Establishing
Expo City Dubai[1]
ــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ
We, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
Ruler of Dubai,
After perusal of:
Law No. (3) of 2003 Establishing the
Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai;
Law No. (1) of 2016 Concerning the
Financial Regulations of the Government of Dubai;
Law No. (8) of 2016 Regulating the
Grant of Law Enforcement Capacity in the Government of Dubai and its Implementing
Bylaw;
Decree No. (30) of 2014 Establishing
the Dubai Expo 2020 Office;
Decree No. (15) of 2022 Forming the
Supreme Committee for Overseeing the Dubai Expo 2020 District;
Decree No. (16) of 2022 Concerning
the Dubai Expo 2020 Office; and
Decree No. (26) of 2022 Transferring
the Ownership of a Land Plot to Expo City Authority,
Do hereby issue this Law.
This Law will be cited as “Law No.
(14) of 2022 Establishing Expo City Dubai”.
The following words and expressions,
wherever mentioned in this Law, will have the meaning indicated opposite each
of them unless the context implies otherwise:
|
UAE: |
|
The United
Arab Emirates. |
|
Emirate: |
|
The
Emirate of Dubai. |
|
Ruler: |
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His
Highness the Ruler of Dubai. |
|
Government: |
|
The
Government of Dubai. |
|
Office: |
|
The Dubai
Expo 2020 Office established pursuant to the above-mentioned Decree No. (30)
of 2014. |
|
Expo City |
|
Expo City
Dubai. |
|
ECA: |
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The Expo
City Authority established pursuant to this Law. |
|
Chairman: |
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The
chairman of the ECA. |
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CEO: |
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The chief
executive officer of the ECA. |
|
Expo 2020: |
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The World
Expo 2020. |
|
ECA Establishments: |
|
The
companies and corporations owned by the ECA, or in which the ECA holds
shares. |
|
Licensed
Establishments: |
|
These
include all kinds of sole proprietorships and companies licensed to operate
within Expo City in accordance with the provisions of this Law, the
resolutions issued in pursuance hereof, and other legislation in force in the
Emirate. |
|
Free Zone: |
|
The free
zone established within the boundaries of Expo City in accordance with this
Law. |
|
Administrative
Zone: |
|
The
administrative zone established within the boundaries of Expo City in
accordance with this Law. |
a. Pursuant to this Law, the following
are established in the Emirate:
1. a zone named “Expo City Dubai”. The
location, area, and boundaries of this zone are demarcated in the maps attached
to this Law; and
2. a public authority named "Expo
City Dubai Authority". The ECA
will have legal personality, financial and administrative autonomy, and the
legal capacity required to undertake all acts and dispositions required for the
achievement of its objectives. The ECA will be wholly owned by the
Government.
b. A Free Zone and an Administrative
Zone are hereby established within Expo City, and the Chairman will determine
their locations, areas, and boundaries. The Free Zone and the Administrative
Zone will be managed by the ECA
and governed by its regulatory legislation. The resolutions issued by the
Chairman in this respect must be published in the Official Gazette of the
Government of Dubai.
The ECA will have the following objectives:
1. to contribute to supporting the
efforts of the Emirate aimed at enhancing its position as a centre of
excellence in the field of organising and hosting international exhibitions and
other major local, regional, and international events;
2. to maintain the success achieved by
the UAE in hosting Expo 2020 by highlighting the rich and long-standing legacy
behind this success for the present and future generations;
3. to preserve the intellectual and
digital content created for the Emirate as a result of hosting Expo 2020; and
to protect and develop such content with a view to serving the Emirate’s plans
and future orientations;
4. to contribute to the transfer of
knowledge and exchange of expertise related to managing and holding
international exhibitions and major events with international or regional
organisations and corporations, in order to share the benefit of the distinguished
experience of the Emirate in successfully organising, managing, and holding
Expo 2020;
5. to consolidate international
communication with the world, build on, develop, and capitalise on, the
relations established during the hosting of Expo 2020, including the
relationships and agreements concluded with countries, international
organisations and corporations, companies, academic institutions, investment
funds, and similar entities;
6. to contribute to promoting the
Emirate's global position by creating a media platform that helps disseminate
the Emirate's strategic messages to the world, including the success stories
and lessons learned by the Emirate through hosting Expo 2020;
7. to contribute, in line with the
Emirate's strategic priorities, to the revival of the Expo 2020 slogan
“Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, through engaging in events,
programmes, and activities that reflect the Emirate's identity and future
orientations; and
8. to contribute to attracting local
and international commercial investments, companies, and corporations to set up
business and invest in Expo City.
