Free Zones in UAE 2026: Complete Guide to All 43 Free Zones by Emirate

Free zones in UAE are designated areas, each with its own licensing authority, where foreign investors can own 100% of a company, register it under the zone’s own regulations and sponsor residence visas for staff. Most are created by a law or decree of their emirate, such as Dubai Law No. 3 of 2020 for DMCC or Ras Al Khaimah Law No. 2 of 2017 for RAKEZ. Two, DIFC and ADGM, are financial free zones established by federal decree under Federal Law No. 8 of 2004, with their own laws, courts and regulators. The federal portal u.ae says you apply online to the UAE free zone authority and, after review, “will get a licence within 14 working days”.

This is the UAE-wide pillar of our series. It links to all 43 zone guides and the six emirate pillars, and every zone figure comes from those guides, researched from each zone’s own fee schedules, regulations and FAQs and checked on 26 September 2026. Where sources disagree, we show both. If you would rather hand the comparison and the file to a team that handles business setup in Dubai and the other emirates every week, see the service section near the end.

Free zones in UAE at a glance

What a UAE free zone is, legally

There are two kinds of UAE free zone. The first, 41 of the 43 here, is created by one emirate. Dubai Law No. 16 of 2021 created the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ), which runs Dubai Airport Freezone, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai CommerCity. Dubai Law No. 15 of 2014, as amended, created the authority now called the Dubai Development Authority (DDA), which licenses the nine TECOM communities in this series. These zones issue their own companies regulations, but federal law still applies inside them: criminal law, anti-money-laundering rules, immigration, corporate tax and VAT, and the federal rules on regulated activities such as media, health, education and virtual assets. That is why a Dubai Media City company may still need a National Media Authority registration.

DIFC and ADGM: the two financial free zones

Federal Law No. 8 of 2004 on Financial Free Zones exempts financial free zones from federal civil and commercial laws, while federal criminal law still applies. DIFC was created by Federal Decree No. 35 of 2004 and is governed by Dubai Law No. 5 of 2021; ADGM by Federal Decree No. 15 of 2013 and Abu Dhabi Law No. 4 of 2013 as amended. DIFC has its own English-language civil and commercial laws and the DIFC Courts; ADGM applies English common law directly. Each has an independent financial regulator, the DFSA and the FSRA, which authorises regulated firms separately from the registrar. See our DIFC company setup and ADGM company setup guides.

What is not a UAE free zone, even if marketed as one

How many free zones in UAE? The official list and our 43

No single federal register settles the count. The closest is the u.ae page “Starting a business in a free zone” (updated 6 May 2026), which lists UAE free zone authorities by emirate. We read it on 26 September 2026 and counted 37 entries. The table compares it with the 43 free zones in UAE this series covers.

A zone missing from one official page is not necessarily unofficial, and a name on a marketing list is not necessarily a licensing authority. Before paying anyone, check the law or decree that created the zone, the authority named on the licence you will receive, and that the same authority opens your establishment card with GDRFA or ICP.

List of free zones in UAE by emirate: every zone, linked

This is the full list of free zones in UAE that our series covers, by emirate. Each zone links to its own guide with legal forms, full fee lines, visa rules, documents and steps. “Lowest published price” is the cheapest figure the zone itself publishes; “not published” means it quotes privately. All figures were checked on 26 September 2026, and the zone’s own quotation is final.

Dubai free zones (23)

Dubai has the most zones and the widest spread, from Jafza’s port-side land to one-desk digital licences. Visas are issued by GDRFA Dubai, and Dubai is the only emirate with a published mainland permit for UAE free zone companies. See our Dubai free zones list and comparison.

Sharjah free zones (6)

Two industrial and port zones (SAIF Zone and Hamriyah), a media and budget all-rounder (Shams), a publishing zone selling cheap instant licences (SPC), a research park (SRTIP) and a healthcare cluster (SHCC). Visas are issued by ICP. See Sharjah free zones compared.

Abu Dhabi free zones (5)

A common-law financial centre (ADGM), the UAE’s largest industrial land bank (KEZAD), a sustainability campus (Masdar City), a media zone with a fee waiver (twofour54) and an airside zone across three airports (ADAFZ). Visas are issued by ICP. See Abu Dhabi free zones.

