Best UAE free zone for your activity

We name the two or three zones that license exactly what you sell, and the detail that separates them.

Find free zones that fit Book a 15-minute call

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At a glance

The best free zone in the UAE depends on your activity and where your customers are, because each zone approves its own list of activities. All of them allow full foreign ownership. Your workspace fixes the visa count, and banks look harder at some zones than others. A company that meets the QFZP conditions pays 0% corporate tax on its qualifying income.

Which free zone is best for you?

Start from what the company does and where its customers sit.

Free zones compared by situation: the zones to compare, what separates them, and where to read next
Your situation	Zones to compare	What separates them	Read next
Consultancy, agency or ITClients mostly abroad	IFZA, Meydan or SPC	The exact activity wording each zone approves, and how your bank reads a lean licence	IFZA vs Meydan
Small business in DubaiRunning costs come first	IFZA or Meydan, with Ajman outside Dubai	Whether clients or your bank expect a Dubai address, and what renewals add up to over five years	Free zone company setup cost
Commodities and trade financeMetals, diamonds, tea, energy	DMCC or JAFZA for port-side stock	Whether you will use the trade-finance banking and commodity network that the in-zone workspace pays for	IFZA vs DMCC
Virtual assetsCrypto, tokens, exchange services	DMCC or DWTC	The VARA licence that runs alongside the zone licence, mapped as one plan	Crypto and virtual assets
Goods with stock to holdTrading, e-commerce, logistics	JAFZA, Dubai South or Ajman	Port or airport for your goods, and the warehouse size, which fixes the visa allocation	Logistics and freight
Manufacturing or clean techA plant, a plot or a lab	RAKEZ, JAFZA or Masdar City	Land or a facility of the right size, plus any sector approval needed before the licence	RAKEZ company setup
Media, publishing or eventsContent, studios, exhibitions	SPC, Meydan or DWTC	How each zone lists your media activity, and whether an events address wins you work	Marketing and advertising
Customers mostly in the UAEBusinesses or consumers onshore	A mainland licence, or a Dubai zone with a DET branch or permit	Where your invoices go, because mainland income can affect the 0% corporate tax rate	Mainland vs free zone

Regulated finance, funds and English-law contracts usually belong in a financial centre, compared on our DIFC and ADGM page.

Shortlist your free zones

Five questions on what you sell, your team and your customers. The zones to discuss, and what separates them, show as you answer.

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Each zone links to its full page
Send the result to an advisor in one tap

UAE free zones we set up in

The zones we open most often, with who each one suits and the first thing we check.

Dubai

IFZA Free Zone

SuitsConsultants and digital service firms invoicing clients abroad from a flexi-desk

Check firstHow your bank will read a lean licence for your activity
Dubai

Meydan Free Zone

SuitsDigital, media and professional services that want a fast licence and a central Dubai address

Check firstIts approval for your exact activity, and the visas your plan needs
Dubai

DMCC Free Zone

SuitsCommodities, trade finance and crypto businesses that use its banking and network

Check firstThe in-zone workspace it requires, against what you will use
Dubai

Dubai South Free Zone

SuitsLogistics, aviation and e-commerce with stock, between Al Maktoum Airport and Jebel Ali

Check firstThe district and facility you take, which set the visas
Ras Al Khaimah

RAKEZ Free Zone

SuitsIndustry, warehousing and founders who want room to grow into a facility

Check firstHow far its dual licence covers trade on the Ras Al Khaimah mainland
Abu Dhabi

Masdar City Free Zone

SuitsClean tech, sustainability and advanced technology firms that gain from the Abu Dhabi cluster

Check firstSector approval for some clean energy and manufacturing activities

More zones we set up in

DWTC
Dubai
SuitsA Sheikh Zayed Road address, the events calendar and a VARA-coordinated virtual asset route
Check firstThe office you take fixes the visa allocation
JAFZA
Dubai
SuitsTrading, logistics and industrial firms that need port access, warehousing or land at Jebel Ali
Check firstThe registered lease you hold at setup and at every renewal
SPC
Sharjah
SuitsA lean licence beside Dubai, with no paid-up capital and a visa count from zero
Check firstWhether your clients or bank need a Dubai address
Ajman Free Zone
Ajman
SuitsPhysical trade and light industry that use the port
Check firstThe facility you take, which sets how many visas you can hold
Shams
Sharjah
SuitsCreators, consultants and online sellers who want an LLC name and a low fixed cost
Check firstMedia or Standard, chosen from what you post or sell
ANCFZ
Ajman
SuitsTraders and online sellers who want up to ten activities on one licence
Check firstAjman NuVentures Centre, a separate zone from Ajman Free Zone

How we narrow the shortlist

After the activity, we weigh the workspace and the running cost.

An advisor points a pen at a clause on a clipboard while a founder in a dark jacket follows across a wooden desk

Any zone can license what I do.
The wording on your licence sets what you can invoice for, so we match it to your contracts first.
The bank account follows the licence.
Each bank keeps its own appetite for zones and activities. We check yours against the banks you are likely to use before you commit.
A flexi-desk covers any team.
In most zones the desk, office or warehouse you take sets how many visas the company can sponsor, so we size it to your hiring plan.
A free zone company stays inside its zone.
Since 2025, a Dubai free zone company can usually reach mainland customers through DET. We check whether your activity qualifies and what it means for tax.

