What is a family office?

A family office does for a family what a head office does for a group of companies. It holds the family's shares and investments, keeps one set of accounts, reports to the family and carries out the succession plan the family has agreed. The services the DIFC's rules list include: [1]

  • Investments: investment policy, asset allocation, choosing and monitoring outside managers, due diligence and performance analysis
  • Holding and succession: acting as the holding company for the family's businesses and assets, and succession and legacy planning
  • Finance and administration: budgets, bookkeeping, accounts, tax reporting, cash management, staff and compliance
  • The family itself: property, education, travel, security and philanthropy

The office does not have to do all of this itself. Under the DMCC rules, anyone it employs or outsources to in a professional or regulated role, such as a lawyer or financial adviser, must be qualified, certified and regulated under the law that applies to that role. [4]

Single family office or multi-family office: what is the difference?

A single family office is owned by one family and works only for it. A multi-family office serves more than one family. The difference matters because serving several families as a business is where financial services rules begin:

Single family office Multi-family office
DIFC Licensed as a Family Office by the DIFC Registrar [1] Needs the Registrar's approval for each family, and authorisation from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) for regulated financial services [1]
ADGM No financial services permission needed; a controlled licence activity [3] Needs a financial services permission from ADGM's Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), under a Category 4 licence [3]
DMCC Financial and non-financial services, by a family member, to the same family [4] Non-financial services only (such as concierge, business management or technology), with DMCC's prior written approval for each family, and no financial activities that need a licence from the UAE securities regulator [4]

Where can you set up a family office in the UAE?

DIFC (Dubai) ADGM (Abu Dhabi) DMCC (Dubai)
Rules Family Arrangements Regulations 2023, in force 31 January 2023 [1] ADGM's family office regime, set out on its family office page [3] DMCC Family Office Rules, effective 10 October 2024 [4]
Wealth test (single family office) Family's aggregate net assets of USD 50 million [1] Family net assets of USD 10 million [3] USD 1 million in investible or liquid assets, held by the office [4]
Must it be kept up? Yes: confirmed each year with the annual confirmation statement [1] ADGM's page does not say [3] The licence requires continuing compliance with the rules [4]
Government fees USD 12,000 Family Office Licence fee, plus the company's own DIFC fees [1][2] USD 5,600 to incorporate, USD 5,300 a year to renew [3] Set in DMCC's Schedule of Charges [4]
Who counts as "family" Descendants of a common ancestor up to 3 generations back when the office is set up, with spouses, stepchildren and adopted children [1] May include all blood relations [3] Descendants or adoptees of a common parent, down to 3 generations, with spouses [4]

For a family that also wants a foundation, the centre for the family office and the centre for the foundation are usually chosen together. DIFC, ADGM or RAK ICC foundation? →

DIFC family office: application and fees

A DIFC Family Office is a company licensed as such by the DIFC Registrar of Companies. [1]

  • Application. The family files a statement naming the common ancestor and the family members served, the source of the family's wealth, the due diligence on the money funding the office, who controls it, its ultimate beneficial owners, any politically exposed family members and the services it will provide. A DIFC-licensed corporate service provider, whom the family engages directly, can confirm those points in a letter instead. Due diligence records are kept for at least 6 years. [1]
  • Fees. The Regulations set a USD 12,000 Family Office Licence fee, payable in addition to the fees the company pays as a DIFC registered entity. [1] The DIFC fee table, updated 31 December 2025, lists USD 8,000 to register a private company, USD 12,000 a year for its commercial licence and USD 300 for each annual confirmation statement, with no separate family office line. [2] Confirm the total with the DIFC Registrar before you budget.

ADGM family office: set-up and multi-family offices

ADGM describes a single family office as a company set up to manage exclusively the financial and personal affairs of one family. It needs no minimum capital or minimum bank balance. A business plan is submitted first, then the online application, and ADGM says the family can set up directly, without a service provider. [3]

A multi-family office needs an FSRA financial services permission under a Category 4 licence. Fees are USD 16,800 to incorporate and USD 16,500 a year, with minimum capital of USD 10,000 or enough to cover 6/52nds of annual spending. [3]

DMCC single family office licence

To apply for a DMCC single family office licence, the company must: [4]

  • be a DMCC free zone limited liability company, not a branch
  • have no shareholder, ultimate beneficiary or director who is not a family member (trustees may be directors where a trust owns the company)
  • hold no other DMCC licence
  • hold at least USD 1 million in investible or liquid assets

The licence requires it to keep complying with the rules for as long as it holds the licence. It may deal only with assets held in vehicles wholly owned by a family member, may not act as a trustee, and must tell DMCC in advance of any material change to its owners, the family members it serves or its services. Its name ends "SFO DMCC". [4]

DMCC company setup →

How is a family office taxed in the UAE?

