
In the UAE the licence is the quick part. Choosing the zone and opening the account are not.
This page covers 39 free zones and the mainland. Fees, visa quotas and activity lists differ from zone to zone, and a free zone licence works inside its zone: mainland customers need a distributor, a branch or, in Dubai, a permit. Corporate tax is 9% above AED 375,000, and the free zone 0% applies only to qualifying income. So we start with your customers, your activity and the visas you need, and choose the zone after that.
Updated
Thirty-nine free zones and the mainland, in all seven emirates








































The cheapest licence, and then the visas run out
It rarely goes wrong at the licence. It goes wrong a few months later, when the package turns out to carry no visa, the desk caps the quota, or the first mainland customer wants an invoice the licence does not cover.
Visas and the bank first, the zone second
We count the visas you need for the first two years, check which banks will take your activity and your country of residence, and only then pick the zone and the package. A problem found at the opinion stage costs nothing; found after the licence, it costs the zone fees.
What we do, and what you get at the end
In most zones the licence is the easy part. The work is choosing the zone and the package correctly, getting the immigration file and the visas through, and opening a bank account afterwards.
Licences need renewing, many zones require audited accounts every year, and every company files a corporate tax return within nine months of its year-end. We keep the calendar.
| What | Typical time | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| Document attestation | Depends on your country | Foreign papers legalised for UAE use |
| Licence | Minutes to 4 weeks, by zone | Licence and incorporation documents |
| Establishment card | Set by the zone | The company's immigration file |
| Residence visa | 3-20 working days, by zone | Visa and Emirates ID |
| Corporate tax registration | FTA: 20 business days | Registration with the FTA, free of charge |
| Bank account | Set by the bank | IBAN and access to the account |
The bank is the slow step here too, and some banks want a residence visa first; RAKEZ lists one among its account requirements. We build the bank file while the zone issues the licence.
Financial, general and sector zones: how they differ
The 39 zones fall into three groups, and the mainland is a fourth route. Financial free zones have their own law and courts, general zones license almost any trade or service, and sector zones license their own industry and tie visas to leased space.
Their own civil and commercial law, common-law courts and fees in US dollars: USD 12,000 a year for a standard DIFC licence, USD 5,800 in year one for a non-financial ADGM licence. The right home for funds, finance and holding structures; an expensive one for a solo consultancy.
Meydan, IFZA, DMCC, DWTC, RAKEZ, Shams, SPC, UAQ FTZ, Creative City, the Ajman zones and others license most trading and service activities, mostly through online portals. Published entry prices run from AED 3,999 for Creative City's Media Package to AED 35,484 for DMCC's Basic Biz, and most of the cheap ones include no visa.
The Dubai Development Authority's districts for tech, media, training, science, outsourcing, production, film and design, plus Dubai Healthcare City, twofour54, RAK Maritime City and Innovation City. In the DDA districts visas follow leased space: one per 80 sq ft in most, one per 60 at Dubai Internet City.
| Zone | Entry zone fee | Visas in the entry package | Licence time |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMCCMore details → | AED 35,484 (Basic Biz, year one) | 1 | About 10 working days |
| DIFCMore details → | USD 12,000 a year (standard licence) | Up to 4 on an Innovation desk | 3-4 weeks (Innovation Licence) |
| ADGMMore details → | USD 5,800 in year one (non-financial) | Per office, confirmed | Approval within 10 business days |
| Meydan Free ZoneMore details → | From AED 12,500 with a flexi-desk | Extra, quota confirmed | Under 60 minutes to 3 days |
| IFZA DubaiMore details → | Not published | Up to 3 without an office | A few business days |
| Dubai Internet CityMore details → | AED 3,500 + AED 15,000 a year | 1 per 60 sq ft leased | 7-12 working days |
| Dubai SouthMore details → | From AED 12,500 | Quota bought separately | Within 1 business day |
| RAKEZMore details → | AED 6,000 (Biz Starter) | None | Minutes |
| ShamsMore details → | Not published | Up to 50 per licence | 1-2 working days |
| Sharjah Publishing CityMore details → | From AED 4,999 | Unlimited quota on a flexi-desk | 24 hours on eligible packages |
| UAQ Free Trade ZoneMore details → | AED 5,500 (LYTE) | None | 1-2 working days |
| KEZADMore details → | AED 9,450 a year, VAT included | 1 | 24 hours |
No row here is a recommendation on its own. The right zone follows your activity, where your customers are and how many people you will sponsor.
What registration will require
The pack is similar from zone to zone; the differences sit in the manager rules, the space and what the bank asks for.
Seventeen offices, our own people






