Ajman Media City Free Zone 2026: Packages, Freelance Licence, Visas and Who AMC Suits

Ajman Media City Free Zone is a government free zone in the emirate of Ajman that licenses freelancers, media and creative businesses, consultancies, technology firms and traders, set up in 2015 by Amiri Decree and now operating under the Free Zones Authority of Ajman. A company or freelancer licensed there can be fully foreign-owned, works from a co-working desk included in its package, and sponsors residence visas through the federal Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security authority (ICP). AMC is best known for low published package prices, a fully online setup and a freelance permit aimed at independent creators.

AMC says more than 12,000 businesses from over 150 countries have chosen it; those are the zone’s own figures, which we could not check independently.

This guide covers the full Ajman Media City business setup: authority, legal forms, activities, steps, documents, Ajman Media City packages, offices, the Ajman Media City visa rules, tax, mainland trading and renewal. Still deciding between a free zone and the mainland? Our free zone vs mainland guide sets out the trade-offs. If you want the paperwork handled, our free zone company setup support covers AMC from enquiry to bank account.

AMC is one of three free zones we cover in Ajman, with Ajman Free Zone company setup and the Ajman NuVentures Centre Free Zone. For the emirate overview read our Ajman free zones guide, and for every emirate the free zones in the UAE pillar guide. Every fact below comes from the official sources listed at the end, read on 26 September 2026. Where AMC’s own pages are silent or disagree with each other, we say so.

Ajman Media City Free Zone at a glance

This table answers the first questions founders ask, with the source behind each answer.

Two decisions shape every Ajman Media City business setup: freelance licence or company, and how many visas you need in year one, because AMC prices by visa count. If you are comparing the wider market for business setup in Dubai and the northern emirates, we set AMC against the alternatives in writing.

Who runs Ajman Media City Free Zone, and under which law

AMC describes itself, in its privacy policy, as “a free zone authority established under Amiri Decree no. (8) of 2015 in the Emirate of Ajman”. A second official text confirms it. The preamble to Ajman Amiri Decree No. 15 of 2023, which created a different Ajman zone, lists “Amiri Decree No. (8) of 2015 on establishing Ajman Media City Free Zone” among the laws it takes into account. Some secondary sources say AMC launched in 2018; that may be the year licensing started, but AMC itself does not say so, and we give 2015 as the legal start.

Since 2021 AMC has sat under the Free Zones Authority of Ajman. The same decree preamble cites “Amiri Decree No. (8) of 2021” on the Free Zones Authority, and fza.ae says the Authority “was established in 2021 with the primary objective of managing and expanding the Free Zone assets of Ajman”. AMC’s own “About FZA” page calls the Authority “the governing body overseeing Ajman Media City”. The Director General is H.E. Ismail Al Naqi, who also signs the Director General’s message on AMC’s site.

In practice Ajman Media City Free Zone shares the FZA “One Click” portal, the FZA Customer app and the 800 2392 number with Ajman Free Zone, but not its product: AMC has no warehouses, land or port access, and it prices by package.

What Ajman Media City Free Zone is known for

AMC markets itself as a home for “creators, media professionals, and digital entrepreneurs”. Its own “What is Ajman Media City Free Zone?” article describes a zone focused on publishing, digital content, marketing and advertising, film and audio production, media technology and media consulting. The activity database tells a broader story. Of the 340 activities AMC publishes, only about a fifth sit in the media sector; wholesale trading, professional services, consultancy, IT and education make up much of the rest.

The speciality: low entry price, fully online, freelancer-friendly

What sets AMC apart from rival zones is less its sector than its model:

• Published package prices with the visa count and renewal price on each package, which many zones only give on request.
• A freelance permit for a single professional, with more than 120 freelance activities such as photographer, video editor, translator, web developer, social media specialist and actor.
• A fully digital process: AMC says every service, from licence issue to renewals and visas, runs through “One Click”.
• Mixed activities: every package allows a “Mix of commercial and service activities”, so a content agency can also trade in the products it promotes.