Ajman free zones (3)

A port-side general zone with warehouses (Ajman Free Zone), an office-only freelancer-friendly zone (Ajman Media City) and an independently governed package zone (NuVentures). Visas are issued by ICP. See Ajman free zones.

Ras Al Khaimah free zones (3)

A general and industrial authority that can also license mainland entities (RAKEZ), a tech-only zone that replaced RAK DAO in October 2025 (Innovation City) and a heavy-industry zone at Saqr Port (RAK Maritime City). Visas are issued by ICP. See Ras Al Khaimah free zones.

Fujairah free zones (2)

The only port-linked UAE free zone on the east coast, and one of the cheapest media zones. Visas are issued by ICP. See Fujairah free zones.

Umm Al Quwain free zone (1)

One zone combining monthly-priced licence and freelance packages with industrial land and two VAT designated areas. Visas are issued by ICP. There is no separate Umm Al Quwain pillar.

The flagship free zones in UAE compared

Thirteen UAE free zones account for most shortlists we see from founders who have not yet chosen an emirate. They are not the best free zone in UAE for everyone, but they are the ones most often compared, so here they are side by side.

Three patterns stand out. The zones with customs-controlled land and warehouses (Jafza, DAFZA, KEZAD, SAIF Zone, Ajman Free Zone, parts of RAKEZ) hold VAT designated-zone status and allocate visas by facility. The digital zones (IFZA, Meydan, Shams) sell visas by package or allocation, so a headcount beyond about six can push you elsewhere. And the two financial centres price in US dollars and tie visas to space, so a DIFC or ADGM holding company with no staff can cost less than a trading licence, while an operating firm with ten staff costs far more.

Free zones in UAE: how the emirates differ

Choosing the emirate matters more than choosing a zone within it: the emirate decides who issues your visas and which mainland you can reach. These are the differences between free zones in UAE emirates that most often change the answer.

Who issues a UAE free zone visa: GDRFA Dubai or ICP

Every UAE free zone company sponsors staff through its own establishment card, but the residence visa is issued by the emirate’s immigration authority: GDRFA Dubai in Dubai, and ICP in the other six emirates. Most zones run the file through their own desks, such as axs for the DDA communities or the DIFC Government Services Office.

The issuer matters. Fees differ between GDRFA and ICP, so a Dubai-based quote will be wrong for a Sharjah visa. Grace periods after cancellation differ: GDRFA’s card states 60 days, while ICP uses 30, 60, 90 or 180 days by category, with overstay at AED 50 a day after that. And medicals and Emirates ID biometrics follow the issuing emirate’s system. Our free zone visa service covers the Dubai side.

UAE free zone mainland access: the rules differ by emirate

A UAE free zone licence is valid inside the zone; SAIF Zone, Dubai Outsource City, Dubai Science Park and RAK Maritime City say so in plain words. Selling through a distributor or serving mainland clients remotely is a different question from operating on the mainland, and each emirate answers it differently.

Dubai has the clearest rule. Executive Council Resolution No. 11 of 2025 offers a DET branch licence (AED 10,000 a year) or a Free Zone Mainland Operating Permit (AED 5,000 for six months, Dubai Media Office, 8 October 2025), usually with a zone NOC; DIFC financial establishments are excluded. Abu Dhabi uses dual licences agreed by ADGM (2017), KEZAD and twofour54 (2018). Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah rely on local branches, separate companies or distributors. In Ras Al Khaimah, RAKEZ itself can license non-free zone entities with RAK DED.

A Dubai permit does not help a Sharjah company, and an Abu Dhabi dual licence does not reach Dubai. If most customers are on one emirate’s mainland, that may decide the emirate, or show that a mainland company in Dubai fits better than any of the free zones in UAE.

Best free zone in UAE by business type

There is no single best free zone in UAE, only a best fit for an activity, a headcount and a customer base. The matrix gives one to three UAE free zones per business type, with the reason. Treat it as a shortlist: two firms with the same activity can land in different zones because one needs twelve visas and the other none.

