RAK Maritime City Free Zone 2026: Saqr Port Setup, Land, Licences, Visas and Costs

RAK Maritime City free zone is the free zone area of Saqr Port in Ras Al Khaimah, licensed by the RAK Maritime City Free Zone Authority (RMC) and operated within RAK Ports, where companies lease waterfront land, warehouses and port-side facilities to manufacture, fabricate, store and ship heavy goods. A RAK Maritime City company can be wholly foreign-owned, holds an industrial or commercial licence valid inside the zone, sponsors residence visas through the Ras Al Khaimah immigration system, and is known above all for construction materials, steel and offshore fabrication and project cargo moved over Saqr Port’s deepwater berths.

RAK Maritime City is easy to overlook. Its old website, rakmaritimecity.ae, no longer resolves, it is not in the u.ae list of Ras Al Khaimah free zones (which names only RAKEZ and Innovation City), and its forms now sit on the RAK Ports website under “Saqr Port / Free Zone”, which is why people also search for it as the Saqr Port free zone or the RMC free zone. Yet RAK Ports describes Saqr Port’s “Free Zone area that is also known as RAK Maritime City” as having “several million square metres of available land, complete with waterside access”, and it has signed two large manufacturing tenants since late 2025.

This guide explains what the RAK Maritime City free zone is, who licenses it, the legal forms and licences, the RMC setup steps and documents, what is and is not published on cost, land and berths, visas, tax, trading with the mainland and renewal. For a general comparison of free zones and the mainland, see our free zone vs mainland guide. If you want an adviser to prepare the file and handle the government steps, our free zone company setup support covers Ras Al Khaimah zones as well as Dubai.

RMC is one of three free zone routes in Ras Al Khaimah covered in our Ras Al Khaimah free zones guide; the others are RAKEZ and Innovation City. For the national picture, see the free zones in the UAE pillar guide. Every fact below comes from the sources listed at the end, read on 26 September 2026. Where RMC publishes nothing, we say so and do not fill the gap with guesses.

RAK Maritime City free zone at a glance

The short version: RMC suits a company that needs a large plot beside deep water and will move heavy or oversized goods by sea. For anything smaller, a general-purpose zone such as RAKEZ is simpler and publishes its prices. If you are weighing Ras Al Khaimah against Dubai options for business setup in Dubai, we compare both in writing.

What RAK Maritime City is and who runs it

RAK Ports describes itself as a network of four ports serving industry and construction: Saqr Port, Ras Al Khaimah Port in the city, Al Jazeera Port in the south with its shipyard, and Al Jeer Port near the northern border. RAK Maritime City is the free zone attached to Saqr Port. Its forms carry the name “RAK Maritime City Free Zone Authority”, abbreviated RMC, and the zone’s financial crime risk statement says RMC oversees “registration and licensing” of entities in the free zone.

When the zone launched, its own site called it a vision of His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi covering “8 million square metres of strategically located coastland”, with a dedicated harbour of 820,000 square metres of water and almost 5 kilometres of new quay wall with private jetties. It was to be zoned for warehousing, general cargo handling, industrial production and manufacturing, tank storage, and shipbuilding or repair. Those are 2016 figures from an archived page; RAK Ports’ current pages speak of “several million square metres” and 4 million square metres immediately available.

Saqr 2.0 and the new tenants

RAK Ports’ current expansion, which it calls Saqr 2.0, is a greenfield port development with deeper berths aimed at heavy-lift and project cargo. RAK Ports’ news pages give a sense of scale:

• October 2025: Jianhua Holdings Group and PHC Technologies began building an AED 120 million prestressed concrete piles factory on 540,000 square feet of free zone land in RAK Maritime City, expected to create up to 500 jobs.
• February 2026: APT Global signed to invest about AED 50 million in a roughly 700,000 square foot fabrication facility in RAK Maritime City Free Zone, taking its footprint to about 2 million square feet, for offshore, renewables, shipbuilding and oil and gas structures.
• RAK Ports says Saqr 2.0 offers a draft of about 14 metres, access to “nearly 65 million sqft of Freezone within a 4 km radius”, 50-metre road corridors from plot to port and heavy-lift capacity for single shipments of about 35,000 tonnes.

