Expert guides on UAE free zones, company setup costs, and business licensing
The authority fee is the smallest line on a UAE free zone closure bill. DMCC publishes AED 4,015 for winding up; most zones publish nothing at all. Meanwhile missing the federal Corporate Tax and VAT deregistration deadlines stacks to AED 20,000 in penalties. This comparison separates published tariffs from indicative market quotes.
Free zone business centre fees from official rate cards: Meydan meeting rooms AED 150-300 an hour, mail AED 63 a month, Emirates Post boxes AED 995-11,995.
Transferring a free zone employee’s visa to a new sponsor costs AED 3,400-4,500 inside the UAE and AED 4,500-6,500 if they must exit and return. This guide breaks down every fee component, the AED 520 GDRFA status amendment, the four ICP grace-period tiers most guides get wrong, and exactly which side pays what.
Downgrading from a private office to a flexi desk cuts rent but carries exit charges, amendment fees and a visa quota consequence. Here is what the switch really costs, and when to time it.
Most UAE free zone ‘deposits’ are not refundable at all. This is the zone-by-zone breakdown of what comes back, what gets deducted first, and how long the money actually takes to land.
Most UAE free zones do not publish a late-renewal penalty schedule. DMCC and Meydan do, RAKEZ confirms it has no grace period but names no figure, and the federal fines on the establishment card and corporate tax deregistration often exceed the zone’s own charge.
RAKEZ costs AED 6,000 in Year 1 with no visas against DUQE’s AED 12,500 – but the ranking inverts at two visas, because DUQE charges AED 1,750 per visa slot while RAKEZ charges AED 4,000. Year 1 and Year 2 renewal costs compared in full.
DUQE publishes a fixed AED 12,500-23,000 licence ladder; SHAMS advertises the UAE’s cheapest headline licence at AED 5,750. We price both to the same specification – establishment card, visa chain, Year 1 all-in and the Year 2 renewal – and the gap turns out to be roughly half what the shop window implies.
Business setup portals quote UAE free zone warehouse cost at AED 70-180 per sqm. Knight Frank 2026 data puts real pre-built rents at AED 400-969 per sqm. This report separates land leases from warehouse rents, benchmarks JAFZA, Dubai South, KEZAD and Al Markaz, and models a full Year 1 budget.
DUQE publishes a fixed licence ladder that steps AED 1,750 per visa slot; IFZA prices the same setup through an agent network, so no two quotes match. This 2026 comparison rebuilds both cost stacks like-for-like — licence, establishment card, visa chain and Year 2 renewal — and shows where the AED 400 headline gap actually goes.
UAE Freezone Compare is not only a comparison site. We shortlist suitable UAE free zones and help you request the best available market quote for your activity, visa count and budget. No service charge from us.