Free Zone Business Setup Dubai: Complete UAE Guide

Free zone business setup

Free Zone Business Setup Across the UAE

PRO Deskk is a leading business setup consultancy in Dubai, UAE, providing end-to-end business setup support including company formation, trade licenses, visa processing, bank account opening, and PRO services.

HOME / Free Zone Business Setup

A jurisdiction inside a jurisdiction — with its own rules.

A free zone is a defined economic area with its own licensing authority, its own activity list and its own registrar. You register with the zone rather than with the emirate’s economic department, which is why issuance is faster, cost is lower and the paperwork is lighter. There are more than forty free zones across the UAE, and they are not interchangeable — each was built around a sector, and each carries a different reputation at the bank.

Free zone companies enjoy 100% foreign ownership, full repatriation of capital and profits, and customs duty exemption on goods re-exported outside the UAE. Under the Corporate Tax regime, a Qualifying Free Zone Person can access a 0% rate on qualifying income, though the conditions are specific and registration remains mandatory either way. We assess whether your activity and substance are likely to qualify rather than assuming it.

The one real limitation: a free zone company cannot sell directly into the UAE mainland market without appointing a distributor or opening a mainland branch. If your customers are UAE-based businesses, consumers or government entities, read the mainland comparison before you choose.

20 free zones.
20 different reasons.

We file across all seven emirates and hold registered agent status with our partner authorities, which means a stuck file gets escalated rather than queued — and it means we can compare zones honestly instead of selling whichever one we happen to be tied to.

IFZA

International Free Zone Authority

The default for consultants and professional services. Broad activity list, lease agreement supplied for banking, and a renewal rate fixed for three years.

Meydan

Meydan Free Zone

A Dubai address that reads well to a compliance officer, without mainland cost. Our pick when a profile needs maximum standing at account opening.

DMCC

Dubai Multi Commodities Centre

The premium address for commodities, gold and international trade. Worth the cost when counterparties weigh jurisdiction as heavily as the balance sheet.

JAFZA

Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority

The UAE’s oldest and largest free zone, built around Jebel Ali Port. Unmatched for container volume, warehousing and re-export into the wider region.

DIFC

Dubai International Financial Centre

An independent common-law jurisdiction with its own courts and regulator. The address for regulated financial services, funds and family offices.

DWTC

Dubai World Trade Centre Free Zone

The free zone attached to Dubai World Trade Centre, built around events, exhibitions and business services, with a framework that has drawn fintech and virtual asset firms.

Dubai Media City

Dubai Media City (TECOM)

The region’s established media cluster and part of the TECOM group — broadcasters, agencies, publishers and production houses in one recognised creative address.

Dubai South

Dubai South Free Zone (DWC)

Built around Al Maktoum International Airport and the logistics district. Cost-effective space for fulfilment, warehousing and aviation services.

SHAMS

Sharjah Media City

The lowest-cost entry point in the country. Media, e-commerce and consultancy activities on one licence, with visas added later at nominal cost.

SRTIP

Sharjah Research, Technology & Innovation Park

Built for technology, R&D and light industrial activity, with laboratory and workshop facilities on site and incentives most consultants never mention.

SPC

Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone

The premium address for commodities, gold and international trade. Worth the cost when counterparties weigh jurisdiction as heavily as the balance sheet.

Hamriyah

Hamriyah Free Zone Authority

A deep-water port zone built for heavy industry — petrochemicals, steel, marine and oil and gas services, with large land plots available.

ADGM

Abu Dhabi Global Market

Abu Dhabi’s common-law financial centre on Al Maryah Island, with its own courts and regulator. Used for funds, holding structures and family offices.

Masdar City

Masdar City Free Zone

Abu Dhabi’s sustainability and clean-technology cluster — renewable energy, mobility and urban innovation, with laboratory and office space on site.

DMCC

Dubai Multi Commodities Centre

The premium address for commodities, gold and international trade. Worth the cost when counterparties weigh jurisdiction as heavily as the balance sheet.

JAFZA

Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority

The UAE’s oldest and largest free zone, built around Jebel Ali Port. Unmatched for container volume, warehousing and re-export into the wider region.

RAKEZ

Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone

Low-cost licences with real industrial capacity behind them — warehousing, manufacturing and staff accommodation on site, with a generous visa quota.

UAQ FTZ

Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone

Among the lowest-cost licences in the UAE. Suits freelancers and micro-businesses whose clients are international and who need residency at minimum cost.

Creative City

Creative City Fujairah

A low-cost media and consultancy zone on the east coast, with freelance permits available and no physical office requirement on entry packages.

Ajman NuVentures

Ajman NuVentures Centre Free Zone (ANCFZ)

Ajman’s newest free zone, built for speed and cost — up to ten mix-and-match activities on a single licence and same-week issuance for straightforward files.