Earlier, Malaysian steel fabricator Eversendai announced modular construction work with Hyundai Engineering & Construction to be carried out in RAK Maritime City. The pattern is clear: RAK Maritime City tenants build large, heavy things and ship them out by sea.

How RMC differs from RAKEZ and other port zones

• Against RAKEZ: RAKEZ has industrial land too, including Al Hulaila near Saqr Port, plus desks, offices and published packages. RMC is narrower: land with direct water access and port-integrated logistics.
• Against JAFZA and Dubai Maritime City: Jebel Ali is a container and trading hub. RMC is built around bulk and breakbulk, construction materials and oversized project cargo. See our JAFZA company setup guide.
• Against Hamriyah Free Zone and KEZAD: similar heavy-industry and waterfront offers in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, with more published information on packages and processes.

RAK International Corporate Centre (RAK ICC) is sometimes mentioned in the same breath as Ras Al Khaimah’s free zones, but it is an offshore company registry, not a free zone.

RAK Maritime City company setup: legal forms, shareholders and capital

RMC’s May 2026 registration guidelines list three entity types. The shareholder limits below come from the zone’s archived licence page (2016) and the current application form, so confirm them with RMC for your structure.

Share capital

RAK Maritime City does not publish a minimum share capital. Its application form says “Amount of each share must be One thousand Dirham’s or multiples thereof”, so capital is set in AED 1,000 shares. Capital increases need an original bank letter or statement from a UAE bank, or a report from a UAE-licensed auditor; decreases need a 30-day newspaper notice in Arabic and English, an auditor’s report and evidence that creditor objections were resolved (RMC amendments checklist).

Manager, directors, secretary and signatory

• The application form says “Director, Manager and Secretary could be one person”.
• Directors must be natural persons aged at least 21, and the manager must be at least 21 (amendments checklist).
• A manager who holds another sponsor’s visa needs that sponsor’s no objection certificate.
• A new individual shareholder or a new manager needs RAK Immigration’s pre-approval.
• An authorised signatory signs applications; some amendments must be signed by the “Legal Manager”.

Trade names

You give three name options; an approved name is reserved for up to two months. Names may not include government bodies, UAE or emirate names, misleading country or city references, religious references, personal names without authorisation, special characters, or company types RMC does not offer, and must end with the correct suffix above.

RAK Maritime City free zone licence types and activities

RMC’s current registration guidelines list two licence types, industrial and commercial. The zone’s archived licence page from 2016 explains how each worked then, and nothing on rakports.ae contradicts it:

RAK Maritime City does not publish an activity list online. In practice, activities cluster around what the port does: fabrication and steel structures, precast and construction materials, bulk and breakbulk trading, storage and warehousing, marine services, ship supply, tank storage and ship repair support. Activities regulated by other authorities need their no objection certificate before RMC adds them; the amendments checklist asks for “No Objection Certificates (NOC) from relevant regulatory authorities (if applicable)”. Industrial occupiers also need Ras Al Khaimah Environmental Protection and Development Authority (EPDA) and RAK Civil Defence approvals, which the guidelines list as post-licence steps.

A branch cannot carry on an activity different from its parent’s business.

RAK Maritime City company setup process, step by step

RMC’s guidelines set out the order: document review, immigration approval, fees, contract, licence, then applications to other authorities. The figure maps that sequence and marks where an official time exists.

1. Land or facility enquiry. Contact RAK Ports with your plot size, quay or berth needs, cargo volumes and power requirements. RAK Ports says plots can be customised and land reclamation is available for large tenants. Time: not published.
2. Application and documents. Submit the application form signed by the authorised signatory, a business plan and the documents listed below, including the UBO, sanctions policy and source of wealth declarations. RMC runs customer due diligence and “will not register or license any entity where customer due diligence cannot be satisfactorily completed”. Time: not published.
3. Immigration approval. RAK Immigration pre-approval for shareholders and the manager. Time: not published.
4. Fee payment. RMC registration and licence fees and immigration file fees, as quoted. Time: at your pace.
5. Contract. The land lease or facility agreement with RAK Ports. RAK Ports advertises “long, uninterrupted leases”. Time: negotiated.
6. Licence issued. With incorporation documents and memorandum. Time: not published; u.ae says free zone approvals generally take up to 14 working days.
7. EPDA and Civil Defence. Environmental no objection certificate from EPDA, and Civil Defence fire safety approval, plus any other authority for your activity. Time: set by each authority.
8. Immigration file, visas and Emirates ID. Through the Ras Al Khaimah immigration system (ICP), with RMC as sponsor.
9. Bank and tax. Corporate bank account; corporate tax registration within three months of incorporation (FTA Decision No. 3 of 2024); VAT registration once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000.

