Home›
PRO Services›
Corporate PRO Services›
Free Zone Visa Services in Dubai

Free Zone Visa Services in Dubai

Zone-issued visas — allocation caps, higher per-visa cost, different rules.

Mir Ali Licensed PRO consultant · Amer & Tasheel partner

Updated 27 Aug 2026 Get a fixed quote

The short version

Free zone visas are issued by the zone authority, not MOHRE. Different rules, different fees, different portal.
Your visa allocation is tied to your package and office type — flexi-desk allocations are small and fixed.
Free zone employees generally cannot work on the mainland without additional permissions.
Costs are often higher per visa than mainland, despite the marketing.

Free zone setups are sold on simplicity, and the company formation genuinely is simpler. The visa side is where the differences bite — particularly the allocation cap, which is decided when you choose your package rather than when you need to hire.

How free zone visas differ

	Mainland	Free zone
Labour authority	MOHRE	The free zone authority
Allocation	Quota by premises and activity	Fixed by package and office type
Work permit	MOHRE permit via Tasheel	Zone-issued permit
Where staff may work	Anywhere in the emirate	Within the zone, generally
WPS	Mandatory via MOHRE	Zone-dependent
Establishment card	Immigration authority	Zone authority

The allocation trap

A flexi-desk package typically carries a very small visa allocation — often one or two. Increasing it usually means upgrading to a physical office, which is a cost and a lead time, not a form.

Decide your headcount for the next two years before choosing the package. Companies routinely buy the cheapest option and discover the ceiling on their third hire.

What it costs

Component	Typical range	Notes
Zone establishment card	Varies by zone	Annual
Employment visa, per person	AED 3,500 – 7,000+	Zone dependent, often above mainland
Medical fitness	AED 300 – 700	Standard to urgent
Emirates ID	AED 100/yr + AED 100	Same as mainland
Medical insurance	AED 650 – 2,500+	Mandatory, age dependent
Allocation increase	Package upgrade	Usually requires more space

Each zone publishes its own schedule, so "free zone visa cost" has no single answer. What is consistent is that per-visa costs are frequently higher than mainland — the saving is in setup, not in staffing.

Which zones we work with

We file across Dubai's major zones — including DMCC, JAFZA, DAFZA, IFZA, Meydan, DIFC, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai South — as well as mainland DED establishments. Each has its own portal, document set and processing rhythm.

The process

1. Confirm the allocation

How many visas your package permits, and how many remain unused. This is the constraint that decides everything else.

2. Zone establishment card

Must be valid, exactly as with a mainland establishment card.

3. Entry permit

Applied through the zone. From abroad it is an entry permit; in country a status change.

4. Medical, Emirates ID, stamping

The same residence chain as mainland — see processing times.

5. Zone employment contract

Registered with the zone authority rather than MOHRE.

Where free zone files go wrong

Allocation exhausted and no space to upgrade into.
Expired zone establishment card, which blocks every transaction.
Staff working on the mainland without the additional permission that requires.
Assuming mainland rules apply — fees, documents and timelines all differ.
Attestation not started, which delays free zone files exactly as it does mainland ones.

What we do

We check your allocation before you hire, keep the zone establishment card current, and run the visa chain through the zone's own portal and requirements. Where the honest answer is that your package caps your headcount, we will tell you what upgrading involves rather than submitting an application that cannot succeed.

Free zone company hitting a visa ceiling?

Send your licence and package details. We will tell you how many visas you can still issue, what each will cost in your zone, and what raising the allocation actually requires.

Check your allocation

Free zone visa questions

Are free zone visas cheaper than mainland?

Often not. Company setup can be cheaper and simpler, but per-visa costs in many zones exceed mainland equivalents. Compare the total across setup and the headcount you actually plan to employ.

How many visas does my package allow?

It depends on the package and office type. Flexi-desk allocations are typically one or two; physical offices scale with area. Your zone authority holds the definitive number.

Can free zone staff work on the mainland?

Generally not without additional permissions. A free zone visa is tied to the zone. Placing staff at mainland client sites without the right arrangement creates a compliance exposure for the company.

Does a free zone company need MOHRE quota?

No. The zone authority governs employment, so MOHRE quota does not apply. The zone's own allocation is the equivalent constraint.

Is WPS required in a free zone?

It depends on the zone. Some mandate salary payment through a monitored system, others apply their own rules. Check your zone's requirement rather than assuming the mainland WPS position applies.

Should I choose mainland or free zone?

It depends on where your customers are and how many people you will employ. The trade-offs are set out in free zone versus mainland.

Official sources

Please note. Each free zone sets its own fees, allocations and procedures, and they change independently. Figures are indicative ranges verified August 2026 — confirm with your zone before budgeting. General information, not legal advice.

Hand it over