A family office set up as a UAE company is within UAE corporate tax, which applies to companies incorporated or effectively managed and controlled in the UAE. [9] Taxable income is taxed at 0% up to AED 375,000 and 9% above that. [10] Income from shareholdings that meet the participation exemption conditions is exempt. [11]

A free zone company pays 0% only on qualifying income, and only while it meets every Qualifying Free Zone Person condition. [9][11] Whether a family office's income qualifies depends on what it does, and needs checking each year. Free zone corporate tax →

Family office in Dubai or Singapore?

In Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) sets the rules for single family offices:

  • Licensing exemption. Since 15 June 2026, a single family office that meets MAS's conditions is exempt from licensing and notifies MAS within 14 days of starting. It files an annual return within 4 months of each financial year end. Offices already operating before 15 June 2026 have until 15 June 2027 to comply. [5][6]
  • Conditions. The office must be incorporated in Singapore. It may manage money only for the family (including family trusts and wholly owned companies), charities funded only by the family, and key employees; assets from key employees who are not family members may not exceed 10% of the total. The office and its investment vehicles must bank with a MAS-licensed bank, although a vehicle incorporated abroad may instead use a regulated bank in a jurisdiction meeting international anti-money laundering standards. The conditions set no minimum asset level. [6]
  • Tax. Funds managed by a single family office can apply for exemption on specified income under sections 13O, 13OA or 13U of Singapore's Income Tax Act. For awards approved from 1 August 2026, a fund needs at least S$20 million (13O and 13OA) or S$50 million (13U) in designated investments; an office employing 2 or 3 investment professionals, at least 1 of them not a family member; local spending of at least S$200,000 each year, rising with assets; and the lower of 10% of its assets or S$10 million in specified investments. The schemes are due to expire on 31 December 2029, and the government will review them before then. Funds awarded by that date keep the exemption for the life of the fund while they meet the conditions. [7]
  • Residence. Under the Global Investor Programme, family office principals with 5 years' track record and at least S$200 million of net investible assets can apply for permanent residence by setting up a Singapore single family office managing at least S$200 million, with S$50 million of it placed in investments set by the Economic Development Board. [8]

The main differences. In the UAE the office is licensed as a company and must pass a wealth test, which the DIFC and DMCC rules require to be met on a continuing basis. [1][4] MAS says it does not intend to license single family offices; Singapore's conditions on assets, staff and local spending come with the tax exemption and are tested every year. [6][7] A UAE family office pays UAE corporate tax at the rates above, while a qualifying Singapore fund is exempt on specified income. [7][10] The deciding questions are usually where the family lives and where its businesses are. UAE Golden Visa →

How to set up a family office in Dubai: the steps

  1. Decide whether you need one. A family with one business and a few investments may need only a holding company or a foundation, not an office with its own licence and staff.
  2. Choose single or multi-family, and the centre. Check the family against each wealth test and decide which law its structures will follow. [1][3][4]
  3. Set out the services. List what the office will do, and which work will go to licensed advisers, managers or law firms. [1][4]
  4. Apply. File with the centre's registry. ADGM allows the family to apply directly; in the DIFC, a corporate service provider licensed there can confirm the family's details. [1][3]
  5. Keep it compliant. File the annual confirmation, keep due diligence records, and report changes to owners, family members served or services in advance where the rules require it. [1][4]

How Marlborough Gulf helps

What we do:

  • We look at whether your family needs a family office at all, or whether a holding company or foundation does the job, and compare the DIFC, ADGM and DMCC options against your assets, homes and succession plans.
  • We design the structure around it (holding companies, a foundation, and how it fits with your wills) and coordinate the specialists who set it up.
  • We keep the books, prepare the accounts and advise on UAE corporate tax.
  • We review the mandates the family already gives its banks and managers: what they charge and how the portfolio has done against the mandate.

We do not run, manage or act as a family office, we do not form DIFC or ADGM entities ourselves, and we do not give investment advice.

What licensed firms do: In the DIFC, a DIFC-licensed corporate service provider, whom you engage directly, can confirm the family's details to the Registrar and file on its behalf. [1] Law firms draft the constitution and any family charter. The family office's own investment staff, or licensed managers and banks, decide on investments.

Trusts and foundations in the UAE → Portfolio and mandate reviews → Structuring and succession →

Request a consultation

Common questions

What is a family office?

A company a wealthy family sets up to manage its investments, holdings, accounts, tax and succession in one place. It may serve one family (a single family office) or several (a multi-family office). [1][4]

How much money do you need to set up a family office in Dubai?