How it differs from the other Ajman zones

Ajman Free Zone is the emirate’s port-side zone with warehouses, land and staff housing, and it does not let service and commercial activities share one licence. Ajman NuVentures Centre Free Zone is a separate authority created in 2023 that sells all-inclusive packages across 3,500+ activities. AMC sits between them: office-only, strongest on freelancers and small creative teams, and run by the same authority as Ajman Free Zone. We compare the three in detail further down.

Ajman Media City Free Zone legal forms and ownership

AMC’s public pages describe two structures, not a menu of legal forms. Its July 2026 article comparing freelance and company licences sets them out plainly.

A company licence comes with the corporate documents you would expect: certificate of incorporation, commercial registry certificate, memorandum or articles of association and share certificate. AMC’s pages do not use the labels FZE (one owner) or FZC (several owners) that Ajman Free Zone uses, and they do not offer a branch of a UAE or foreign company. If you need a branch, ask AMC in writing before you apply, or look at Ajman Free Zone or Ajman NuVentures Centre, which both publish branch options.

Shareholders, capital and liability

• Foreign ownership: AMC advertises “100% foreign ownership”, with no local sponsor.
• Corporate shareholders: not excluded by the packages, but AMC publishes no document list for them; confirm first.
• Share capital: AMC publishes no minimum share capital. Do not rely on a figure from an agent’s website; ask for it on the quotation.
• Liability: a company licence creates an incorporated entity whose liability is separate from its owners. A freelance licence does not: the licence is issued to you personally, and you trade in your own name.

AMC’s Business Club company package (AED 4,999, no visa) is cheaper than its Ajman Media City freelance license (AED 6,150), and AMC warns that the two are “a different product”. Choose on structure, not on the headline price.

Ajman Media City business setup: licence types and permitted activities

AMC publishes its activity list as a searchable database on its “Business Activities” page. On 26 September 2026 it held 340 activities, each with an activity number (AM-xxxxx), an ISIC code, a licence type and a sector. Counting them gives a clear picture of what AMC licenses.

By sector, the largest groups are wholesale (72), professional (68) and media (65). Your licence is issued from this database, not from the marketing headings, so search it by activity name before any Ajman Media City business setup.

Multi-activity rules

• Company licence: every package allows “up to 10 activities” and a “Mix of commercial and service activities”.
• Freelance licence: one approved professional activity “under the current offer”, and AMC’s July 2026 article says freelancers “must conduct only the activity stated on their license”.
• Adding activities later is an amendment. AMC does not publish its amendment fee.

Activities that need an outside approval

An AMC licence does not replace a federal or sector licence where one is required. AMC’s own article says certain professional or regulated activities “may require qualifications, experience documents or external approvals”. The approvals that come up most often for AMC activities are these.

If your activity is missing, AMC says many roles “may still be eligible” under broader categories. Get the activity wording in writing before you pay; your bank will read it.

Ajman Media City business setup process, step by step

AMC describes the process as “One Click”: apply, pay and receive documents online through the FZA portal. It does not publish a turnaround for a new licence or for each step. The general federal statement on u.ae is that a free zone approves an application “within 14 working days”. The sequence below is how an Ajman Media City Free Zone setup actually runs, with the official time where one exists.

1. Choose structure and package. Freelance or company; the package that matches your first-year visa count. Official time: not applicable.
2. Check activities. Search the AMC activity database; note any external approval. Official time: not published.
3. Apply online. Submit the application, passport copies and proposed company names through the portal, and pay. Official time: not published; u.ae general figure 14 working days.
4. Security approval. Visa packages include “Investor Security Approval”, the ICP background check on owners who will hold visas. Official time: not published by AMC.
5. Licence and documents. Business licence, lease agreement, certificate of incorporation, commercial registry certificate, memorandum or articles and share certificate for a company; sole professional licence and lease for a freelancer. Official time: not published.
6. Establishment card and E-Channel. The company’s immigration file with ICP. Included in visa packages. Official time: not published.
7. Visa steps. Entry permit or change of status, medical, Emirates ID biometrics and residence visa. Official time: not published by AMC.
8. Bank account. Set by the bank’s own onboarding.
9. Tax and compliance. Corporate tax registration with the FTA; beneficial owner declaration through the AMC portal; VAT if you pass the threshold.