Legal forms and VAT status in every UAE free zone

Legal forms differ across UAE free zones. “FZE” and “FZCO” are labels, not federal company types: DMCC registers a company limited by shares, Meydan and Shams an LLC, the DDA communities an FZ-LLC, KEZAD and Masdar a “Limited” company. What matters is whether the zone accepts your shareholder type and number, and whether it registers branches.

Free zone vs mainland in the UAE

Mainland companies can now be 100% foreign-owned for most activities, so ownership no longer settles the choice between a UAE free zone and the mainland. Customers, physical operations and headcount do.

Many groups end up with both: a UAE free zone company for regional trade or holding, and a mainland branch or permit for local work. Our free zone vs mainland guide compares visas, costs and tax in detail, and the mainland company formation guide covers the DET route in Dubai.

Cheapest free zone in UAE? How to read the published prices

Searches for the cheapest free zone in UAE usually end at an advertised headline, which is rarely the bill. Zones price in three ways: itemised fee lines (DDA communities, DIFC, ADGM, Jafza, DHCC, Dubai Humanitarian), packages bundling a licence with a desk and sometimes a visa (Meydan, DUQE, Shams, SPC, ANCFZ, AMC, Creative City, RAKEZ, Masdar, KEZAD, ADAFZ, Innovation City, UAQ FTZ), or private quotes (SAIF Zone, CommerCity, IFZA via partners, SHCC, RAK Maritime City, DAFZA for companies).

Lowest published entry figures, zero-visa or licence-only

Creative City’s AED 3,999 and DMCC’s AED 34,185 are both true but buy different things. A fair comparison of free zones in UAE runs one scenario (one shareholder, one investor visa, the smallest space that allows it) through every line to the Emirates ID. UAQ FTZ publishes monthly prices (AED 1,818 for freelance with a visa; AED 2,266 for UAQ Start) without the number of instalments, so it is left out of the ladder.

The cost lines packages often leave out

When we handle a file, UAE free zone and government fees are passed on at cost and our fee is quoted in writing first; see our fees page.

Visas and residency across UAE free zones

Visa numbers are where most UAE free zone choices go wrong. Every zone ties visas to one of four models; know which before you sign a lease.

Investor, partner, employee and family visas

Shareholders and managers usually hold an investor or partner visa from their own company; employees hold employment visas processed through the zone. Some zones add conditions: Meydan’s FAQ requires AED 50,000 share capital for an investor visa, and twofour54’s Authority sponsors every non-GCC employee. Residents can then sponsor family under federal rules, and significant investors may qualify for long-term residence; see our Golden investor visa service.

Staff sponsored by a UAE free zone company are expected to work in that zone; KEZAD’s and Masdar City’s rules say so expressly, and Jafza’s visas are limited to work in the free zone. After the licence the order never changes: establishment card, entry permit or change of status, medical, Emirates ID biometrics, residence. See our medical fitness test service and Emirates ID typing service.

Tax for UAE free zone companies: corporate tax, QFZP and VAT

Corporate tax

Every UAE free zone company must register for corporate tax within the timeframe in FTA Decision No. 3 of 2024; late registration costs AED 10,000. The standard rate is 9% above AED 375,000. A Qualifying Free Zone Person under Cabinet Decision No. 100 of 2023 pays 0% on qualifying income, defined by the activities in Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025 (issued 28 August 2025, repealing Ministerial Decision No. 265 of 2023 with effect from 1 June 2023). Non-qualifying revenue above the de minimis limit, the lower of 5% of revenue or AED 5 million, can cost the status.

Small Business Relief (for periods ending on or before 31 December 2029) is not available to a Qualifying Free Zone Person, and QFZP status needs substance and audited accounts, so the cheapest desk licence is not automatically the lowest-tax option. See our corporate tax registration guide and take advice from a registered tax agent.

VAT and designated zones

VAT at 5% applies in free zones in UAE as on the mainland, except in designated zones, which are treated as outside the UAE for certain supplies of goods if customs controls and the VAT law’s conditions are met. The list comes from Cabinet Decision No. 59 of 2017 as amended; the FTA’s consolidated version of 21 September 2021 is the latest we could read, because the current page blocks automated reading:

Designated-zone treatment applies to goods, not to services, and not to the whole of a zone that merely contains a customs area. Cabinet decisions after 2021 may have changed the list, so check the current FTA list or ask your tax agent before you rely on it.