The ECA will supervise Expo City to enable
it to achieve its objectives. In particular, the ECA will have the duties and powers to:
1. develop, and supervise the
implementation of, the general policy and strategic plans of Expo City;
2. manage the intellectual and digital
content created for the Emirate as a result of hosting Expo 2020; and use it to
achieve the objectives of the ECA;
3. manage the intellectual property
rights of the intangible property and other rights and property acquired by the
Office as a result of hosting Expo 2020;
4. own and manage the revenues
generated by the Office from the investments secured by hosting Expo 2020; and
reinvest and diversify investments in domestic and foreign projects to achieve
financial sustainability for the ECA,
in accordance with the legislation in force and in coordination with the
competent entities in the Emirate;
5. establish, develop, and manage the
infrastructure and administrative services within Expo City, in line with the
infrastructure development plans set by the concerned Government Entities;
6. determine land and real property use
within Expo City; allocate such land and real property for commercial,
professional, industrial, residential, educational, health, tourist, and other
uses; and invest and manage such land and real property, in line with the urban
master plan of the Emirate, the legislation in force, and the objectives and
activities of the ECA;
7. license, regulate, control, and
supervise all construction works performed within Expo City;
8. regulate the procedures for the
import of goods into, and their storage in, Expo City, whether for purposes of
re-exporting them outside of the UAE or bringing them into the local markets,
in coordination with the concerned entities in the Emirate;
9. determine and regulate the business
and activities authorised within Expo City, and set the rules, conditions,
requirements, and procedures for licensing such business and activities;
10. register and license companies,
establishments, and other entities within the Free Zone, in accordance with the
provisions of this Law and the resolutions issued in pursuance hereof;
11. register and license companies,
establishments and other entities within the Administrative Zone, in accordance
with the legislation in force in the Emirate;
12. audit and inspect Licensed
Establishments and their activities to verify their compliance with the
provisions of this Law, the resolutions issued in pursuance hereof, and other
legislation in force in the Emirate;
13. determine and collect fees and
charges in return for the services the ECA provides within Expo City, in
accordance with the legislation in force in the Emirate;
14. perform all the transactions and
work related to the activities of the ECA and required for achieving its
objectives, including conducting commercial, industrial, services, and
professional business within and outside of the UAE;
15. possess, own, lease, and manage
movable and immovable property as required for performing its duties; invest or
dispose of such property by in any legal manner, including sale, lease, or
mortgage; and own tangible and intangible rights required to enable the ECA to achieve its objectives;
16. establish, solely or in partnership
with other persons, companies, establishments, and investment projects; hold
shares in the companies, establishments, and investment projects conducting
similar activities as those of the ECA, within or outside of Expo City;
and establish and own investment funds, in accordance with the relevant
regulations and bylaws adopted by the ECA and the legislation in force in the
Emirate;
17. provide Licensed Establishments,
upon request, with technical and administrative professionals, tradesmen, and
any other personnel, as required by the nature of their business and in
accordance with the terms agreed upon by the ECA and these Licensed Establishments;
18. cooperate and coordinate with local,
federal, regional, and international entities, including other free zone
authorities within and outside of the UAE, in areas related to the business of
the ECA
and as required to ensure the achievement of its objectives;
19. finance the ECA’s operations and projects through
borrowing and through providing and issuing the necessary financial guarantees,
including mortgage security, and financial instruments, such as sukuk
and financial bonds, in accordance with the means of finance prescribed by the
relevant legislation in force in the Emirate;
20. qualify and train Emirati technical
staff in all fields that are relevant to the functions of the ECA;
21. hold trade exhibitions and events;
conduct marketing activities; organise conferences; and establish
representative offices, within and outside of the Emirate, with a view to
promoting Expo City;
22. build and develop partnerships and
ties with international and regional organisations and corporations to transfer
knowledge and exchange expertise in managing and holding international exhibitions
and major events;
23. open and manage accounts with banks
within and outside of the UAE; obtain the loans and credit facilities required
to enable the ECA
to achieve its objectives and perform its functions under this Law, the
resolutions issued in pursuance hereof, and other legislation in force in the
Emirate;
24. cooperate and coordinate with local
and international public and private entities on fields that are relevant to
the achievement of the ECA’s
objectives and enabling it to perform its functions; and
25. exercise any other duties or powers
required for the achievement of the ECA’s objectives, as assigned to it by
the Ruler or the Chairman of the Executive Council.
