Meydan Free Zone: Company Setup, Activity List and Visas

Meydan Free Zone is a Dubai free zone where companies are licensed online, and every licence includes a flexi-desk address. A Meydan company with no visa is AED 12,500 through First Idea Consultant LLC, and with one residence visa it is AED 23,136. The full package most buyers want is Premium: company, one residence visa and business bank account opening assistance, AED 28,136 at Meydan. Bank account opening is subject to each bank’s KYC, compliance review and final approval. We prepare the file, pre-check it against the bank’s requirements, and if one bank declines we apply to the next.

The Meydan activity list, published by Meydan Free Zone, holds more than 2,500 activities, and one licence includes up to three activity groups (meydanfz.ae, checked 22 October 2026). Meydan suits consultants, online sellers and service businesses; IFZA is the usual alternative, compared below.

By First Idea Consultant. Reviewed by Amir Aslam, Founder. Updated October 2026.

Meydan Free Zone packages and what each one includes

These are First Idea Consultant LLC package totals for a Meydan company, not Meydan Free Zone’s own tariff. Government fees can change, and the professional service fees inside Basic and Standard are promotions. The rows behind every total are on our cost of setting up a business in Dubai page, or see all our Dubai company setup packages.

WhatsApp Amir for Meydan licence options

WhatsApp Amir for the Premium package breakdown

What is inside the AED 23,136 Standard package

Everything in Basic plus one UAE residence visa, medical, biometrics and Emirates ID processing, and Corporate Tax Registration free of charge:

Need more than one visa? Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

What is inside the AED 28,136 Premium package

Standard plus a digital company stamp, priority WhatsApp and email support, free Corporate Tax Registration and one personal bank account opening assistance, in two versions by business account:

Bank account opening is subject to each bank’s KYC, compliance review and final approval. We prepare the file, pre-check it against the bank’s requirements, and if one bank declines we apply to the next.

What Meydan Free Zone is and where it is

Meydan Free Zone issues its own trade licences in Dubai. Its website explains that free zone companies operate under their free zone’s own authority rather than Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (meydanfz.ae home page, checked 22 October 2026). The name is also written as Meydan freezone.

Its offices are on Meydan Road, Nad Al Sheba 1, near Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City, and applications run through its online portal. Meydan Free Zone’s home page says its companies can be 100% foreign owned (checked 22 October 2026), and a Meydan company’s address is the included flexi-desk unless you lease an office there.

Meydan activity list: categories, groups and the fee for extra activities

The Meydan activity list is Meydan Free Zone’s own searchable list of the business activities it licenses, on its Business Activities List page. Meydan Free Zone says the list holds more than 2,500 activities, and its FAQ says Fawri, Meydan’s licence route for a single individual shareholder at formation, has its own list of more than 1,800 activities (meydanfz.ae, checked 22 October 2026).

How many activities can one Meydan licence hold?

One Meydan licence includes up to three activity groups. Meydan’s FAQ, in its Fawri answers, says you can include as many related activities as you wish inside your three groups without extra cost. On Meydan’s list, an activity’s group is shown in the Group column and is the first three digits of its code, with any leading zero dropped: Management Consultancy Activities is code 7020.00, in group 702, and Animal production is code 0140.00, in group 14.

Meydan Free Zone published (cost calculator and FAQ, checked 22 October 2026): three business activity groups are included with the licence at no cost, and any additional activity costs AED 1,000. Its guide to adding activities puts this at AED 1,000 per business activity, its FAQ (Fawri answers) adds that the charge is per extra activity, not per group, and its cost calculator FAQ applies the same AED 1,000 to each activity on top of the three groups for Regular and Fawri licences.

The 17 categories on Meydan’s list

Meydan Free Zone sorts the activities on its list into 17 trade licence categories, the same 17 its website’s Trade License Category menu shows. On 22 October 2026 each category had its own tab on the list, Transportation included.

How do you check an activity on Meydan’s list?

