Meydan Free Zone licence in central Dubai
A fully digital licence for consultants and online businesses. Add up to six visas as you hire.
Meydan Free Zone company setup suits digital, media and professional service firms that want a fast digital licence and a central Dubai address. A Meydan licence carries up to six visa allocations, and we size yours to your hiring plan, because visa cost follows how many you take. Once the immigration file is open, each visa usually takes 3 to 7 business days.
A free zone built for speed
Meydan Free Zone is based at the Meydan Grandstand in Nad Al Sheba, central Dubai, and its companies need no paid-up capital. Setup is fully digital. Since 2025, a DET branch licence or permit also opens the Dubai mainland.
Nearby options: RAKEZ, SPC and Ajman at entry level, IFZA beside Meydan in Dubai, Dubai South in the middle. DMCC and DWTC sit at the premium end, with DIFC or ADGM for regulated finance.
Who Meydan suits
Right for Meydan
- ✓Consultants and professional firms that invoice for their expertise
- ✓IT, software, digital, marketing and media firms serving clients internationally
- ✓Founders who want a central Dubai address and a fully digital, remote setup
- ✓Small teams that plan to hire, with up to six visa allocations
- ✓Businesses that may need an occasional mainland branch later, via the 2025 DET route
Not the right zone if
- ×UAE mainland clients are your core market. The 2025 branch route suits occasional mainland work; a mainland-first business is better on a mainland licence
- ×You trade physical commodities and need top-tier banking and trade finance. DMCC is built for that
- ×You run regulated finance, a fund, or a fintech needing a regulator. A commercial free zone cannot license these; DIFC and ADGM have their own regulators
- ×You need large-scale warehousing or industrial space. RAKEZ is built for it
What a Meydan company setup includes
Meydan offers commercial or professional licences across 2,200+ activities, up to six visas per licence and a flexi-desk option. Three things set the scope: how many visas you use, your activity and whether a bank wants a real office. We agree it with you before you commit.
The visa allocation is a ceiling on what you may use. Each visa you take carries its own recurring cost, so a larger allocation saves nothing by itself.
Meydan beside IFZA, DMCC and RAKEZ
Meydan is the digital, central Dubai option with up to six visa allocations, and the table sets out what you gain and give up against each alternative.
 |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Fast digital licence, up to six visa allocations | Quick, credible Dubai service base | Commodities, crypto, top-tier banking | Industrial and warehousing with real space |
| Mainland access | 2025 DET branch route | Distributor or 2025 permit | DET dual-licence route | RAK dual licence |
| Banking | Major UAE and digital banks | Digital banks; Tier-1 scrutiny | Strongest, trade finance | Workable; location nuance |
| Setup speed | 5 to 10 days | 2 to 5 days | About 10 days | A few days |
| Choose it if | You want a central Dubai address and a digital setup | You want a quick, credible Dubai address and serve clients outside the mainland | You trade physical goods or need premium banking and a prestige address | You need real space and do not need a Dubai address |
The ratings for banking and mainland access are judgement calls from practice, revisited every year. Compare the best free zone in the UAE against Meydan.
If you need real space, RAKEZ is built for it. If banking and prestige carry your business, DMCC is the stronger choice.
Between Meydan and IFZA, it comes down to which zone approves your exact activity and whether the visa allocation matches your hiring plan.
Before a Meydan licence is issued
Each of these changes the Meydan package, so we settle them before anything is filed.
Sizing the visa quota
A Meydan licence holds up to six visa allocations, and you pay only for the ones you choose. A solo founder gains little from all six, so we size the allocation to your real hiring plan.
The 2025 mainland branch route has conditions
Under Dubai Executive Council Resolution No. 11 of 2025, a Meydan company can apply for a mainland branch through the DET, renewable annually. The route is real, but the branch has its own approvals, address and recurring cost, and not every activity is eligible. We confirm your activity qualifies before you count on it.
Activity groups and wording
Meydan publishes 2,200+ activities and lets you combine up to three activity groups on one licence. The aim is the right descriptions for your real business the first time, because extra activities add nothing. The wording governs what you may invoice for and how a bank reads your account.
What sits beside the licence
Meydan prices the licence, the establishment card and each visa as separate lines, so the headline package is never the full figure. Commit to multi-year terms only once the structure is settled.
Common Meydan setup mistakes
- Buying on the headline package, then finding the visa, insurance and establishment card on top.
- Choosing a six-visa quota as a solo founder who will only ever use one.
- Treating the 2025 mainland branch route as automatic, before confirming the activity is eligible and planning for its recurring cost.
- Choosing Meydan when core customers are mainland, where a mainland licence would fit better than a free zone plus a branch.
Further reading: IFZA vs DMCC vs Meydan 2026.
Meydan Free Zone questions
What is Meydan Free Zone best suited for?
How much does a Meydan Free Zone licence cost?
How many visas does a Meydan Free Zone licence include?
How much is a Meydan Free Zone visa?
How much does Meydan Free Zone licence renewal cost?
Can a Meydan company sell to the UAE mainland with the 2025 dual-licence route?
How hard is it to open a bank account for a Meydan company?
Bookkeeping and tax returns for a Meydan Free Zone company are prepared and checked before each deadline. We confirm your 0% position for your own case.
Does your plan fit Meydan?
In 15 minutes we check your activity group, visa plan and any mainland need against Meydan and its alternatives, then set out the scope.