The licence is usually quick once documents are ready; the first Ajman Media City visa takes longer because the medical and biometrics need you in the UAE. Our planning assumption, not an AMC figure, is a few weeks to the first visa.

Ajman Media City Free Zone documents required

AMC publishes no full checklist. This is what Ajman free zones ask for in practice; confirm with AMC before you attest anything.

Individual shareholders and freelancers

• Passport copy with at least six months’ validity, and a passport-style photograph.
• If you live in the UAE: residence visa and Emirates ID copies, and a no-objection letter from your current sponsor where your visa or employment requires one.
• If you are visiting: the visit visa or entry stamp page.
• Proposed company names (company licence only) and the activity list.

Corporate shareholders

• Board resolution approving the investment and naming the representative.
• Certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles of association, and a certificate of good standing or incumbency.
• Power of attorney for the person who signs, and that person’s passport.
• Foreign documents legalised in the country of issue, attested by the UAE embassy there and then by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with legal Arabic translation where required. UAE documents are usually notarised. Our document attestation service handles this chain.

Manager, director and beneficial owners

• Passport, photograph and visa details of the manager or director.
• A beneficial owner declaration. AMC’s UBO page explains that under Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023 every company keeps a register of partners or shareholders and a register of beneficial owners, and it provides a portal link to submit the declaration. Our UBO register guide explains who counts as a beneficial owner.

Ajman Media City packages and costs: what AMC actually publishes

AMC publishes full prices, visa counts and renewal prices. This table of the Ajman Media City packages is taken from AMC’s package data on 26 September 2026 (AED).

What a package includes

Every company package lists up to 10 activities, up to 10 shareholders, co-working space, the business licence, lease agreement, certificate of incorporation, commercial registry certificate, co-working lease, memorandum or articles and share certificate. Visa packages add the establishment card, investor security approval, UAE residency, medical, Emirates ID, visa status change and E-Channel registration.

The renewal price covers less. For the Visionary package, AMC says renewal “includes license renewal, co-working space, utilities, establishment card and e-channel”. Business Club renews “at the same price annually”. Visa renewals are not listed as part of the company renewal, so budget for them separately when each visa comes up.

What a package leaves out

• Health insurance for visa holders, which the visa step requires.
• Freelance visa costs: AMC says “Visa, immigration and related government charges are calculated separately” for the freelance licence.
• Attestation of corporate or educational documents, and translation.
• Family visas for dependants.
• Amendments (new activity, new shareholder, name change) and any NMA or other external permit.
• Extra visas beyond the package. AMC’s packages page says “Need More Visas? We Have More on Offer” without a price.

AMC notes that “Prices and package inclusions may change”; the quotation issued to you is final.

Reading the renewal gap

The difference between first-year and renewal prices is the one-off visa and set-up cost built into each package. For Visionary it is AED 4,000 (12,999 less 8,999); for Titan it is AED 38,000. Choosing larger Ajman Media City packages than you need therefore costs you twice: in the first year and on every renewal. Our UAE government fees list shows the federal fees that sit inside those numbers.

Ajman Media City office and facility options

Every AMC package includes a co-working lease, and AMC’s packages page says “No office? No problem. Run your business virtually, anywhere in the world.” Its services page also mentions flexi-desks, shared workspaces, executive offices and “access to creative studios and collaborative environments”, with “fully digital lease agreements and renewals”.