UAE free zone company setup: the steps common to every zone

Each UAE free zone has its own portal, but the sequence is the same everywhere; u.ae gives 14 working days as the general licence time.

1. Choose the activity and check the zone licenses it. Search the zone’s own activity list and note any external approval (for example VARA, the National Media Authority, KHDA, DHA or the Capital Market Authority).
2. Choose the legal form and structure. Individual or corporate shareholders, number of shareholders, manager, directors and secretary where the zone requires them.
3. Reserve the name and apply for initial approval. Upload passports, the business plan where required, and shareholder documents; the zone runs compliance and security checks.
4. Choose space. Flexi-desk, package, office, warehouse or land, matched to the visas you need in the first two years.
5. Sign the constitutional documents and lease, and pay. Many zones now use electronic signatures; a few require notarised or attested documents first.
6. Receive the certificate of incorporation, licence and share certificates.
7. Open the establishment card and E-Channel with GDRFA Dubai or ICP through the zone.
8. Apply for visas: entry permit or change of status, medical, Emirates ID biometrics, residence.
9. Open the corporate bank account. Banks set their own requirements; see our corporate bank account guide.
10. Register for corporate tax, file the UBO register and diarise renewals.

Documents checklist

Legalising corporate documents from abroad most often turns a ten-day setup into two months. Our document attestation service maps the chain for your country first.

After the licence: compliance in every UAE free zone

• Licence and lease renewal every year (some zones sell multi-year licences, such as Meydan up to 10 years and ANCFZ up to 5). Late renewal attracts zone fines, for example AED 1,000 at Jafza.
• Beneficial owner register under Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023: file within 60 days of incorporation and report changes within 15 days; penalties are set by Cabinet Resolution No. 132 of 2023.
• Audited accounts where the zone requires them (DMCC and the DDA communities do, for example) and wherever the company wants Qualifying Free Zone Person status.
• Corporate tax returns each year, and VAT registration once taxable supplies pass the mandatory threshold.
• Anti-money-laundering duties for designated non-financial businesses (for example dealers in precious metals and stones and corporate service providers) under Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, including goAML registration.
• Visa and Emirates ID renewals, cancellations when staff leave, and establishment card renewal.

Our UBO register guide explains who counts as a beneficial owner and how to file.

Choosing between free zones in UAE: four composite 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.

1. A solo marketing consultant living in Dubai

A consultant with Dubai clients compared Creative City (Elite AED 9,999 with one visa), Shams (AED 5,760 plus an AED 1,600 allocation and visa fees) and Meydan (from AED 12,500 plus AED 1,850 and visa fees). The Northern Emirates options were cheaper, but her visa would sit on an ICP file elsewhere, and regular on-site work for Dubai mainland clients pointed to a permit only Dubai zones can get under Resolution No. 11 of 2025. She chose a Dubai zone. A consultant serving clients abroad would have chosen the other way.

2. A European distributor that needed a warehouse

A spare-parts group shortlisted Jafza, SAIF Zone and KEZAD, all VAT designated zones with warehouses. Jafza won on shipping lines and the bonded link to Jebel Ali Port, and its visa quota came with the warehouse, not a package. The slowest step was the group’s corporate documents, which had to be notarised, legalised and attested before the application was complete.

3. A fintech that assumed any UAE free zone would do

A payments start-up bought a low-cost digital licence for “financial consultancy”. When it tried to take client funds, the bank asked for a regulatory licence it did not hold: payment services need DFSA or FSRA authorisation in DIFC or ADGM, or the Central Bank onshore. The founders restarted in ADGM, as a Tech Start-up first and then applying to the FSRA. The first licence was cheap, and the wrong vehicle.