Every zone we work with, compared.

Price is the first column founders read and the least important one. The column that decides whether you can actually operate is the last: how your licence is received when you walk into a bank.

Free zone	Starting from	Activities	Best suited to	Visa quota	Bank standing
IFZA Dubai	AED 12,900	3 included	Consultants, agencies, IT, services	1 visa for life from AED 16,900	Widest bank acceptance
Meydan Dubai	Quote on request	Multiple, if compatible	Trading, e-commerce, holding companies	Sized to your hiring plan	Strongest Dubai standing
DMCC Dubai	Quote on request	Commodity & trade list	Commodities, gold, precious metals	Scales with office taken	Premium at every bank
JAFZA Dubai	Quote on request	Trade, industrial, logistics	Logistics, manufacturing, re-export	Scales with facility taken	Strong, long-established
DIFC Dubai	Quote on request	Regulated financial list	Banks, funds, fintech, family offices	Scales with office taken	Institutional grade
DWTC Dubai	Quote on request	Commercial & service list	Events, fintech, professional services	Scales with office taken	Strong
Dubai Media City Dubai	Quote on request	Media & creative list	Broadcast, advertising, publishing	Scales with office taken	Strong
Dubai South Dubai	Quote on request	Logistics & commercial	E-commerce, logistics, aviation	Scales with facility taken	Good with substance
SHAMS Sharjah	AED 5,999	3–5 included	Freelancers, e-commerce, consultancy	Add later at nominal cost	Good with a prepared file
SRTIP Sharjah	Quote on request	Technical activity list	Technology, R&D, engineering	Scales with facility taken	Good, sector-dependent
SPC Sharjah	Quote on request	Broad, publishing-led list	Publishing, printing, media, services	Package-based allocation	Good with a prepared file
Hamriyah Sharjah	Quote on request	Industrial & commercial	Oil & gas, steel, heavy industry	High quota available	Good with substance
ADGM Abu Dhabi	Quote on request	Regulated & commercial list	Funds, holding, fintech, family offices	Scales with office taken	Institutional grade
Masdar City Abu Dhabi	Quote on request	Clean tech & R&D list	Renewables, cleantech, R&D	Scales with office taken	Good, sector-dependent
KEZAD Abu Dhabi	Quote on request	Industrial & logistics	Manufacturing, logistics, industry	High quota available	Good with substance
twofour54 Abu Dhabi	Quote on request	Media & creative list	Film, TV, gaming, digital content	Scales with facility taken	Good, sector-dependent
RAKEZ Ras Al Khaimah	Quote on request	Broad industrial & commercial	Manufacturing, warehousing, logistics	High quota available	Good with substance
UAQ FTZ Umm Al Quwain	Quote on request	Trade, service, freelance	Freelancers, micro-businesses, trading	Package-based allocation	Workable with preparation

Starting prices are indicative and depend on activity, shareholder count, visa allocation and office solution.
Where a figure is shown as quote on request, the zone prices case by case — we send the exact breakdown within 2 hours of your enquiry.

Not sure a free zone is right for you?

If your customers are UAE companies, consumers or government entities, you will need to sell through a distributor or open a mainland branch. Compare the three mainland options before you commit.

What you are actually buying with a licence.

Free zone packages are quoted as a single number, which hides what varies between them. These are the components that move the price — and the ones worth checking line by line before you sign.

Licence & activities

How many activities sit on the licence, and whether related ones can be combined without paying per activity.

Facility

Flexi-desk, shared workspace or a physical office. This is what your visa quota is calculated against.

Visa allocation

How many visas the package permits, and what an additional visa costs once you exceed it.

Renewal rate

Whether year two is fixed or floating. A cheap year one with an unfixed renewal is not a cheap licence.

Lease agreement

Whether a lease document is issued for banking purposes. Its absence is a common reason accounts stall.

Establishment card

The immigration file that lets you process any visa at all. Sometimes quoted separately, sometimes not.

Corporate Tax registration

Filed within 48 hours of licence issuance at no charge, so your first statutory deadline is already met.

Logo design

An original logo for your new company, with print and web files ready before you launch.

Six stages from first call to first invoice.

01

Zone and activity matched

We start with what you sell, who buys it and where they pay you from, then match the activity wording to the zone — and to the payment gateway or bank you will need. A cheap licence with the wrong activity on it is the most expensive mistake in this process.

02

Name reserved and cleared

Trade name and activity submitted to the zone with a second name held in reserve. This clears before you pay the licence fee, so a rejection costs a day rather than a refund conversation.

03

Documents and signature

Your input is a passport copy and a photograph. Incorporation documents are drafted by us and signed digitally or collected from your door — no zone visit, no queue.

