UAE Business Setup Cost Index
What UAE free zones actually charge, taken directly from each zone’s own website. No consultancy estimates: every price links to its source, and licence-only packages are kept separate from packages that include a visa.
Key findings
AED 4,999
Lowest published free zone licence (Ajman Media City, no visa).
AED 12,500
Lowest published package with one visa included (UAQ FTZ START), 2.5 times the cheapest licence.
+61%
How much one visa adds to Meydan’s AED 12,500 headline licence, using its own published fees.
4 of 10
Free zones we checked that publish no fixed package price on their website.
Free zone prices compared
Entry packages with no residence visa included. First-year prices in AED, sorted lowest first.
| Free zone | Package | First-year price | Visas | Renewal | What is included | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajman Media CityAjman | Business Club | AED 4,999 | 0 | AED 4,999 | Licence, up to 10 activities and 10 shareholders, co-working space | Zone site |
| Umm Al Quwain FTZUmm Al Quwain | LYTE | AED 5,500 | 0 | Not published | Licence, co-working space and lease agreement, up to 3 different or 10 similar activitiesPublished on a zone page dated June 2025 that was still live when checked. | Zone site |
| SPC Free ZoneSharjah | E-commerce package | AED 5,750 | 0 (visa upgrade available) | Not published | E-commerce licence, instant licensing, flexi-desk visa upgrade (T&Cs apply) | Zone site |
| RAKEZRas Al Khaimah | Biz Starter (promotion) | AED 6,000 | Not stated | Not published | Licence, up to 10 activities and 50 shareholders, co-working membershipPromotional price. Terms and validity not stated on the page. | Zone site |
| DMCCDubai | Nook | AED 10,345 | Not stated | Not published | Licence, co-working desk at Nook, 50% off second-year renewal | Zone site |
| Meydan Free ZoneDubai | Regular licence | From AED 12,500 | 0 | Not published | Licence, up to 3 activity groups, lease agreement | Zone site |
Zones that do not publish a price
Some of the best-known free zones give prices only through a calculator, a sales team or partner consultants. That makes like-for-like comparison harder, so always ask for an itemised written quote.
IFZA · Dubai
No package prices published on its business setup page.
Ajman Free Zone · Ajman
Online cost calculator only, no fixed package price.
Fujairah Creative City · Fujairah
Online cost calculator only, no fixed package price.
SHAMS · Sharjah
Packages page unavailable when checked. Last published Trader package price was AED 6,500 (July 2022).
For journalists and researchers
Cite this data
You are welcome to use these figures in articles, reports and research. Please credit SMS Consulting and link to this page. For expert comment on UAE company setup costs, contact us.
Citation
SMS Consulting, UAE Business Setup Cost Index (October 2026), free zone package prices as published by each zone. https://smsconsulting.me/uae-business-setup-cost-indexLink (HTML)
<a href="https://smsconsulting.me/uae-business-setup-cost-index">UAE Business Setup Cost Index by SMS Consulting</a>Methodology
- Only prices that a free zone publishes on its own website are included. Prices from consultancies, including our own, are excluded.
- Licence-only, one-visa and multi-visa packages are listed separately, because comparing a no-visa licence with a visa package is misleading.
- Where a zone publishes itemised fees rather than a package (Meydan), we add the published items for one visa and mark the total as calculated.
- Prices are first-year package prices in AED as shown on the source page. Renewal prices are shown only where the zone publishes them.
- Every source was checked on 17 October 2026. Promotions change often, so confirm the current price and inclusions with the zone before you commit.
- Prices exclude costs a package does not state, such as bank account opening, VAT, translation and attestation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest free zone licence in the UAE in 2026?
Of the prices free zones publish on their own websites, the lowest we found was AED 4,999 a year for the Ajman Media City Business Club package, with no visa included (checked 17 October 2026).
What is the cheapest free zone package with a visa?
The lowest published package with one residence visa was UAQ Free Trade Zone START at AED 12,500, which includes the visa, medical test, Emirates ID, medical insurance and establishment card. Ajman Media City Visionary was AED 12,999, renewing at AED 8,999.
Why is the headline free zone price not the real cost?
Headline prices are often licence-only. Visas, establishment cards, medical tests and Emirates IDs can add thousands. For example, Meydan Free Zone’s licence starts at AED 12,500, but adding one employment visa from its published fees brings the total to at least AED 20,100.
Which free zones do not publish their prices?
When we checked, IFZA, Ajman Free Zone and Fujairah Creative City did not publish fixed package prices on their own websites, and the SHAMS packages page was unavailable.
Can I use this data in an article?
Yes. Please credit SMS Consulting and link to this page. Each price links to the free zone page it was taken from.
Not sure which zone fits?
Tell us your activity and visa needs. We’ll compare the real all-in cost across zones, not just the headline price.