To check an activity, search Meydan’s list by name or code, then read the whole row before you reserve a trade name.

1. Search for what you will invoice. On Meydan’s Business Activities List page, keep the Regular Activities tab (the full list) or pick FAWRI Activities (the Fawri list), then type a word such as “consultancy” or a code such as 7020.00 into the search box, or filter by category or group.
2. Note the code and the group. The group tells you whether the activity fits inside your three included groups or adds AED 1,000.
3. Read Third Party and When. Third Party names any outside authority, such as RERA or KHDA. When shows the approval stage, such as Pre Approval; Meydan’s guide to adding activities says some approvals come before the licence is issued and some after.
4. Read Notes. Some rows limit what the activity can sit with. Meydan’s note for buying and selling of real estate (6810.99), for example, says it cannot be combined with other activities, only with RERA activity Group 2.
5. Check Risk Rating and DNFBP. Each row carries Meydan’s risk rating (Low, Medium, High or High-override, shown as Override in the row) and has a DNFBP column that flags activities Meydan marks as designated non-financial businesses or professions. Meydan’s FAQ says every DNFBP must register on the goAML portal, and points to the DNFBP questionnaire on the MOE website (the UAE economy ministry) to confirm whether your company is one (checked 22 October 2026).
6. Send us the codes. We check them against Meydan’s list and against what banks accept, and the group count goes into your itemised written quote before you pay.

Your activity choice matters at the bank too. Meydan’s FAQ says General Trading is classified as high risk and that pairing it with several unrelated activities can complicate opening a corporate bank account (checked 22 October 2026). See also our UAE business activities list, the cheapest free zone license in UAE and our guide to Dubai free zone company setup.

Is there a Meydan activity list PDF?

Meydan Free Zone’s live Business Activities List has no PDF: on 22 October 2026 it was a search page with no download. PDF copies of a Meydan activity list that turn up in search results may be older than the live list, so confirm each code on meydanfz.ae before you apply.

Common activities and where they sit on the list

Activities that need extra approval

Meydan’s guide to adding activities (last updated 4 August 2026, checked 22 October 2026) says regulated sectors such as education, healthcare, manufacturing or food and beverage may need approvals from the relevant authority before or after the licence is issued. Meydan’s list names the authority in its Third Party column. On 22 October 2026, buying and selling of real estate (6810.99) showed RERA with Pre Approval, wholesale of gold and other precious metals (4662.04) showed SIRA with Pre Approval and was marked DNFBP, and Computer Training (8549.14) showed KHDA with Initial Approval. Message us before you pay for a trade name.

Example: how the three-group rule plays out

Staying inside three groups avoids Meydan’s extra activity fee, so plan the codes before you apply. The case below shows how the published rule works.

Example: you are setting up a consultancy that also runs digital marketing campaigns and sells templates online. The case is made up to show how Meydan’s rule works; it is not a real client.

On Meydan’s list, Management Consultancy Activities (7020.00) is in group 702, Digital Marketing (7310.11) in group 731 and E-Commerce (4790.00) in group 479. That is three groups, so all three fit in the licence with no extra activity fee. Adding Marketing, Public Relations & Communication Consultancy (7020.01) costs nothing more either, because it is in group 702, which you already have.

Now add Software Publishing (5820.00). It is in group 582, a fourth group, so Meydan’s published fee applies: AED 1,000. Add Publishing Of Ready-Made (Non-Customized) Software (5820.01) from the same group and that is another AED 1,000, because Meydan charges per activity, not per group: AED 2,000 in Meydan fees for the two (checked 22 October 2026).