The ECA may, in accordance with the
legislation in force in the Emirate and subject to the Chairman’s approval,
delegate any of its functions under this Law to any public or private entity
pursuant to an agreement concluded with that entity in this respect. This agreement
will determine the rights and obligations of the ECA and the contracted entity, and the
conditions, requirements, and specifications that the entity must observe when
performing the functions delegated by the ECA.
The organisational structure of the ECA will be comprised of:
1. the Chairman;
2. the CEO; and
3. the executive body.
a. The ECA will have a Chairman appointed
pursuant to a decree issued by the Ruler.
b. The Chairman will undertake general
supervision of the ECA
and ensure the achievement of its objectives and performance of its functions
under this Law, the resolutions issued in pursuance hereof, and other
legislation in force in the Emirate. For this purpose, the Chairman will have
the duties and powers to:
1. approve the general policy and the
strategic, development, and investment plans of the ECA;
2. approve the services, projects,
programmes, initiatives, and activities of the ECA;
3. approve the organisational structure
of the ECA,
and the resolutions, bylaws, and regulations governing the administrative,
financial, and technical work of the ECA, including its human resources
regulations;
4. approve the draft annual budget and
Financial Statements of the ECA and
direct the ECA
to submit the same to the competent entities in the Emirate for final approval;
5. approve fees and charges for the
services provided by the ECA,
and direct the ECA to
submit the same to the competent entity in the Emirate for final approval in
accordance with the legislation in force;
6. approve the financing and borrowing
plans and programmes required for running the business of the ECA, subject to the legislation in
force in the Emirate;
7. appoint auditors and determine their
remuneration at the beginning of each Financial Year;
8. approve the methods of investing the
property of the ECA,
and the procedures required to benefit from returns on investment in the
fields, projects, and programmes undertaken by the ECA, in accordance with the legislation
in force in the Emirate;
9. approve new partnerships with public
and private entities; and attract sponsors to finance the programmes and
projects implemented by the ECA;
and
10. exercise any other duties or powers
assigned to him by the Ruler or the Chairman of the Executive Council.
c. The Chairman may delegate any of the
powers vested in him pursuant to paragraph (b) of this Article to the CEO,
provided that such delegation is specific and in writing.
a. A CEO will be appointed to the ECA pursuant to a decree issued by the
Ruler upon the recommendation of the Chairman.
b. The CEO will, under the supervision
of the Chairman, manage the ECA in
accordance with the provisions of this Law, the resolutions issued in pursuance
hereof, and other legislation in force in the Emirate; and supervise the
achievement of the objectives of the ECA. In particular, the CEO will have
the duties and powers to:
1. propose the general policy and
strategic, development, and investment plans of the ECA; submit the same to the Chairman
for approval; and take all actions required for supervising their
implementation upon approval;
2. implement the adopted general policy
and the strategic, development, and investment plans; and approve the
operational plans for the implementation of the said policy and plans;
3. propose, in coordination with the
competent entities in the Emirate, the master plan of Expo City; and submit the
same to the Chairman for approval;
4. approve the initiatives, programmes,
projects, and activities which are relevant to the work of the ECA; submit the
same to the Chairman for final approval; and supervise their implementation;
5. develop and follow up the implementation
of the investment plans aimed at enabling the ECA to achieve full financial
autonomy and to self-finance its programmes and projects in a manner that
enables it to achieve financial sustainability;
6. prepare the annual reports on
implementation of the strategies, plans, and objectives of the ECA, including
financial reports and performance reports; and submit the same to the Chairman
to issue the relevant directives as he deems appropriate;
7. propose fees and charges for the
services provided by the ECA, and submit the same to the Chairman for approval,
in preparation for their final approval by the competent entities in the
Emirate in accordance with the legislation in force;
8. propose the organisational structure
of the ECA, and submit the same to the Chairman for approval;
9. propose the resolutions, bylaws, and
regulations governing the administrative, financial, and technical work of the ECA,
including the human resources regulations of the ECA; and submit the same to
Chairman for approval;
10. approve the rules and procedures for
the licensing and registration of establishments within Expo City;
11. prepare the draft annual budget and
Financial Statements of the ECA, and submit the same to the Chairman for
approval, in preparation for their final approval by the competent entities in
the Emirate in accordance with the legislation in force;
12. supervise the executive body of ECA and
monitor its administrative, technical, and financial performance; and appoint
the technical and administrative staff required to perform the work of the ECA
in accordance with the bylaws and legislation applicable to the ECA;
13. propose the financing and borrowing
plans and programmes required for running the business of the ECA, and submit
the same to the Chairman for approval;
14. open, manage, and close ECA accounts
with banks and financial institutions, in accordance with the legislation in
force in the Emirate;
15. form permanent or temporary
sub-committees and work teams, from amongst the employees of the ECA or other
persons, to assist him in performing his duties; and determine the duties and
powers of such sub-committees and work teams;
16. approve financial transactions
subject to the rules stipulated by the financial regulations and bylaws adopted
by the ECA and the legislation in force in the Emirate;
17. engage experts and advisers, and
determine and pay their remuneration, in accordance with the bylaws adopted by
the ECA and the legislation in force in the Emirate;
18. represent the ECA before third parties
and conclude the contracts and agreements required for the achievement of the
objectives of the ECA; and
19. exercise any other duties or powers
required for the achievement of the objectives of the ECA, as assigned or
delegated to him by the Chairman.
