An establishment card, also called an immigration card, is your company’s file with the UAE immigration authority, and your company needs one before it can sponsor any residence visa, your own included. The card comes after the trade licence and before the first entry permit, or change of status if you are already in the UAE. GDRFA Dubai, the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs Dubai, covers Dubai’s private sector and free zone companies with its card service; elsewhere the card is a service of ICP, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security.

GDRFA Dubai prints an issuing fee of AED 200 plus 5% VAT, and Meydan Free Zone lists “a one-time immigration establishment card from AED 2,000” (both checked 16 October 2026). The visa that follows is in our free zone visa guide, and renewal is on our licence renewal page.

Key takeaways

  • The establishment card is your company’s immigration file, and you need it before any residence visa, the owner’s included.
  • GDRFA Dubai’s service covers Dubai’s private sector and free zone companies. Elsewhere the card is ICP’s service, and ICP says a free zone company’s request goes through its free zone authority.
  • GDRFA Dubai prints AED 200 plus 5% VAT to issue the card, ICP’s four general fee lines add up to AED 2,300, and Meydan Free Zone lists the card “from AED 2,000” (all checked 16 October 2026).
  • GDRFA Dubai states 48 hours to complete the service and ICP states 2 days. These are the authorities’ own stated times, not a promise from us.
  • If you form your company with us, the card is an itemised row in the Standard package: AED 23,136 at Meydan or AED 23,436 at IFZA.

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

WhatsApp Amir: establishment card and visa for my existing licence

What does an establishment card do?

An establishment card gives your company its immigration file, the record that lets the company sponsor visas. Meydan Free Zone’s own setup steps show the order: the licence is issued, then you “apply for an establishment card and open an immigration file”, and only then do you submit the investor visa application with the medical test and Emirates ID.

ICP describes the card as holding “the registered establishment data such as trade name, license number, partners, and type of activity”. So the card is where the immigration authority keeps the basic facts about your company.

What the establishment card does, checked 16 October 2026
Item What the card does Source
Immigration file The card is the immigration authority’s record of your company. ICP
Visa allocation Meydan lists the visa allocation next to the card: you can apply for a visa once you have “the immigration card and visa allocation”. In our Standard package the allocation is its own row. Meydan Free Zone FAQs; our price hub
Entry permits Entry permits are issued for the establishment. On the cards it issues, ICP fines an establishment AED 20,000 if entry permits are issued for it while it is “not conducting any business activity”. ICP

The residence visa itself is covered in our UAE residence visa guide. When you hire, the same company sponsors your staff visas, and our employment visa cost guide covers them.

Is the establishment card included in our packages?

Yes, the establishment card is included in each First Idea package that includes a residence visa, if you form your company with us, and it is an itemised row in the Standard package. Every row, the card included, is listed with its amount on our cost of setting up a business in Dubai page.

Standard, the company with one residence visa, is AED 23,136 at Meydan free zone or AED 23,436 at IFZA free zone. Basic, Standard, Premium and Gold are compared on our Dubai company setup packages page.

Premium is company, one residence visa and business bank account opening assistance: AED 28,136 at Meydan or AED 28,436 at IFZA. 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.

Already hold a licence? Outside Dubai, ICP says a free zone company’s card request goes through its free zone authority, and in Dubai, Meydan Free Zone says it arranges the card for its own companies. Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

Who issues the establishment card?

The establishment card’s issuer depends on where your company is licensed: GDRFA Dubai’s service covers Dubai’s private sector and free zone companies, and elsewhere the card is ICP’s service. ICP says a free zone company’s request goes through its free zone authority, and Meydan Free Zone says it “arranges the establishment card” for its own companies.

Who issues the card and how you apply, checked 16 October 2026
Your company Issuer How the application is made Source
Free zone company in Dubai, such as Meydan or IFZA GDRFA Dubai, whose service covers “private sector businesses or free zones” Through your free zone where the zone runs the visa file: Meydan lists the card as a step in its own setup process. GDRFA Dubai’s page does not say how a free zone company applies. GDRFA Dubai; Meydan Free Zone
Free zone company in another emirate ICP Through your free zone authority; ICP says the request “must be submitted through the respective Free Zone Authority”. ICP
Mainland company GDRFA Dubai in Dubai; ICP in the other emirates. MOHRE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, issues work permits “to establishments registered with them”: a separate labour registration, not this card. GDRFA Dubai: its smart services with UAE Pass or a username, a GDRFA Customer Happiness Centre or an Amer centre. ICP: “exclusively through the authorized service providers”. GDRFA Dubai; ICP; UAE Government portal, Work permits (updated 14 October 2026)

Meydan Free Zone says the full visa process, “including entry permit, medical, Emirates ID, and visa stamping, is handled by Meydan Free Zone”. If your licence is from another free zone, ask that zone how it files the card.

Amer centres are service centres that GDRFA Dubai lists as a channel for this card. GDRFA adds AED 100 when the application goes in through one (checked 16 October 2026).

What documents and steps do GDRFA Dubai and ICP list?

GDRFA Dubai and ICP each publish their own establishment card document list and steps for private sector and free zone companies. Your zone may also ask for its own forms.