First Idea’s Basic package for Meydan is AED 12,500 and covers the Meydan licence, which Meydan publishes with three activity groups included. Does your list run past three groups? Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

Adding an activity after the licence is issued

You add an activity later through a licence amendment on Meydan’s portal. Meydan’s guide to adding activities (last updated 4 August 2026, checked 22 October 2026) gives the same AED 1,000 for each activity beyond your three groups. Meydan publishes no separate fee for the amendment itself, and its guide says the government fees for amending the licence vary with the nature and number of activities added, so confirm the total with Meydan before you file. The same guide says Fawri licence holders can amend their activities free of charge in the first year. Meydan’s renewal guide adds that activity groups can be added, removed or switched at renewal.

Our guide on how to add activities to a trade license compares the steps and published fees across free zones, and our UAE business activities list covers the mainland and the other zones.

WhatsApp Amir to check your Meydan activities

Visas: how many you get and what each one needs

Meydan Free Zone published (company setup cost breakdown, last updated 30 June 2026, checked 22 October 2026): each licence can be structured with up to six visa allocations. Its E-Channel guide (last updated 28 September 2026, checked 22 October 2026) says to speak to its business setup advisers if you need more than six. Tell us your headcount and we quote the right set-up.

Meydan Free Zone states its investor and employee residence visas are issued for two years (meydanfz.ae, checked 22 October 2026).

The company first gets its establishment card, which Meydan’s establishment card guide (last updated 17 September 2026, checked 22 October 2026) says is issued by the immigration authority after the licence and opens the company’s immigration file. Each visa then needs an entry permit or change of status, a medical test, biometrics and Emirates ID, and visa issue. Dependants can follow, subject to the immigration authority’s salary and accommodation rules. The only visa figures here are the Standard rows above; for extra visas, see UAE business visa assistance. For staff hired on a Meydan licence, our employment visa cost in Dubai page lists Meydan’s published employment visa fee and the GDRFA and ICP fees that follow it.

Office options: flexi-desk, shared and dedicated

Every Meydan licence includes a flexi-desk address. Meydan Free Zone’s home page FAQ (checked 22 October 2026) contrasts this with mainland companies, which usually need an Ejari tenancy contract; a flexi-desk needs none. Shared and dedicated offices suit larger teams and some regulated activities, and rent sits outside every package. Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

Company formation in Meydan Free Zone: steps, documents and cost

Company formation in Meydan Free Zone takes five steps: choose the activity, reserve the name, submit the application and documents, complete the zone’s checks and receive the licence, then add the visa and banking.

1. Choose the activity. We match it to Meydan’s list, check how banks read it and confirm any external approval.
2. Reserve the name. Give us three trade names; clashing or restricted names are rejected.
3. Submit the application and documents. We file it on Meydan Free Zone’s portal; you sign where needed.
4. Checks and licence. The zone runs its checks and issues the licence, certificate of formation, share register, memorandum and lease agreement. We chase it and report back.
5. Visa and banking. We apply for the establishment card and your residence visa and, on Premium, prepare the bank application.

Timeline. Meydan Free Zone’s cost calculator lists its Regular Business License at 3 to 5 days (checked 22 October 2026). The residence visa process starts after the licence is issued and depends on medical and Emirates ID appointments.

Meydan Free Zone’s documents guide (last updated 24 September 2026, checked 22 October 2026) says a standard LLC application starts with a valid passport copy for each shareholder, and that a corporate shareholder’s certificate of incorporation and memorandum and articles of association must be notarised and attested.

Cost of forming a Meydan company

Meydan Free Zone published (meydanfz.ae home page and cost calculator, checked 22 October 2026): licence AED 12,500 with a flexi-desk and up to 3 activity groups; additional activities AED 1,000 each.

The First Idea Basic total is also AED 12,500, because the professional service fee is AED 0 while the promotion runs (regular AED 1,000); when it ends, the total changes. Standard and Premium are itemised in the tables above.

More than one visa, or an office? Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

Is Meydan Free Zone better than IFZA?

Neither is better for everyone: our Meydan and IFZA packages are AED 400 apart at Basic and AED 300 apart above it, so choose on activity fit, address and bank familiarity.