c. The CEO may delegate any of the
powers vested in him under paragraph (b) of this Article to any of the ECA employees,
provided that such delegation is specific and in writing.
a. The executive body of the ECA will be comprised of a number of
administrative, finance, and technical employees.
b. The rights, duties, and terms of
employment of the employees of the ECA will be determined pursuant to the
relevant regulation issued by the Chairman for this purpose.
The financial resources of the ECA will consist of:
1. the movable and immovable property
allocated to the ECA
by the Government;
2. the fees and charges collected by
the ECA
in return for the activities it conducts and the services it provides;
3. returns on investment of the
property of the ECA;
and
4. the grants, gifts, donations, and
any other resources approved by the Chairman.
a. The ECA will have an Independent Budget
which reflects its actual financial position.
b. In managing its accounts and
records, the ECA
will apply the rules and principles of commercial accounting in accordance with
the relevant internationally recognised standards.
c. The Financial Year of the ECA will commence on 1 January and will
end on 31 December of each year, except that the first Financial Year will
commence on the date on which this Law comes into force and will end on 31
December of the following year.
All Government Entities in the
Emirate must fully cooperate with the ECA and provide it with the data,
information, statistics, documents, and studies it requests and deems necessary
to enable it to achieve its objectives and exercise its duties under this Law,
the resolutions issued in pursuance hereof, and other legislation in force in
the Emirate.
The following acts and activities
will be prohibited within Expo City:
1. any act or activity that conflicts
with the terms of the licences issued to Licensed Establishments or with the
legislation in force in the Emirate; and
2. any act or activity that conflicts
with public order or morality.
a. All commodities of whatever origin,
whether national or foreign, will be admitted to Expo City.
b. Notwithstanding the provisions of
paragraph (a) of this Article, it is prohibited to bring the following
commodities, or to trade, or deal, in them, in Expo City:
1. spoiled commodities;
2. commodities violating commercial,
industrial, literary, artistic, and intellectual property protection laws,
including the laws and rules related to trademarks, patents, copyrights, and
design rights;
3. commodities prohibited by the UAE or
the Government;
4. commodities that feature
inscriptions, drawings, ornamentations, marks, or figures that conflict with
the doctrines, teachings, and beliefs of heavenly revealed religions; or that
breach public order or morality;
5. military commodities and ammunition,
except those in respect of which a permit is issued by the competent entities
in the Emirate; and
6. commodities, services, and products
in which trading is prohibited in the UAE pursuant to the legislation in force.
a. The commodities brought into the
Free Zone, or manufactured, produced, or developed therein, will be exempt from
customs duties; and when exported outside of the UAE, no customs duties will be
levied on these commodities.
b. The commodities kept or stored in
the Free Zone, and those used in any process within the Free Zone, will be
exempt from customs duties.
c. The commodities exported from the
Free Zone to the customs zone in the Emirate will be deemed as if imported from
abroad for the first time, and customs duties will apply to such commodities in
accordance with the provisions of the relevant customs tariff in force.
Without prejudice to the federal tax
legislation in force in the UAE, Licensed Establishments operating in the Free
Zone, and their respective employees, will be subject to zero (0) tax rate for
fifty (50) years from the effective date of this Law. The said period will be
renewable for the same period pursuant to a resolution of the Ruler. The zero
(0) tax rate will apply to:
1. all taxes, including income tax, in
relation to their operations within the Free Zone; and
2. taxes imposed on the transfer of
assets, profits, salaries, or wages to any party outside of the Free Zone; and
the profits generated from the merger, demerger, or change of legal form of a Licensed
Establishment.
Without prejudice to applicable
legislation and the international treaties and conventions to which the UAE is
a party or an acceding party, the ECA Establishments,
the Licensed Establishments operating in the Free Zone, and their employees
will be exempt from all restrictions on the transfer of share capital, profits,
or wages in any currency to any destination outside the Free Zone. Exemption
will apply for a period of fifty (50) years, renewable for the same period
pursuant to a resolution of the Ruler. This period will commence on the
effective date of this Law.