At AMC the package, not the square metres, decides your Ajman Media City visa count. A business that needs stock, a showroom or a workshop needs another zone. AMC offers no storage, so do not plan to keep stock at a co-working desk; hold it with a mainland logistics provider or a warehouse in another zone.

Ajman Media City visa and residency: how it works

An Ajman Media City visa is a UAE residence permit issued by ICP with your AMC company, or AMC itself for a freelancer, as sponsor. Ajman residence does not go through GDRFA Dubai, and the residence file number starts with 4, the Ajman code. AMC’s packages list the ICP steps it runs for you: investor security approval, establishment card, E-Channel registration, visa status change, medical, Emirates ID and residency. Our ICP vs GDRFA guide explains the split between the two authorities.

How easy is an Ajman Media City visa?

Easy to plan, because each of the Ajman Media City packages states its visa count. The trade-off is buying visas up front: hiring later means an upgrade, and AMC publishes no upgrade price.

The Ajman Media City visa process

1. Establishment card and E-Channel: the company’s immigration file with ICP, set up once and renewed with the licence.
2. Security approval: ICP’s clearance of the investor.
3. Entry permit or change of status: from abroad you enter on the permit; if you are already in the UAE on a visit visa, the status change is included in visa packages.
4. Medical and Emirates ID: a medical fitness test and biometrics, which require you to be in the UAE. See our medical fitness test service and Emirates ID typing service.
5. Residence visa: issued by ICP, with health insurance in place.

AMC publishes no processing time for these Ajman Media City visa steps.

Investor, employee and freelancer visas

• Shareholders and managers take the investor or partner visa under their company, using the package allocation.
• Employees take employment residence under the company, again from the package allocation. Free zone employees do not need a MOHRE work permit.
• Freelancers “may be eligible to apply for one UAE residence visa”, in AMC’s words, at extra cost. AMC’s article adds that approval “depends on immigration requirements and the applicant’s current status”.

As AMC puts it, “A company license does not automatically provide unlimited employee visas.”

Family sponsorship

Once you hold an Ajman Media City visa you can sponsor your spouse and children through ICP. ICP’s “Issuing residency permit” card sets a minimum monthly income of AED 3,000 plus employer-provided housing, or AED 4,000 without housing, and for investors lists a guarantee of AED 3,000 per family member up to AED 15,000. Expect to show a salary certificate, an attested tenancy contract and attested, translated marriage and birth certificates. AMC’s packages do not include family visas. Our family visa salary guide covers the ICP test.

Golden Visa routes for AMC shareholders

An AMC licence does not by itself lead to a Golden Visa; shareholders qualify through the federal investor or talent categories assessed by ICP. Our golden investor visa service can test your case.

Grace periods and cancellation

ICP publishes grace periods of 30, 60, 90 or 180 days after a residence permit is cancelled or expires, depending on the category, with 30 days for most employees and an overstay fine of AED 50 a day afterwards. Cancel family visas before the sponsor’s, and all visas before you close the company. For a free zone versus mainland comparison of visa rules, see our free zone visa service.

Opening a bank account for an Ajman Media City Free Zone company

AMC says accounts are “subject to the bank’s own compliance and customer verification procedures”. It lists no partner banks and no bank introduction in its packages.

Banks look harder at small co-working companies. Prepare the licence and incorporation documents, lease, passports and visas, a short business plan with expected turnover and counterparties, and proof of the source of funds. Our corporate bank account guide sets out what banks ask for, and our company formation support includes preparing the bank pack.

Ajman Media City Free Zone tax: corporate tax, VAT and customs

Corporate tax and the Qualifying Free Zone Person

AMC’s packages page still says “Enjoy 0% corporate and personal income tax”. That line is out of date for companies. An AMC company is within UAE corporate tax: 9% on taxable income above AED 375,000. It can pay 0% on qualifying income only if it is a Qualifying Free Zone Person under Cabinet Decision No. 100 of 2023. That means adequate substance in the zone, qualifying income from qualifying activities listed in Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025 (which replaced Ministerial Decision No. 265 of 2023 with effect from 1 June 2023), staying within the de minimis limit for other income, not electing for 9%, and audited financial statements. Small Business Relief is not available to a Qualifying Free Zone Person.