Is the cheapest zone the best value?

Renewals and visa costs over five years, which outweigh the first-year quote
Workspace sized to the visas you will actually need
Activities that cover everything you plan to invoice for

The zone that fits on all three is usually the better value. More on the cheapest free zone over five years. See every zone with and without a visa in our cheapest trade licence comparison. Claim your IFZA company from AED 11,500, until 30 November.

Two colleagues, a man in a kandura and a woman in a headscarf, review details on a tablet and phone by a tall office window

Free zone companies and UAE customers

Dubai free zone companies can now serve mainland customers directly, for activities DET approves. How they do it also shapes the tax position, so we plan both together.

A DET branch licenceUnder Dubai Executive Council Resolution No. 11 of 2025, a Dubai free zone company can trade on the mainland through a branch licence renewed each year.
A temporary permitFor specific activities, DET issues a permit of up to six months, which suits occasional mainland work.
Separate mainland recordsMainland activity is kept in its own financial records.
Zones outside DubaiRAKEZ's dual licence reaches the Ras Al Khaimah mainland. Each emirate sets its own route, and we confirm yours first.

Keeping the 0% rate

A Qualifying Free Zone Person pays 0% corporate tax on qualifying income. Non-qualifying revenue, which includes most services sold to mainland customers, has to stay within 5% of total revenue or AED 5 million, whichever is lower. We plan the mainland side around that limit from the start. More on the QFZP conditions.

Company setup clients

In their own words on Google and LinkedIn, each linked to the original.

5.0Read the reviews on Google

From the initial assessment to final implementation, the team demonstrated strong expertise, structured methodology, and clear communication.

Graphic IndustryBusiness setup clientRead on Google

Manish was instrumental in setting up our company in Dubai. Always responsive, readily available to answer our questions.
Omer LiaquatProject ManagerLinkedIn
They delivered what they promised without any hidden agenda and informed me of better and less costly ways to achieve what I need.
D JamilResidency and corporate clientGoogle
Manish demonstrated deep expertise, professionalism, and a thorough understanding of the incorporation process. Proactive, responsive, and efficient.
Rajesh SuguruGlobal CEO, Digital Disruption TechnologiesLinkedIn
Communication was clear from the start, everything managed end to end with full transparency on costs.
Waqqas SheikhPrincipal EngineerLinkedIn

UAE free zone questions

Weighing two zones already? Send both names on WhatsApp and an advisor tells you which one fits your activity.

Ask on WhatsApp

What is a free zone company in the UAE?

A UAE company licensed by a free zone authority, such as IFZA, DMCC or RAKEZ, instead of an emirate's economic department. It allows 100% foreign ownership, can sponsor residence visas and trades within its zone and abroad.

Which is the best free zone in the UAE for a small business?

The one that licenses your exact activity and suits where your clients are. With clients abroad, a consultancy or agency usually shortlists IFZA and Meydan, while SPC or Ajman suit founders who need no Dubai address.

Which is the cheapest free zone in the UAE?

Rarely the one with the lowest first-year quote. Over five years, renewals, the visas you keep, the workspace a zone or bank expects and any activity approval move the total far more than the headline licence.

How much is a free zone visa in the UAE?

Each zone sets its own. The zone's visa fees, the quota on your licence and each person's medical test, Emirates ID and health insurance set the total. Some zones also tie visa numbers to the workspace you lease.

Which free zone is best for e-commerce in the UAE?

IFZA, Meydan and SPC are the usual choices for an online store with no local stock, because they license e-commerce on a lean setup. If you hold and ship your own goods, Dubai South or JAFZA fits better.

How many free zones are there in the UAE?

More than 40, across the seven emirates, with Dubai holding the largest share. Each has its own authority, activity list and visa rules, so for a new company only a handful will fit the activity and the clients.

What is a flexi-desk in a UAE free zone?

A shared workspace allocation that gives a free zone company its registered address without a private office. It usually supports only a small visa quota, and some banks look harder at a company that holds only a flexi-desk.

How do I choose a free zone in the UAE?

Start from your activity and where your customers are, because each zone approves its own activity list. Then weigh the workspace your visas need, how banks read the zone and what renewals add over five years.

What does choosing the wrong free zone cost?

Often more than the original setup. If the zone does not cover your activity or banks are wary of it, the fix is usually a new licence elsewhere, plus moved visas and lost trading months.

Can a free zone company rent an office outside its zone?

Not as its licensed premises, which stay inside the zone. For an office on the Dubai mainland, a Dubai free zone company needs a DET branch licence, and the branch then takes its own Ejari-registered lease.

Often decided alongside

Start with your shortlist

In fifteen minutes we narrow down the zones worth your time, the activity wording and the workspace your visas need.

Book a 15-minute call Message us on WhatsApp

On the call

The zones that license your activity as worded
Workspace and visas, sized to your plan

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