Neither Licensed Establishments, nor
their property, nor the property of their employees may be subject to any
nationalisation or limitation of private ownership measures throughout the
period of their work within Expo City.
Licensed Establishments may, at
their own discretion, employ or hire any person to perform their work, provided
that this person is not a subject of any country which is politically or
economically boycotted by the UAE.
Neither the ECA nor Licensed Establishments will, in
relation to their operations in the Free Zone, be subject to the legislation,
authority, or powers of the Dubai Municipality or the Department of Economy and
Tourism. This will not apply to the legislation related to public health and
safety, the environment, and food control; or to the legislation that expressly
stipulates that it is applicable to free zones.
Sole proprietorships and commercial
companies will be established within the Free Zone pursuant to the regulations
and resolutions adopted by the ECA.
These establishments and companies may be owned by one or more natural or legal
persons, regardless of whether these persons are UAE or non-UAE nationals.
a. No person or entity may conduct any
activity within the Free Zone unless they are licensed by the ECA to conduct that activity.
b. Establishments will be licensed to
operate in the Free Zone; all the rules regulating their business, including
their incorporation, registration, and governing requirements and rules, will
be determined; the regulations governing their liquidation will be established;
and any other relevant matters will be determined, pursuant to the relevant
regulation approved by the Chairman.
c. The branches of companies and
establishments will be licensed to operate in the Free Zone, and all the rules
regulating their business, will be determined, pursuant to the relevant
regulation approved by the Chairman.
d. The ECA may, at its discretion, seek
assistance from Government Entities in the Emirate and benefit from their
available programmes and systems to license establishments to operate within Expo
City. Such programmes and systems will be used in accordance with the bylaws in
force in Expo City. Licences issued to establishments in collaboration with the
concerned Government Entities will be deemed issued by the ECA itself.
a. The name of a Licensed Establishment
operating within the Free Zone must, in all its transactions, contracts,
advertisements, invoices, correspondence, and publications, end with an
indication that it is a free zone establishment and a statement of its legal
form.
b. Where the owner of a Licensed
Establishment operating in the Free Zone fails to comply with paragraph (a) of
this Article, he will be personally liable to settle the obligations of the
Licensed Establishment from all his movable and immovable property.
No Licensed Establishment may assign
the licence issued to it by the ECA to
any other party or entity without first obtaining the written approval of the ECA.
a. The Government will not be liable to
third parties for any debts or obligations claimed from the ECA or the ECA Establishments. The ECA will be solely liable for such debts
or obligations.
b. Neither the ECA nor its authorised representatives
will be liable to third parties for the obligations of Licensed Establishments
or of their employees.
Except in cases of fraud and gross
fault, neither the Chairman, nor the CEO, nor any of the employees of the ECA will, in the course of managing the ECA and its operations, incur civil
liability towards third parties for any act or omission committed by him in
connection with this management. The ECA will be solely liable to third
parties for any such act or omission.
The Chairman will issue a bylaw
determining the administrative penalties prescribed for violating this Law, the
resolutions issued in pursuance hereof, or any of the terms of the licence
issued by the ECA.
This bylaw will also determine the entity authorised to impose and enforce
these penalties.
a. The ECA employees nominated pursuant to a
resolution of the CEO will have the capacity of Law Enforcement Officers to
record the acts committed in breach of the provisions of this Law and the
resolutions issued in pursuance hereof. In this capacity, they may monitor and
supervise Licensed Establishments and their employees, and the activities and
business conducted within Expo City; issue the necessary violation reports;
and, where necessary, seek the assistance of police personnel.
b. The law enforcement capacity, referred
to in paragraph (a) of this Article, will be granted in accordance with the
provisions of the above-mentioned Law No. (8) of 2016 and the resolutions
issued in pursuance thereof.
The Chairman will issue the
resolutions required for the implementation of the provisions of this Law.
Any provision in any other
legislation is hereby repealed to the extent that it contradicts the provisions
of this Law.
This Law will be published in the
Official Gazette and will come into force on the day on which it is published.
Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Ruler of Dubai
Issued in Dubai on 7 July 2022
Corresponding to 8 Thu al-Hijjah 1443 A.H.
©2024 The Supreme Legislation Committee in the Emirate of
Dubai
[1]Every effort has been made to
produce an accurate and complete English version of this legislation. However,
for the purpose of its interpretation and application, reference must be made
to the original Arabic text. In case of conflict, the Arabic text will prevail.