Service income from mainland customers is generally not qualifying income, so many small AMC companies pay 9% above AED 375,000 or use Small Business Relief instead. Every Ajman Media City Free Zone company must register for corporate tax, even at 0%; late registration costs AED 10,000. Our corporate tax registration guide walks through the filing.

Freelancers and corporate tax

An Ajman Media City freelance license is held by a natural person, who, as AMC notes, “may become subject to Corporate Tax requirements when total business turnover exceeds AED 1 million during a calendar year”.

VAT: AMC is not a designated zone

Cabinet Decision No. 59 of 2017 lists the designated zones treated as outside the UAE for certain VAT purposes on goods. The Ajman section of the list, as published by the Federal Tax Authority, has one entry: “Ajman Free Zone”. Ajman Media City is not on it, so supplies by an AMC business are treated like supplies on the mainland. Registration becomes mandatory above AED 375,000 of taxable supplies, as AMC’s article also says. The FTA’s live list page could not be read by automated tools on the day we checked, so we used the FTA’s own published list document; check the live list before relying on it.

Customs

AMC has no bonded facilities; imported goods clear customs and import VAT normally.

Can an Ajman Media City company work with mainland clients?

Yes for services delivered from the zone and abroad, with care for anything done on the mainland. A free zone licence covers activity inside the zone and outside the UAE. AMC does not publish a mainland operating permit or a no-objection letter service, so the usual routes apply.

• Services to mainland clients: invoicing mainland companies for work done from the zone or remotely is common; work performed on the mainland may need a mainland licence.
• Selling goods: use a mainland-licensed distributor or agent that imports and resells.
• Ajman mainland licence: the owners can set up a separate company or branch licensed by the Ajman Department of Economic Development. We could not read a published Ajman DED service card for free zone companies, so confirm the conditions with the DED.
• Dubai mainland: Dubai Executive Council Resolution No. 11 of 2025 created a Free Zone Mainland Operating Permit for Dubai’s own free zones. It is a Dubai scheme, not open to an Ajman zone company. For a Dubai presence, plan on a Department of Economy and Tourism licence. Our mainland company formation guide covers it.

Renewal and compliance for an Ajman Media City Free Zone company

AMC’s rules page still lists superseded texts (economic substance, the 2018 AML law, Cabinet Decision No. 55 of 2023); rely on the latest federal texts.

Ajman Media City Free Zone compared with the other Ajman zones

ANCFZ one-year prices include a 10% prepayment discount; compare renewal prices too.

Ajman Media City Free Zone: pros and cons

Who Ajman Media City Free Zone suits, and who should look elsewhere

Good fit

• Freelance photographers, videographers, designers, writers, translators, developers and presenters who work alone.
• Small agencies and consultancies of one to ten people that need a company name and predictable visa costs.
• Content and e-commerce founders who want to mix service and trading activities on one licence.
• Founders outside the UAE who want to set up online and hold no visa at first (Business Club).

Look elsewhere if

• You hold stock, need a warehouse or want designated-zone VAT treatment: Ajman Free Zone or the UAQ Free Trade Zone.
• You want a media-zone brand in Sharjah with its own freelancer permits: SHAMS.
• You need a Dubai address and access to Dubai’s mainland permit: IFZA or Dubai Media City.
• You want many activities across trading and tech with multi-year prepaid pricing: the Ajman NuVentures Centre Free Zone.

Ajman Media City Free Zone: worked cases

These cases are built from the situations we see most often. Names and identifying details are left out, and the figures are the published ones.