For a construction project, the real critical path is design, permits, construction and fire and environmental sign-off, not the licence. Plan for that in your cash flow and your visa timing.

RAK Maritime City free zone documents required

This is RMC’s own list from its “Guidelines for Registration of New Company Under RMC” (May 2026):

1. Application form signed by the authorised signatory.
2. Business plan.
3. Copies of the passport, visa and Emirates ID (if any) of the proposed manager and directors.
4. No objection certificate for the manager, if applicable.
5. Individual shareholders: passport, visa and Emirates ID (if any), and proof of residential address.
6. Corporate shareholders: licence or certificate of incorporation, shareholders’ resolution to set up the RMC entity, memorandum of association, certificate of incumbency, and identity documents of the beneficial owners.
7. UBO declaration.
8. Sanctions policy declaration.
9. Source of wealth declaration.
10. Power of attorney, if applicable.

Attestation follows two routes. Documents of a UAE-registered corporate shareholder must be attested by a notary public in the UAE. Documents of a foreign corporate shareholder must be legalised up to UAE embassy level. RMC also says documents must be in English or Arabic, and a power of attorney must be produced in original. Our document attestation service can run the legalisation chain for foreign parents.

RAK Maritime City free zone costs: what is published

RAK Maritime City does not publish a registration, licence or visa fee schedule. The zone’s archived 2016 fees page said “TBA”, and today’s forms say only that “RMC fees are applicable” and that immigration file fees apply. The one tenant-relevant price in the RAK Ports Tariff 2026 (effective 11 May 2026) is below.

When you ask for a quotation, request each of these in writing: registration and licence fee for year one and renewal, immigration file fee, lease rate per square metre and escalation, service charges, security deposits, EPDA and Civil Defence fees, insurance levels RMC requires, and port tariffs for your cargo. Budget also for the insurances RMC checks at every renewal (below) and for audited accounts.

Land, berths and facilities in RAK Maritime City

RAK Ports’ free zone and land lease page sets out the offer:

• Direct waterside access with “several hundred metres of available quay wall and an entrance draft of 6.5 metres” on the existing free zone frontage.
• “4 million square meters immediately available”, in a “wide range of plot sizes” that can be customised.
• Land reclamation options for large tenants, with development plans already in place.
• Warehousing, cold storage and open land for custom warehouses across RAK Ports’ sites, all with waterside access and 24/7 security.

The archived 2016 site gave harder numbers: plots “from 25,000sqm upwards”, and plots with an exclusive berth or jetty of 100 linear metres needing a minimum leased area of about 40,000 square metres. RAK Ports no longer publishes a minimum, so smaller plots may be possible; ask.

Visa allocation

RAK Maritime City does not publish a visa allocation rule linked to plot size or space. Visas are agreed with RMC based on your project and workforce plan, subject to RAK immigration approval. For a factory employing hundreds of workers, the labour accommodation plan and the visa quota should be settled before you sign the lease.

RAK Maritime City visa and residency

RMC sponsors visas for its licensees. The amendments checklist refers to visas “sponsored by RMC” and requires them to be cancelled when a shareholder or manager leaves. Because the zone is in Ras Al Khaimah, residence is issued on the federal system run by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), and residence file numbers begin with 6, the Ras Al Khaimah code. Our ICP vs GDRFA guide explains the practical differences.

• Immigration file: the company opens an immigration file after licensing and renews it with the licence.
• Pre-approval: “RAK Immigration’s pre-approval is required in case of adding a new individual shareholder(s) and/or changing the manager.”
• Employees: entry permit or status change, medical fitness test, Emirates ID biometrics (see our Emirates ID typing service) and residence visa, with health insurance for all employees.
• Family: residents who meet the salary and housing conditions can sponsor family through ICP.
• Golden Visa: investors who meet the federal thresholds can apply separately; see our Golden investor visa service.