In DMCC, the office must hold at least USD 1 million in investible or liquid assets. In the DIFC, the family needs net assets of at least USD 50 million. In Abu Dhabi, ADGM asks for family net assets of USD 10 million. [1][3][4]

Does a single family office in the UAE need a financial licence?

Under the DIFC, ADGM and DMCC rules, no, if it serves only one family. It is licensed by the DIFC Registrar, ADGM or DMCC. Serving other families as a business brings in the financial regulator. [1][3][4]

What is the difference between a family office in Dubai and in Singapore?

A UAE family office is licensed as a company and must meet a wealth test. A Singapore single family office notifies MAS instead of being licensed, and its tax exemption depends on yearly tests on assets, staff and local spending. [1][6][7]

This guide is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice for your circumstances. Rules change; each source below shows the date it was read.

Marlborough Gulf does not give investment, pension or insurance advice. Regulated services are provided by licensed firms, who contract with you directly.

Sources

  1. DIFC, Family Arrangements Regulations 2023, in force 31 January 2023 (DIFC Board of Directors), Regulations 1.1, 1.2.6, 2.2, 4.1 to 4.3, 7.1, 7.5 and 8, Appendices 1 and 2. Read 29 Oct 2026. https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/dubaiintern0078-difcexperie96c5-production-3253/media/project/difcexperiences/difc/difcwebsite/documents/laws--regulations/family-arrangements-regulations_updated_august23.pdf
  2. DIFC Registrar of Companies, Company Services Table of Fees (DIFC-CS-GL-03 Rev. 16), updated 31 Dec 2025. Read 29 Oct 2026. https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/dubaiintern0078-difcexperie96c5-production-3253/media/project/difcexperiences/difc/difcwebsite/documents/business-section-documents/operating-a-business/operating-business---handbook-fees/roc-table-of-fees---updated-25-december-2025.pdf
  3. ADGM, Family Offices (single and multi-family office set-up, key features and fees), read 29 Oct 2026. https://www.adgm.com/setting-up/family-offices
  4. DMCC, Family Office Rules, Version 1, issued and effective 10 Oct 2024, Rules 1.1, 3.2, 5 and 6. Read 29 Oct 2026. https://dmcc.ae/hubfs/Compliance%20Documents%202024/Family%20Office%20Rules-%20Final.pdf
  5. Monetary Authority of Singapore, "Revised Framework for Single Family Offices to Take Effect on 15 June 2026", media release, 12 Jun 2026. Read 29 Oct 2026. https://www.mas.gov.sg/news/media-releases/2026/revised-framework-for-single-family-offices-to-take-effect-on-15-june-2026
  6. Monetary Authority of Singapore, FAQs on Licensing Exemption Framework for Single Family Offices, issued 12 Jun 2026, updated 31 Jul 2026, questions 1 to 7. Read 29 Oct 2026. https://www.mas.gov.sg/-/media/mas-media-library/regulation/faqs/cmi/faqs-on-licensing-exemption-framework-for-single-family-offices/faqs-on-licensing-exemption-framework-for-single-family-offices_.pdf
  7. Monetary Authority of Singapore, Circular FDD Cir 05/2026, Tax Incentive Schemes for Funds, 31 Jul 2026, paragraphs 2 and 4. Read 29 Oct 2026. https://www.mas.gov.sg/-/media/mas-media-library/schemes-and-initiatives/fdd/fdd-cir-052026-tax-incentive-schemes-for-funds-31-july-2026.pdf
  8. Singapore Economic Development Board (Contact Singapore), Global Investor Programme factsheet, updated 5 May 2025, sections 1 and 2, linked from the EDB GIP page (updated 29 Oct 2026). Read 29 Oct 2026. https://assets.app.optical.gov.sg/edb/production/published/collections/pages/en%252Fhow-we-help%252Fglobal-investor-programme/5d1d8faa-729b-463d-ac13-9d2c9b5a6abd.pdf https://www.edb.gov.sg/en/incentives-and-programmes/global-investor-programme.html
  9. UAE Ministry of Finance, Corporate Tax, page updated 29 Oct 2026. https://mof.gov.ae/en/public-finance/tax/corporate-tax/
  10. PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, UAE: corporate, taxes on corporate income, reviewed 9 Sep 2026. https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/united-arab-emirates/corporate/taxes-on-corporate-income
  11. Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 (Corporate Tax Law), Articles 18 and 23 (Ministry of Finance English text). Read 29 Oct 2026. https://mof.gov.ae/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Federal-Decree-Law-No.-47-of-2022-EN.pdf