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UAE FREE ZONES

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Know the cost.

Published prices for 12 UAE free zones: the company licence first, then what each residence visa adds. Each price has its source and the date we read it.

Every price sourced.Checked 2 Oct 2026.How we check prices

Compare the zones

12 zones
Sharjah
Licence + 1 visa · year 17,350AED
Official price
Remote setupChecked 2 Oct 2026

SHAMS

Sharjah Media City

Media package, 1 visa allocation. Not included: Immigration card 640 (2 years), e-channel registration 2,280, visa 2,200 investor or 3,700 employee (2 years), medical 365, Emirates ID typing 330, change of status 700 if applicable, health insurance paid to insurer.

Renewal 5,750 AED
Abu Dhabi
Licence + 1 visa · year 19,450AED
Official price
Remote setup not statedChecked 2 Oct 2026

KEZAD

Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi

1 Visa Package, 1 year (VAT included). Not included: Not itemised. Tariff lists establishment card 1,000 and employment residence 1,500 separately; not stated whether included.

Renewal 5,000 AED
Ajman
Licence + 1 visa · year 110,800AED
Official price
Remote setup not statedChecked 2 Oct 2026

ANCFZ

Ajman NuVentures Centre Free Zone

1 to 10 Visa All Inclusive Package, 'starting from'

Renewal not published
Umm Al Quwain
Licence + 1 visa · year 112,500AED
Official price
Remote setupChecked 2 Oct 2026

UAQ FTZ

Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone

UAQ START. Not included: Additional visas, activity amendments and package changes may be charged separately.

Renewal 12,500 AED
Ajman
Licence + 1 visa · year 112,999AED
Official price
Remote setupChecked 2 Oct 2026

AMC

Ajman Media City Free Zone

Visionary

Renewal 4,999 AED
Ras Al Khaimah
Licence + 1 visa · year 114,000AED
Official price
Remote setupChecked 2 Oct 2026

RAKEZ

Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone

SME Business Setup (all-inclusive). Not included: Optional Premium upgrade AED 2,500. Dependent visas (20% discount).

Renewal 14,000 AED
Dubai
Licence + 1 visa · year 114,900AED
Agency quote
Remote setupChecked 2 Oct 2026

IFZA

International Free Zone Authority

1 Visa License (1 year). Not included: Establishment card, status change, medical test and Emirates ID. The free visa waives only the visa issuance and renewal charge.

Renewal 12,900 AED
Dubai
Licence + 1 visa · year 116,350AED
Third-party figure
Remote setupChecked 2 Oct 2026

Dubai South

Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone

1 Visa Package (standard price). Not included: Visa processing (entry permit, status change, medical, Emirates ID, stamping) is quoted separately.

Renewal 12,500 AED
Abu Dhabi
Licence + 1 visa · year 117,500AED
Official price
Remote setup not statedChecked 2 Oct 2026

Masdar

Masdar City Free Zone

Business One Package. Not included: 5% VAT; refundable security deposit of 2 months' rent for flexi desk leases.

Renewal not published
Dubai
Licence + 1 visa · year 143,780AED
Official price
Remote setupChecked 2 Oct 2026

DMCC

Dubai Multi Commodities Centre

Jump Start Package (1 year, standard flexi desk). Not included: Not stated. Schedule lists Emirates ID typing and medical typing as separate items.

Renewal 35,564 AED
Dubai
Licence + 1 visa · year 1Not published
No published price for this package
Remote setupChecked 2 Oct 2026

Meydan

Meydan Free Zone

Renewal not published
Sharjah
Licence + 1 visa · year 1Not published
No published price for this package
Remote setupChecked 2 Oct 2026

SPC Free Zone

Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone

Renewal not published
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Side by side

How a free-zone price works

The licence and the residence visa are two different things with two different bills. This is the part most readers ask about.

  • The trade licence. The licence is what lets the company exist and trade in its listed activities. It is paid every year. The 'from' price of a zone is the licence with the smallest office option, most often a flexi desk, and with no visa. meydanfz.ae/blog/meydan-free-zone-company-se…
  • A visa quota is not a visa. A package 'with 1 visa' or 'with 2 visas' gives the company the right to sponsor that many residence visas. It does not include the visas. The quota follows the office: a flexi desk carries a small quota, a private office a larger one. Each zone sets its own rule. meydanfz.ae/blog/meydan-free-zone-company-se…
  • What each visa adds. A residence visa has its own fees on top of the licence: the establishment card that registers the company with immigration, the entry permit, the medical fitness test, the Emirates ID, and the visa itself. As an example, one Dubai zone lists the establishment card at 2,000 AED, a visa allocation at 1,850 AED per visa, an investor visa at 4,000 AED and medical plus Emirates ID assistance at 2,250 AED. The zone page shows the figures we found for each zone. meydanfz.ae/blog/meydan-free-zone-company-se…
  • A visa needs a visit. The company can often be set up from abroad. The visa cannot: every applicant aged 18 or over takes a medical fitness test and gives fingerprints for the Emirates ID inside the UAE, within 60 days of entering on the entry permit. The residence visa is then valid for two years and is renewed with a new medical test. u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa…
  • You do not need a visa to own the company. A founder who stays resident elsewhere can hold a licence-only package. The visa matters for living in the UAE, for the Emirates ID that banks and landlords ask for, and for the UAE tax residence that many founders are after. Whether that residence changes the tax position at home is a question for a tax adviser. u.ae/en/information-and-services/heal…