RMC publishes no visa processing times. Workers Protection Insurance and ICP-approved health insurance apply as for any UAE employer.

Opening a bank account for a RAK Maritime City company

Banks look at RAK Maritime City companies as industrial free zone companies: expect them to ask for the licence and incorporation documents, the lease, a business plan with expected cargo and revenue, shareholder and UBO identification, source of funds, and the Emirates ID of the signatory. Large projects often bank with the lender financing the plant. Our guide to the corporate bank account in the UAE sets out what banks look for.

RAK Maritime City free zone tax: corporate tax, VAT and customs

Corporate tax

RAK Maritime City companies are within UAE corporate tax: 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above. A RAK Maritime City company can pay 0% on qualifying income as a Qualifying Free Zone Person under Cabinet Decision No. 100 of 2023 if it keeps adequate substance in the zone, earns qualifying income from activities in Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025 (which replaced Ministerial Decision No. 265 of 2023 with effect from 1 June 2023), stays within the de minimis limit (the lower of AED 5 million or 5% of revenue), has audited accounts and meets transfer pricing rules. Manufacturing and processing of goods, trading of qualifying commodities, logistics services and distribution from a designated zone are among the qualifying activities, which is why RMC’s profile fits the regime well. Income from mainland customers still needs checking. Small Business Relief is not available to Qualifying Free Zone Persons. See our corporate tax registration guide.

VAT and designated zone status

“RAK Maritime City Free Zone” appears on the Cabinet Decision No. 59 of 2017 designated zones list as reproduced in secondary copies we read on 26 September 2026 (the Federal Tax Authority page could not be read automatically). In a designated zone, certain supplies of goods within or between designated zones can fall outside UAE VAT, and imports into the zone can be relieved, when the zone’s security and customs controls are met. Services, and goods sold into the mainland, are taxed normally. VAT registration is mandatory above AED 375,000 of taxable supplies. Check the current FTA list before relying on this.

Customs

Goods moving from RMC into the UAE mainland are imported at that point and attract customs duty. RAK Maritime City tenants need a customs client code with Ras Al Khaimah customs to clear goods through Saqr Port.

Trading with the mainland from RAK Maritime City

The archived RMC licence page was blunt: “These Licenses are only valid within RAKMC – licensees are not allowed to operate in the UAE outside RAKMC premises.” Finished products sold in the UAE market must go “through a local distributor or a local agent”. Nothing on rakports.ae changes that. For a precast or steel fabricator selling to UAE contractors, the usual set-ups are a distributor agreement, a sister company on the mainland, or selling to contractors who import the goods themselves. Dubai’s Resolution No. 11 of 2025 permit route was written for Dubai’s own free zones, so a RAK Maritime City company wanting to work in Dubai should ask the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism which licence applies. See our Dubai mainland company formation guide for the mainland side.

RAK Maritime City free zone renewal and ongoing compliance

RMC’s licence renewal checklist (May 2026) is the most detailed of any zone document we have read, and it shows what the authority checks every year:

Other obligations run alongside: the beneficial owner register under Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023 (penalties under Cabinet Decision No. 132 of 2023), anti-money laundering rules under Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 (both published on RMC’s regulations page), corporate tax returns within nine months of year end, VAT returns, and visa renewals before expiry. Any change in the licence details takes effect only when RMC issues an amended licence. Our UBO register guide covers the beneficial owner filings.

RAK Maritime City free zone: pros and cons

Who RAK Maritime City suits

• Steel, offshore and modular fabricators shipping oversized structures.
• Precast, cement-based and construction materials manufacturers using local raw materials.
• Bulk and breakbulk traders and project cargo operators.
• Marine service, tank storage and ship repair support businesses needing a quayside.

Who should look elsewhere

• Traders, consultants and e-commerce businesses needing a desk or office: RAKEZ.
• Technology and digital asset firms: RAK Innovation City.
• Container-based importers and distributors: JAFZA.
• Heavy industry wanting published packages and a wider service network: Hamriyah, KEZAD or Fujairah Free Zone.