IFZA and Meydan are separate free zones with separate packages. The two columns are alternatives, not figures to add together.

Bank account opening is subject to each bank’s KYC, compliance review and final approval. We prepare the file, pre-check it against the bank’s requirements, and if one bank declines we apply to the next.

Meydan suits service and online businesses wanting a Dubai address in the Meydan district; IFZA suits activities that fit its list better, so compare your activity on both lists before you choose. See our IFZA free zone page, or mainland vs free zone UAE if you are still choosing a jurisdiction.

DMCC has no fixed package with us. Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote. Background: DMCC business setup.

Meydan licence renewal and the Meydan portal

A one-year Meydan licence is renewed every 12 months through Meydan Free Zone’s online portal, and its renewal guide (last updated 30 June 2026, checked 22 October 2026) says renewal needs no Ejari lease or employer NOC. Longer licences also exist, so check your expiry date.

The portal is Meydan Free Zone’s own, at portal.meydanfz.ae, the address its website links as “Log Into Portal”. Meydan’s renewal guide says renewals are submitted through the official Meydan Free Zone portal or authorised service centres, and its guide to adding activities says amendments go through the same portal. It is Meydan’s portal, not ours.

Type the address yourself and check that it reads exactly portal.meydanfz.ae. Meydan Free Zone says it will never ask for passwords, one-time passcodes or payments to personal or unknown bank accounts, and gives 800 FZ1 (800 391) to check a suspicious message (checked 22 October 2026).

No professional service fee on licence renewals; government and authority fees still apply.

Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

Meydan Free Zone published (renewal guide updated 30 June 2026, checked 22 October 2026): a 30-day grace period after expiry, then AED 200 for each month of delay.

The same guide says visa renewal is not automatically part of the licence renewal; residence visas run on their own cycle. Renewal is also a natural point to review your activities, since the guide says activity groups can be added, removed or switched then.

Corporate tax returns, accounting and any audit are separate yearly obligations and are quoted separately. See also trade license renewal Dubai.

WhatsApp Amir about a Meydan renewal

Before you choose Meydan: what to check

• Support runs through the portal. We prepare, submit and chase your file, and send you the status.
• Prepare three trade names. Name rejections happen in every UAE zone.
• Pick the activity you will invoice under. A mismatch causes problems at the bank and again at renewal. Check its group on Meydan’s list, as shown in the activity list section above.
• Where you can trade. A Meydan company can serve clients abroad and inside the free zone, within its licensed activities. Selling directly to mainland Dubai customers may need a separate approval, a mainland licence or a local distributor, depending on the activity. See mainland vs free zone UAE.
• Renewal is covered in the section above.
• Banking. Bank account opening is subject to each bank’s KYC, compliance review and final approval. We prepare the file, pre-check it against the bank’s requirements, and if one bank declines we apply to the next. Read how to open a corporate bank account in Dubai.
• Tax. 0% personal income tax. Corporate tax is 9% only on profit above AED 375,000, and registration is included in every package from Standard upward. A free zone company still registers, files a corporate tax return and keeps accounts, and Basic does not include tax registration. Check the corporate tax registration deadline.
• Avoidable errors. See free zone business setup mistakes.

Why work with First Idea Consultant LLC on a Meydan licence

First Idea Consultant LLC has set up UAE companies since 2015, from Office 812, ParkLane Tower, Park Regis, Business Bay, Dubai, where you can visit us. Meet Amir Aslam, Founder. You get an itemised written quote before you pay, and you can read our Google reviews.

FAQ

How much does a Meydan Free Zone company cost?

Through First Idea Consultant LLC it is AED 12,500 with no visa, AED 23,136 with one residence visa, and AED 28,136 for Premium: company, one residence visa and business bank account opening assistance. Bank account opening is subject to each bank’s KYC, compliance review and final approval. We prepare the file, pre-check it against the bank’s requirements, and if one bank declines we apply to the next. Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

Where is the Meydan activity list, and how many activities can one licence hold?