04

Licence issued

Payment, registration and issuance with the authority. Trade licence, incorporation certificate and share certificate typically in your inbox within five working days of signed documents.

05

Establishment card and visas

Immigration file opened, then entry permit, fast-track medical, Emirates ID biometrics and visa stamping — appointments booked back to back rather than one at a time.

06

Bank account and compliance

Your file is scored against each bank’s criteria before submission and sent to the bank most likely to approve it. Corporate Tax registration follows, along with a twelve-month compliance calendar.

Two documents
to begin.

Free zone incorporation is the lightest documentation load of any UAE structure. Most clients send us two files and hear nothing further until the licence arrives.

Passport copy for each shareholder
Passport-size photograph against a white background
Visa page and Emirates ID, if you are already a UAE resident
Proof of address or a utility bill, for certain zones and banks
Attested parent company documents, for a corporate shareholder
Professional certificates, for regulated or technical activities

Filing at twenty zones, tied to none.

Most consultants hold agency with one or two zones and steer every enquiry toward them. We file at twenty zones across all seven emirates, which is the only honest basis for a recommendation.

Award-winning partner of SHAMS, IFZA, Meydan and SRTIP
Government cost at cost, our fee shown separately, in writing
Activity cleared before payment, with a reserve name held
Bank file pre-screened; second bank submitted free if the first declines
One named manager from name approval to Emirates ID
1,000+ licences issued across 50+ nationalities

Countries

0 +

Happy clients

0 +

Years of experience

0 +

Free zone business setup, answered.

Which free zone is cheapest?

SHAMS in Sharjah is consistently the lowest-cost entry point we file at, starting from AED 5,999, with UAQ FTZ and Fujairah Creative City also competing at the budget end. That said, the cheapest licence is only the right licence if the activity, the visa allocation and the bank acceptance all work for your business. We have moved clients off a cheaper zone plenty of times because it would have cost them more in year two.

How do I choose between twenty free zones?

By working backwards from three things: what you sell, how many people you will hire, and which bank will hold your money. Those narrow twenty down to two or three very quickly. Sector matters more than price — DMCC exists for commodities, DIFC and ADGM for regulated finance, JAFZA, KEZAD and Hamriyah for industry, Dubai Media City and twofour54 for media, SHAMS and IFZA for services. We do that narrowing on the first call, before you pay anything.

Can a free zone company trade inside the UAE?

Not directly. A free zone licence lets you invoice international clients and other free zone entities freely, but selling into the UAE mainland market requires a distributor, a commercial agent or a mainland branch. If most of your revenue will come from UAE-based customers, compare the mainland route before committing.

What is the difference between DIFC, ADGM and the other zones?

DIFC and ADGM are financial free zones operating under their own common-law frameworks, with independent courts and regulators. They exist for regulated activity — banking, funds, insurance, fintech — and for holding and family office structures. Cost and compliance are materially higher, and they are the wrong answer for a general trading or consultancy business.

Do I get 100% ownership in a free zone?

Yes. Full foreign ownership has always been standard in free zones, with no requirement for a UAE national partner or local service agent, along with full repatriation of capital and profits.

How many visas can I get on a free zone licence?

It depends on the package and the facility. A flexi-desk typically supports one to three visas; a physical office scales further. RAKEZ, KEZAD and Hamriyah offer the most generous quotas. We size the allocation to your hiring plan rather than to the cheapest package, because increasing it later costs more than getting it right at the start.

Do free zone companies pay Corporate Tax?

Registration is mandatory for every UAE entity, free zone included. A Qualifying Free Zone Person may access a 0% rate on qualifying income, but the conditions around qualifying activities, substance and de minimis thresholds are specific — and non-qualifying income is taxed at 9% above the AED 375,000 threshold. We assess your likely position honestly rather than promising an exemption.

How long does free zone company formation take?

Name and activity approval usually clears within 24 hours, and the licence typically issues within about five working days of signed documents and payment. Visas add a further five working days once the establishment card is in place. Financial free zones such as DIFC and ADGM run longer because of regulatory review.

Can I set up a free zone company remotely?

For most zones, yes — incorporation can be completed without you entering the country. You will need to be in the UAE for the medical, Emirates ID biometrics and, for most banks, the account opening appointment. We schedule all three inside a single short trip.

Can company formation make me eligible for a UAE Golden Visa?

You cannot convert a licence directly, but you can incorporate in the new jurisdiction and migrate operations, or open a mainland branch of the free zone company. It is a common step once a business outgrows its original boundary, and we plan the activity wording and shareholder structure so the move is straightforward rather than a second setup from scratch.

Tell us what you need. We’ll take it from there.

Business setup, visas, PRO services or Golden Visa — send us the details and a consultant will come back with a clear plan and a full cost breakdown.