4. A manufacturer weighing Abu Dhabi against the Northern Emirates

A food processor needed land and about forty visas. KEZAD offered plots beside Khalifa Port with a domestic zone next door; Hamriyah offered pre-built warehouses with published quotas (400 sq m for 40 visas) and its own port; RAKEZ offered land further north. Most sales were to Abu Dhabi retailers, and KEZAD’s ADDED dual licence let it sell onshore without a second entity. Had the buyers been in Sharjah and Dubai, Hamriyah would have won.

UAE free zone myths: what circulates online that is not true

How to verify every figure in this guide

UAE free zone company setup: how MIRDXB PRO helps

We are an independent PRO and business-setup consultancy in Al Barsha 1, Dubai, and an Amer and Tasheel partner. We are not a free zone authority, and no UAE free zone lists us as an official partner. We offer free zone company setup support that starts with each zone’s published numbers and runs through visas, bank and tax in all seven emirates.

What we do

• Shortlist before you pay: two or three zones compared on their own published fee lines.
• Check the activity and flag any outside regulator.
• Prepare the application: legal form, name, shareholders, officers and UBO declaration.
• Plan the document chain: notarisation, legalisation, attestation and translation.
• Match space to visas using the zone’s allocation rule and your two-year headcount.
• Run the post-licence chain: establishment card, E-Channel, entry permits, medicals, Emirates ID and residence with GDRFA Dubai or ICP.
• Diarise compliance: corporate tax, UBO, audits and renewals.

How it works

1. Message us on WhatsApp with your activity, shareholders (people or companies, and where they are), visa count and where your customers are.
2. We send a written plan: the zones that fit, their fee lines, costs they do not publish, a realistic timeline and our fee.
3. You approve, and we prepare the file while you gather documents; shareholders abroad can often sign electronically or by power of attorney.
4. We finish the chain through licence, establishment card, visas and bank documents, then hand over a dated compliance calendar.

What it costs

Government and UAE free zone fees are passed on at cost, on the authority’s own invoice. Our fee depends on the zone, the structure, any outside approvals and the number of visas, and it is quoted in writing before we begin. See how we price our work on our fees page.

Why founders use us

• We publish our sources. Every zone figure in this series links back to the zone’s own schedule, rules or a government page, and we show where they disagree.
• We cover all seven emirates, and both GDRFA Dubai and ICP visa files.
• We tell you when a UAE free zone is not the answer, including when a mainland company or a cheaper zone fits better.
• Easy to reach: Al Barsha 1 office, Monday to Thursday and Saturday 09:00 to 18:00, Friday 09:00 to 12:00.

For mainland and free zone options side by side, see our business setup service, or ask for company formation support for a specific zone.

What we will and will not do

• We will show you each zone’s published fees line by line; we will not quote invented “all-in” prices or hide government charges inside our fee.
• We will tell you when your activity needs DFSA, FSRA, VARA, the Central Bank, the National Media Authority, KHDA, DHA or another regulator; we will not present a UAE free zone licence as a regulatory licence.
• We will prepare and submit applications; we will not promise approval, a bank account or a visa, because those decisions belong to the zones, banks and immigration authorities.
• We will point you to a registered tax agent or approved auditor for QFZP and audit work; we do not give tax opinions.

Free zones in UAE by emirate: the emirate pillars

• Dubai free zones: the complete list of 23 and how to choose
• Sharjah free zones: SAIF Zone, Hamriyah, Shams, SRTIP, SPC and SHCC
• Abu Dhabi free zones: ADGM, KEZAD, Masdar City, twofour54 and ADAFZ
• Ajman free zones: Ajman Free Zone, Ajman Media City and NuVentures
• Ras Al Khaimah free zones: RAKEZ, RAK Maritime City and Innovation City
• Fujairah free zones: Fujairah Free Zone and Creative City
• Umm Al Quwain: UAQ Free Trade Zone company setup

Related guides

• Free zone vs mainland: visas, costs and tax
• Mainland company formation in Dubai
• Corporate tax registration in the UAE
• Corporate bank account in the UAE
• UBO register in the UAE
• Free zone visa services in Dubai
• Golden investor visa in Dubai

Handling the establishment card, visas, Emirates ID, attestation and renewals for a UAE free zone company is what our PRO services in Dubai team handles every day.