The Meydan activity list is on Meydan Free Zone’s own website, meydanfz.ae: its Business Activities List page holds more than 2,500 activities in 17 categories, searchable by name, code, group and category, with columns for outside approvals and risk rating. One licence includes up to three activity groups, with more than one activity allowed inside each group. Meydan Free Zone published (cost calculator, guide to adding activities and FAQ, checked 22 October 2026): each activity outside those three groups costs AED 1,000, charged per activity, not per group. Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

Where do Meydan Free Zone companies log in to renew their licence?

On Meydan Free Zone’s own online portal, portal.meydanfz.ae, which licence holders use for renewals and activity amendments. Meydan’s renewal guide (last updated 30 June 2026, checked 22 October 2026) says renewals are submitted through the official Meydan Free Zone portal or authorised service centres. The portal is Meydan’s, not ours. No professional service fee on licence renewals; government and authority fees still apply.

How long does company formation in Meydan Free Zone take?

Meydan Free Zone’s cost calculator lists its Regular Business License at 3 to 5 days (checked 22 October 2026). The residence visa process starts after the licence is issued and depends on medical and Emirates ID appointments.

How many visas can I get on a Meydan Free Zone licence?

Meydan Free Zone published (company setup cost breakdown, last updated 30 June 2026, checked 22 October 2026): each licence can be structured with up to six visa allocations. Its E-Channel guide (last updated 28 September 2026, checked 22 October 2026) says to speak to its business setup advisers if you need more than six. Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

Do I need a physical office in Meydan Free Zone?

Not for most activities. Every Meydan licence includes a flexi-desk address, which needs no Ejari tenancy contract. A shared or dedicated office is optional for most businesses and is quoted in writing.

Can I get a Meydan company, residence visa and bank account opening assistance in one package?

Premium covers this: Meydan company, one residence visa and business bank account opening assistance, AED 28,136. The version with a local bank account is AED 33,136, as priced on the business setup cost page. Bank account opening is subject to each bank’s KYC, compliance review and final approval. We prepare the file, pre-check it against the bank’s requirements, and if one bank declines we apply to the next.

What does it cost to renew a Meydan Free Zone licence?

Meydan Free Zone sets the licence renewal fee. No professional service fee on licence renewals; government and authority fees still apply. Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote. Meydan Free Zone published (renewal guide updated 30 June 2026, checked 22 October 2026): a 30-day grace period after expiry, then AED 200 for each month of delay.

Send us your business activity and how many visas you need. We will come back with the licence options and a written cost breakdown, and we usually reply on WhatsApp within a couple of hours.

WhatsApp Amir about a Meydan company

Call or WhatsApp +971 56 500 6694, or visit Office 812, ParkLane Tower, Park Regis, Business Bay, Dubai.

Sources and how we checked

The Meydan Free Zone rules and fees on this page come from Meydan Free Zone’s own website. The activity rows were found by searching its Business Activities List by name and code. Rules and fees change, so check the source before you apply.

• Meydan Free Zone: Business Activities List, checked 22 October 2026
• Meydan Free Zone: Cost calculator, checked 22 October 2026
• Meydan Free Zone: FAQs, checked 22 October 2026
• Meydan Free Zone: home page, checked 22 October 2026
• Meydan Free Zone: How to add activities in a trade license, last updated 4 August 2026, checked 22 October 2026
• Meydan Free Zone: Dubai trade license renewal guide, last updated 30 June 2026, checked 22 October 2026
• Meydan Free Zone: Company setup cost breakdown, last updated 30 June 2026, checked 22 October 2026
• Meydan Free Zone: What is E-Channel in the UAE, last updated 28 September 2026, checked 22 October 2026
• Meydan Free Zone: Company documents requirement, last updated 24 September 2026, checked 22 October 2026
• Meydan Free Zone: Dubai establishment card guide, last updated 17 September 2026, checked 22 October 2026