Five stages from the first call to a working account
What you will do, where your customers are, how many visas you need and where you will bank. Out of that comes a zone or the mainland, a legal form, a package and a written reason. Free.
Passports, proof of address, corporate papers legalised for UAE use and an activity list that both the zone and the bank will accept.
Filed with the zone, usually through its online portal. You receive the licence and the incorporation documents, then the establishment card that opens the company's immigration file.
Entry permit, medical test, Emirates ID and residence visa for each person who needs one. The bank file is built while the licence is being issued.
Corporate tax registration within three months of incorporation, the return within nine months of each year-end, licence renewal and audited accounts where the zone or the 0% regime requires them.
Why this is worth paying a lawyer for
Any zone will sell you a licence online. What you pay us for is the right zone, a visa count that fits your plan and an account that actually opens.
70+ banking relationships, and we check which banks will take your activity and your country of residence before you pay any zone fees.
An activity the zone will not license, a corporate shareholder whose papers need embassy attestation, a manager who has to live in the UAE, a visa quota that ran out. None of it is new to us.
If your customers are on the mainland, if the package carries no visa you need, or if your income will not pass the qualifying test, you hear it before you pay.
Qualifying activities, substance in the zone, audited accounts and the de minimis limit are worked out first. One breach costs the 0% for that tax period and the next four.
Licence renewal, corporate tax and VAT returns, audited accounts and the beneficial owner register - from the same team that set the company up.
The people who will run your file
Leads Prifinance's corporate practice and oversees client engagements, with senior expertise in international company structuring and bank-account setup.
Corporate services and compliance: documents, legalisation, annual filings and the bank's questions.
Your day-to-day contact - coordinates incorporation, documents and the bank introduction, from the first call through to launch.
Active across our channels.
What the UAE takes from profit
The UAE taxes companies now, at low rates, and it still does not tax individuals' income. The free zone 0% is a status, and a company keeps it only by meeting the conditions in every tax period.
0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above it, for financial years starting on or after 1 June 2023. Registering with the FTA is free; registering late costs AED 10,000.
A Qualifying Free Zone Person pays 0% on qualifying income and 9% on the rest. It needs adequate substance in the zone, audited accounts, transfer pricing compliance and non-qualifying revenue within 5% of the total or AED 5,000,000, whichever is lower.
A QFZP that fails a condition at any point in a tax period loses the status from the start of that period and for the next four. Mainland income through a branch is taxed at 9% in any case.
A resident business with revenue up to AED 3,000,000 can elect to be treated as having no taxable income, for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029. A QFZP cannot claim it.
Registration is mandatory above AED 375,000 of taxable supplies and imports a year and optional above AED 187,500. Goods moving between designated zones can be outside VAT; services supplied inside them are not.
Withholding tax on payments to non-residents is set at 0%, and the UAE does not tax individuals' income. A business run by an individual falls under corporate tax once its turnover passes AED 1,000,000.
Founders who wanted it done right.
“As a software development crew at FewMoreTaps OÜ, we've had the pleasure of working with Prifinance on some key financial moves.First of all, navigating the world of corporate banking and finance can be a maze, but Prifinance made it feel like a walk in the park. They helped us set up a corporate bank account without the hassle of jumping on a plane or drowning in paperwork. Everything was done remotely, smoothly…”

“I had their assistance in company registration and I would recommend them. They were answering all my clarification during the process and offering all their supportThank you Daniel and Irinia”

“We found PRIFINANCE COMPANYvia the Internet and asked for help in organizing the opening of their company in Estonia. PRIFINANCE COMPANY specialists helped us a lot with this. Their professional, competent approach and knowledge of their business left us with only the best impressions.”

