AED 1,000 per extra stakeholder | Activated after payment |
| Virtual receptionist | Your own UAE landline, 24/7 multilingual call answering and forwarding | AED 3,780 per year plus a AED 2,000 one-time deposit | 2 business days |
| Spouse & dependants visa | Visa processing for spouse, children and parents | AED 5,000 per dependant, plus a AED 3,025 deposit if the sponsor is an investor | 7 to 9 working days |
| Company stamp | Official company stamp | AED 250 | On request |
What SPC Plus Is
SPC Plus is not a separate license type. It’s a menu of 60+ optional support services that sit on top of any SPC Free Zone license, covering banking, visas and medicals, documentation, customs, finance, workspace and account management, the parts of running a business that usually take time away from your day-to-day business development and operations.
It is separate from the AED 31,000+ of free partner benefits (website and software credits, marketing tools and logistics discounts from over 100 partners) that every license holder receives at no cost.
Each service is billed individually, too, so you can only pay for what you really need.
A few examples of how this plays out in practice:
- A first-time solo founder might start with nothing beyond banking assistance, just to get that one account opened without three rejected applications.
- A trading company might need the customs code from day one, since without it their goods never clear a UAE port.
- A company that’s just hired its first three employees might add a dedicated account manager purely to stop re-explaining their setup to a new person every time they call.
We recommend picking the two or three that would really help your business right now. Services are requested through the SPC Free Zone Customer Portal, or through your account manager, once your license is issued.
Corporate Banking Assistance
SPC Free Zone’s corporate banking assistance costs AED 2,000 and is designed to have your business account open within three business days of licensing. The fee covers an introduction to a partner bank matched to your profile, a pre-submission review of your documents, and follow-up with the bank until the account is live. You must attend the bank meeting in person; power of attorney is not accepted.
Opening a UAE corporate bank account is often the slowest part of setting up, and it’s where many new business owners get stuck. The service handles the parts that usually cause delays:
- Matching your business to banks likely to approve your specific profile, rather than applying blind
- Preparing and reviewing your application documents before submission, so the bank isn’t the one flagging gaps
- Following up with the bank directly until the account is live, instead of you chasing a relationship manager by email
Particularly for international and solo founders, applying without guidance often means weeks of back and forth, sometimes a rejection from the first bank tried, and a second attempt that starts the clock again. With this service, the bank is chosen with the profile in mind from the start, which is usually the difference between a two-week account opening and a two-month one.
The service costs AED 2,000. It isn’t about guaranteeing approval, since that decision always sits with the bank, but it removes most of the friction that stalls applications for weeks. The documents required are your original incorporation documents, passport and Emirates ID, a stamped six to twelve month bank statement, a tenancy contract, a utility bill showing your address, an up-to-date CV, a business plan naming potential clients, and your company stamp. If you do not hold UAE residency yet, see our guide to a non-resident bank account.
VIP Medical, Biometric and Emirates ID
Every UAE residency visa needs a medical fitness test, biometrics, and an Emirates ID, and normally that means queuing at a public typing centre or medical facility, sometimes even across more than one visit.
The VIP service, priced at AED 3,025, routes all three steps through one coordinated channel: SPC Free Zone books the medical and biometric appointments, collects you and drops you back in a dedicated vehicle, fast-tracks the tests and scans, accompanies you to the Emirates ID centre to complete the paperwork and biometrics, submits the Emirates ID application the same day, and collects the Emirates ID on your behalf. Where your visa is issued by SPC Free Zone with VIP services, the Emirates ID cost is included. Documents needed: medical form, photo, passport copy and entry visa.
This matters a lot in two situations. The first is a founder mid-launch, trying to also handle banking, an office fit-out, and hiring in the same week; a full day lost to a public medical queue is a day that setup doesn’t get. The second is a family relocating together, where getting multiple medicals and Emirates ID applications done without repeat visits to a facility makes the move much easier, especially with children involved.