Case 1: a videographer who works alone

A videographer on a visit visa wants a licence and residence. The freelance licence (from AED 6,150) covers one activity, and one visa can be added at extra cost. The cheaper Business Club company (AED 4,999) carries no visa, so it does not solve residence. The next company option with a visa, Visionary, costs AED 12,999 in year one and AED 8,999 to renew. We would compare the freelance licence plus AMC’s visa charges against Visionary in writing: if she may add a business partner or a second activity such as equipment rental within a year, the company is the better base.

Case 2: a two-founder content agency

Two partners want a company name, both need visas, and they plan to sell merchandise alongside social media services. Pioneer (two visas, AED 17,999, renewal AED 10,999) fits, and AMC allows commercial and service activities on the same licence. We add an NMA advertiser permit for paid content and a fulfilment company for stock.

Case 3: an overseas founder who wants a UAE company but no visa yet

A consultant abroad wants a UAE company to invoice Gulf clients. Business Club at AED 4,999 a year, renewing at the same price, gives a company with up to ten activities and ten shareholders. The bank pack matters more than the licence, and corporate tax registration is still required.

Case 4: a trader who needs a warehouse

A founder importing furniture assumes AMC’s commercial activities make it a good fit. They do not: AMC has no storage. We point him to Ajman Free Zone, which leases warehouses from 100 sqm and is Ajman’s VAT designated zone, or to a mainland licence with a logistics partner.

What circulates online about Ajman Media City Free Zone that is not true

How to verify every Ajman Media City license cost and rule in this guide

Ajman Media City Free Zone setup: how MIRDXB PRO helps

We are an independent PRO and business setup consultancy in Al Barsha 1, Dubai. We are not Ajman Media City, the Free Zones Authority of Ajman or an AMC-listed agent. We handle an Ajman Media City Free Zone setup from the first comparison to the first residence visa.

What we do

• Match your work to AMC’s activity database, flag any NMA or other external permit, and tell you if another zone fits better.
• Compare the freelance licence with the company packages, including the renewal cost over three years.
• Review the AMC quotation line by line against the published package.
• Prepare and attest corporate and personal documents, and follow the application to licence.
• Run the establishment card, entry permit or change of status, medical, Emirates ID and residence visa, and family visas where eligible.
• Prepare the bank pack, corporate tax registration and UBO filing, and set renewal reminders.

How it works

1. Message us on WhatsApp with your activity, number of owners and visas needed.
2. We reply in writing with the recommended AMC structure and package, the items you pay AMC at cost and our fee.
3. You approve, send documents and sign the AMC forms; we track each step and send you the receipts.
4. After the licence, we run the visas, bank and tax steps, then hand over a compliance calendar.

What it costs

AMC and government fees are passed on at cost with receipts. Our own fee depends on the structure, the attestation work and the number of visas, and is quoted in writing before we start. See our fees page and our business setup service.

Why founders use us

• We publish our sources, as in this guide, and say when official pages conflict.
• We handle ICP and GDRFA files, so Ajman and Dubai visas are run by one team.
• We tell you when a freelancer can simply apply to AMC directly.
• Our office is in Al Barsha 1, open Monday to Thursday and Saturday 09:00 to 18:00 and Friday 09:00 to 12:00. Visa steps after the licence are covered by our free zone visa service.

What we will and will not do

• We will give you a written quote before any work, and pass AMC and government fees on at cost.
• We will tell you if AMC is the wrong zone for your activity, stock or budget.
• We will not promise approvals that AMC, ICP, the National Media Authority or a bank controls.
• We will not present ourselves as AMC or as an official AMC partner.

Related guides

• Ajman free zones: the emirate overview
• Ajman Free Zone company setup
• Ajman NuVentures Centre Free Zone
• SHAMS free zone company setup
• UAQ Free Trade Zone company setup
• IFZA company setup
• Free zones in the UAE
• Establishment card explained

Keeping your AMC licence, co-working lease, establishment card, visas and beneficial owner filings renewed on time is what our PRO services in Dubai team handles.