“I'm thrilled with my experience with PriFinance! They helped me obtain a crypto license in Estonia without any hassle. The team was super understanding and always available to answer my questions and assist. It was great to see how they put effort into preparing the documents to ensure everything went smoothly. I'm delighted with the outcome and highly recommend PriFinance to anyone looking to get a license…”

“Opening an account with Prifinance in a Swiss bank was such an easy and quick process that I was shocked. It all started with the first call, where I received detailed guidance on the required documents and the entire procedure.One of the key highlights was their attention to detail. As someone who usually gets tangled up in paperwork, I was pleasantly surprised when they sent me all the documents and…”

“I recently had the pleasure of working with Boris.. and I must say, it was a fantastic experience. Boris went above and beyond to assist me with my residency needs. His professionalism, knowledge, and dedication truly stood out. I highly recommend working with Boris and the team!”

The UAE: what people ask most
Free zone or mainland?+
Follow whoever pays you. A free zone licence works inside its zone, so selling to customers on the UAE mainland needs a licensed distributor, a mainland branch or company, or in Dubai a permit at AED 5,000 for six months, and that mainland income is taxed at 9%. If most of your customers are on the mainland, a mainland company is usually simpler.
Is free zone tax really 0%?+
Only on qualifying income, and only for a Qualifying Free Zone Person. The company needs adequate substance in the zone, audited accounts and transfer pricing compliance, and its non-qualifying revenue must stay within 5% of the total or AED 5,000,000, whichever is lower. Everything else is taxed at 9%.
Which zone is cheapest?+
Among general licences, the lowest published prices are outside Dubai: Creative City Fujairah from AED 3,999, Ajman NuVentures Centre from AED 4,888, Ajman Media City and Sharjah Publishing City from AED 4,999, UAQ FTZ at AED 5,500. In Dubai, published prices for a general licence start at AED 12,000-12,500 (DWTC, Meydan, Dubai South). None of these entry prices includes a residence visa, so the cheapest licence is often not the cheapest first year.
Do I need to come to the UAE?+
For the licence, often not: Meydan, Shams, IFZA, Creative City and RAKEZ run formation online, and DMCC checks signatories by video and signs through DocuSign. The residence visa is different, because the medical test and Emirates ID biometrics happen in the UAE. Some zones also take specimen signatures in person, as DSO and Dubai CommerCity do.
How many visas will I get?+
As many as your package or your space allows, and many entry packages allow none. DMCC gives one visa on a special flexi desk and three on a standard one; the DDA districts allow one per 80 sq ft leased, one per 60 at Dubai Internet City; Shams allows up to 50 per licence. We size the quota for year two, not for week one.
How long does the bank account take?+
Longer than the licence, and the bank sets the pace. Some banks want a residence visa first (RAKEZ lists one among its account requirements), and a zone's banking partnership helps with the introduction, not the decision. We agree the bank before the zone is paid for and build the KYC file to that bank's list.
What does a company have to do every year?+
Renew the licence, keep the beneficial owner register current, file the corporate tax return within nine months of the year-end and, in many zones, file audited accounts: within six months of the year-end in the DDA districts and DMCC, within three at Hamriyah. A Qualifying Free Zone Person needs audited accounts in any case.
Are DIFC and ADGM worth it for a small company?+
Usually not for a solo consultancy. Both have their own civil and commercial law and common-law courts and price in US dollars: USD 12,000 a year for a standard DIFC licence, USD 5,800 in year one for a non-financial ADGM licence. They make sense for finance, funds, holding structures and contracts that want a common-law court.
Why are some free zones missing from this list?+
Because they do not register ordinary trading or service companies. Tawazun Council Free Zone is for defence and security, Dubai International Academic City for education, Dubai Humanitarian for humanitarian organisations and Sharjah Healthcare City for healthcare. National Industries Park describes itself as a mainland industrial park, and Dubai Industrial City says in its own FAQ that it is not a free zone. For Gold & Diamond Park, Dubai Auto Zone and a new Sharjah communications zone we could not confirm how licensing works.
Tell us what you are going to do in the UAE
Your activity, where the customers are, how many people need visas, who is putting the money in and where the profit should end up. You get a written recommendation with a zone or the mainland, a legal form, the package and visas, a total first-year cost and the reasoning - free of charge.