The service also covers renewals. An Emirates ID can be renewed up to six months before it expires, and if it is renewed more than a month after expiry a late fee of AED 20 per day applies, capped at AED 1,000, so booking the renewal medical early is worth doing.
Documentation and Attestation
Company documents rarely need certifying just once. Bank applications, government renewals, and cross-border contracts all tend to ask for attested paperwork at some point, and the requesting authority is rarely the same twice.
SPC Free Zone’s documentation service covers document verification, translation, notarisation, attestation with the relevant UAE authorities and submission on your behalf, as well as document clearing and tax-certificate requests. Turnaround depends on the document and the authority involved.
A common example is a company that’s expanding into a new market and suddenly needs an attested trade license and memorandum of association (MOA) for a foreign partner’s due diligence. Handled alone, that can mean visits to two or three different offices before the paperwork is accepted. Along with this, educational certificates all need attestation when you come into the UAE under visas like the Golden Visa, so it’s good to get things done the credible way.
Get corporate document attestation for trade licenses, business agreements, board resolutions, and more for just AED 2,525 per document. Get personal documents attested, including bank statements, birth certificates, marriage certificates, educational documents and many more for only AED 650 per document (prices can vary based on document type).
Customs Code
If your business imports or exports physical goods, a customs code isn’t optional. It’s a government requirement, and without one, your shipments simply won’t clear at a UAE port.
A customs code, also called an importer or exporter code, is the registration that links your shipments to your UAE trade license so goods can be cleared for import or export. Through SPC Plus, SPC Free Zone registers the code for you for AED 650, typically within three business days, and the registration gives you access to six UAE ports: Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman and Fujairah.
SPC Free Zone’s customs code service manages the registration end to end, linking the code to your trade license so shipments clear without delay at the border. For an e-commerce business bringing in its first shipment of stock, or a trading company signing its first supplier contract, having this in hand makes life easier. The code is renewed every 12 months to stay active.
SPC Finance and Flexible Payment
Flexible payment
You do not have to pay for everything on day one. SPC Free Zone’s pay-as-you-go model lets you pay for the license first and add visas, banking and other services later with no amendment fees. You can also split your payments into 3, 6 or 12-month interest-free installments through SPC Free Zone’s partner banks; ask the team which plans apply to the services you choose.
SPC Finance: tax, VAT, audit and bookkeeping
SPC Finance is the accounting and tax arm of SPC Plus, covering your Corporate Tax, VAT Registration, Financial Audit Reports and Bookkeeping end to end. Corporate tax registration assistance costs AED 1,200 and is completed in one business day, covering advisory, registration with the Federal Tax Authority, return filing, bookkeeping in Excel (up to two transactions a month) and annual management accounts. VAT registration is AED 1,500 over 28 business days, or AED 3,000 over 14 business days if you need it sooner. Bookkeeping starts at AED 850 a month for up to 50 transactions (AED 1,500 for up to 100), and a financial audit report by a Ministry-certified accountant costs AED 3,000 and takes about 14 business days.
The advantages? A clean financial record for compliance and business growth. Plus, avoidance of unnecessary fines with tax and VAT, because SPC Finance keeps you on top of things.
Two thresholds decide whether you need these services at all. UAE corporate tax is 9% on taxable profits above AED 375,000, with 0% below that, and 0% on qualifying income for a Qualifying Free Zone Person. VAT registration becomes mandatory once taxable supplies exceed AED 375,000 a year, and is voluntary from AED 187,500.
Coworking and Office Solutions
A license needs a legal address, but not every business needs a private office from day one. SPC Free Zone’s coworking space gives you a real desk, meeting rooms, and a professional address without committing to a full office lease.
Every SPC Free Zone license includes a lease agreement for your business premises, so you do not need a private office to be licensed. If you want a place to work or meet clients, the coworking space at the SPC Free Zone business centre gives you a desk, high-speed internet, printing and scanning, and access to meeting rooms on flexible terms, and you can move up to a dedicated office as you grow. Office space is priced per square metre on the pay-as-you-go page: from AED 750 for an unfurnished office, AED 900 furnished, AED 550 shell and core, and AED 480 for retail, storage and warehouse space.