RAK Maritime 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 foreign steel fabricator opening a UAE yard

A European fabricator wants a yard to build offshore modules for Gulf and Asian clients. A branch (RMC BFC) keeps contracts in the parent’s name; an FZE ring-fences liability. Either way, the parent’s certificate of incorporation, board resolution, memorandum and certificate of incumbency must be legalised to UAE embassy level, and a business plan filed. The lease and berth access are negotiated with RAK Ports in parallel. We usually recommend settling the visa quota and labour housing plan before signing.

Case 2: a UAE precast company adding an export plant

A Dubai mainland precast company wants a plant next to the quay to export piles. It registers a branch of a local company (RMC Branch) or a new FZE owned by the Dubai company. The Dubai company’s resolution must be attested by a UAE notary. Sales back into the UAE go through the Dubai company as distributor, and the tax adviser checks which income can qualify for 0%.

Case 3: a small ship chandler looking for a desk

A ship supply business wants a licence and two visas near Saqr Port. RAK Maritime City does not publish desk packages, and the only published space is a site office at AED 650 per square metre a year. A 20 square metre office is AED 13,000 a year in rent before utilities, licence and visa costs. For this profile we compare RMC against a RAKEZ package before committing.

Case 4: changing a shareholder in an existing RMC company

An FZC shareholder sells out. RMC’s checklist requires a share transfer agreement signed before RMC staff, notarised or legalised, a shareholders’ resolution, the incoming shareholder’s documents, UBO, sanctions and source of wealth declarations, and a supplemental deed to the memorandum. If the outgoing shareholder holds an RMC-sponsored visa, it must be cancelled, and the incoming individual needs RAK Immigration pre-approval.

What circulates online about RAK Maritime City that is not true

How to verify every figure in this guide

RAK Maritime City free zone setup: how MIRDXB PRO helps

MIRDXB PRO is an independent PRO and company formation consultancy in Al Barsha 1, Dubai. We are not RMC or RAK Ports and are not listed as their partner. We act for you: checking the plan, preparing the file and running the government steps.

What we do

• Advise on FZE, FZC or branch, and on the name, officers and share structure.
• Prepare the RMC application, business plan outline and declarations, and run notarisation, legalisation and translation.
• Follow RAK Immigration pre-approval, the licence and the immigration file through to visas and Emirates ID.
• Track EPDA, Civil Defence and other authority approvals alongside your engineers.
• Prepare the bank pack and register the company for corporate tax and VAT.
• Keep renewals, insurances, audit, UBO and visa renewals on a calendar.

How it works

1. Message us on WhatsApp with your activity, land or quay needs and headcount.
2. We reply in writing with the structure, the documents and the questions to put to RAK Ports, plus our fee.
3. You approve, we prepare and file, and update you at each step.
4. After licensing we run visas, banking and tax registration, then hand over a compliance calendar.

What it costs

RMC, RAK Ports, immigration and other government fees are passed on at cost with receipts. Our own fee is quoted in writing before we start; see our fees page.

Why founders use us

• We work from the zone’s own documents, as this guide does, and say when something is not published.
• We compare RMC with RAKEZ, Hamriyah, KEZAD and Dubai options and tell you when RMC is not the right fit.
• We handle visas, Emirates ID, medical tests, attestation and tax registration under one roof.
• Our Al Barsha 1 office is open Monday to Thursday and Saturday 09:00 to 18:00, and Friday 09:00 to 12:00.

To start, see our business setup service or message us.

What we will and will not do

• We will show you the official source for each requirement and every receipt.
• We will tell you when RAKEZ, another zone or the mainland suits your plan better.
• We will quote our fee in writing before we start.
• We will not negotiate land rents on RAK Ports’ behalf or promise approvals, visa numbers or timings that RMC, ICP or other authorities control.
• We will not present ourselves as RMC, RAK Ports or their partner.
• We will not give engineering, legal or tax opinions; we work alongside your consultants.

Related guides

• Ras Al Khaimah free zones
• RAKEZ company setup
• RAK Innovation City free zone
• Hamriyah Free Zone company setup
• KEZAD company setup
• Free zones in the UAE
• Establishment card explained

Keeping your RMC licence, insurances, approvals, visas and UBO filings renewed on time is what our PRO services in Dubai team handles, including for companies in Ras Al Khaimah. For visa-only support, see our free zone visa service.