It suits a few different situations well: a freelancer who mostly works from home but occasionally needs a proper room for a client call, a small team testing whether their business model works before signing a longer lease, or a company between offices during a move or a headcount change. Having a physical space to receive a client or hold a meeting, even occasionally, tends to matter more for credibility than people expect going in. Meeting rooms can be booked on top for when a proper closed room is actually needed; ask the team for current coworking rates.
Dedicated Account Manager
A dedicated account manager costs AED 3,000 a year and covers up to three stakeholders, meaning shareholders or partners, with AED 1,000 a year for each additional one. You get a single contact reachable by WhatsApp, phone, email or in person at the free zone, priority walk-in assistance, quicker processing, real-time progress updates, and end-to-end help with licensing, renewals, amendments and visas, all year round rather than only during setup.
For a company juggling several visas, a renewal, and a new service request all in the same month, this alone can save hours, and it means one point of contact instead of restarting the conversation with a different person each time.
Virtual Receptionist
The virtual receptionist service gives you a unique UAE landline number answered under your business name around the clock by multilingual agents, with personalised voicemail, call redirecting and forwarding, and 24/7 email notifications. It costs AED 3,780 a year plus a one-time AED 2,000 deposit, and is live within two business days of your request.
This suits a solo founder or small team that doesn’t want a client’s first experience of the business to be an unanswered phone or a generic voicemail.
Spouse and Dependants Visa Processing
SPC Plus also handles residency visas for your family: your spouse, your children (sons up to 25, unmarried daughters with no age limit, and sons with special needs with no age limit) and your parents, who must be sponsored together. You submit the request through the Customer Portal with your Emirates ID and the required documents. Processing takes 7 to 9 working days and the fee is AED 5,000 per dependant, with a AED 3,025 deposit where the sponsor is an investor. Sponsors need a valid residency visa and a minimum salary of AED 4,000 with accommodation, and every dependant over 18 must pass a medical fitness test, which is where the VIP medical service comes in. Our family visa guide covers the eligibility rules in more detail.
How to Add Services to Your License
Adding SPC Plus services doesn’t require re-issuing your license or waiting for renewal. The process is designed to be added on demand, whenever a specific need actually comes up.
- Log in to the SPC Free Zone Customer Portal at portal.spcfz.ae, or ask your Relationship Manager or advisor on 800 SPCFZ (77239) to raise the request for you.
- Select the service or services you need from the SPC Plus menu.
- Confirm pricing and any documents required for that specific service.
- Pay and the service is activated, in most cases within a few working days.
If you’re unsure which combination makes sense for your business, get in touch and a team member can walk through the options against your actual setup, rather than guessing which services you’ll end up needing.
Not sure which services you need?
Tell us about your setup and our team will recommend the SPC Plus services that fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to buy SPC Plus services when I first get my license?
No, none of them are mandatory at setup. Most businesses start with just a license and add services like banking assistance or a dedicated account manager as the need comes up.
Can I cancel an SPC Plus service later if I no longer need it?
Yes, most services are billed per use or per renewal cycle rather than locked into a long-term contract, so you’re not stuck paying for something you’ve stopped using.
Is the dedicated account manager only for larger companies?
No, it’s available regardless of company size, and it tends to help solo founders most, since it means one contact instead of explaining your setup from scratch each time you call.
Do I need a customs code if I only sell digital products or services?
No, a customs code is only required if you’re physically importing or exporting goods through a UAE port; purely digital or service-based businesses don’t need one.
Can I bundle multiple SPC Plus services together for a better rate?
In some cases yes, particularly banking assistance, documentation, and the dedicated account manager, so it’s worth asking your account manager about bundled pricing before booking each separately.