Close view of a man in a shirt and tie signing a printed document at a wooden desk with a laptop beside him, like the signed papers an establishment card application asks for
Signatures matter here: GDRFA Dubai asks for passport copies of the authorised signatories, and ICP for a signature authorisation letter. Photo: Cytonn Photography on Pexels
Documents as each authority lists them, checked 16 October 2026
Document GDRFA Dubai ICP
Trade licence Not on its general list (only some categories, such as airlines, are asked for a copy) A valid trade licence; for an LLC, the licence showing the stakeholders
Partners “A copy of the appendix of the names of the partners” Memorandum of Association, for a partnership
Signatories Passport copies of the authorised signatories Signature authorisation letter, and a valid Emirates ID or Unified Number for one authorised signatory
Manager’s authority Notarised authorisation for the authorised persons, where a manager applies Not listed
Anything else Extra papers for set categories, such as hotels, boats, farms and property “Any requirements issued by the local government authorities” of your emirate
Application steps as published, checked 16 October 2026
Step GDRFA Dubai ICP
1 Log in to smart services with UAE Pass or a username, or visit a Customer Happiness Centre Submit the application on ICP’s smart services website or app
2 Search for the service Review the form and correct the retrieved data if needed
3 Fill in the application Attach documents if data retrieval through integration fails
4 Pay the fee Pay the fees
5 Not listed Approval, and the electronic establishment card is issued in the system
Stated time Expected completion time: 48 hours Service completion duration: 2 days

ICP’s same page says the application goes “exclusively through the authorized service providers”, and a free zone company’s through its free zone authority. The stated times are the authorities’ own, not a promise from us.

In a Standard package the order is: licence, establishment card, entry permit or change of status, medical test, Emirates ID biometrics, residence visa. Each step is explained in our free zone visa steps.

What if your company’s details change?

Changes to your trade name, partners or activity go through a separate ICP amendment service on the cards ICP issues. ICP’s document list asks for a preliminary approval when you add a partner or change the activity. Changing the establishment’s information without notifying ICP carries a fine, shown in the fines table below.

What fees do GDRFA Dubai, ICP and Meydan print?

GDRFA Dubai, ICP and Meydan Free Zone each print their own establishment card fees, and the tables below copy them as each page showed them on 16 October 2026. The ICP table shows its four general lines; its three other lines are described after it.

A man at a bright white desk reading through printed papers, with a calculator and an open laptop in front of him, like an owner checking the establishment card fee lines
Each authority prints its own fee lines, so check which ones apply to your company before you budget. Photo: Hanna Pad on Pexels
GDRFA Dubai, Establishment Card for Institutions in the Private Sector/ Free Zone, checked 16 October 2026
Line on the page Amount
Fee for issuing an establishment card AED 200, plus VAT (5%)
Extra charge: Knowledge Dirham AED 10
Extra charge: Innovation Dirham AED 10
Extra charge: Service fee AED 50
Extra charge: Urgent fee AED 100
Application through Amer centres “a fee of AED100 will be added”
Note on the same page “The issuance or renewal fee is AED100 per year.”

The GDRFA page prints both AED 200 and “AED100 per year” and does not say how the two relate. Nor does it say which of the extra charges every applicant pays. The fee charged on the day is the one that applies.

ICP, Issuing an Establishment Card, private sector and free zone companies, checked 16 October 2026 (service card last updated 11 December 2024)
Fee line Amount
Application fees AED 100
Issuance fees per year AED 100
Smart services fees AED 100
Subscription to the Authority’s electronic system for establishments AED 2,000

The four ICP lines above add up to AED 2,300. ICP’s list for private sector and free zone companies has three further lines, one of them for tourism establishments. The card does not say which of them apply to an ordinary trading or services company, so check with your zone or service provider before you budget for them.

A free zone can also price the card. Meydan Free Zone’s site lists “a one-time immigration establishment card from AED 2,000” (no page date shown, read 16 October 2026) and does not say whether that figure includes the GDRFA fees above. Meydan calls its figure one-time, while ICP’s issuance line and GDRFA’s note are both priced per year.

Fines on ICP’s issuing and amendment pages (cards ICP issues), checked 16 October 2026. GDRFA Dubai’s page lists no fines.
What ICP fines Amount
Violating ICP’s instructions or decisions, or breaching the establishment’s commitments AED 2,000
Entry permits issued for an establishment that is not conducting any business activity AED 20,000
Misuse of smart services AED 2,000
Changing the establishment’s information without notifying ICP AED 1,000

ICP’s renewal page lists the same fines plus one for renewing the card late. That late fine is set out with card renewal on our licence renewal page.

Example: budgeting the card for a new Meydan company

Example: say you run a small consultancy, you have just been issued a Meydan Free Zone licence, and you want your own residence visa first. Your company is licensed in Dubai, so the card is a GDRFA Dubai service, and Meydan says it arranges the card for its own companies. The case is hypothetical and only walks through the decision; it is not a client story.

On 16 October 2026, GDRFA Dubai printed AED 200 plus 5% VAT to issue the card, which comes to AED 210. Meydan’s own card figure, quoted in the fees section above, starts at AED 2,000 and does not say whether it includes GDRFA’s lines. So the useful question for Meydan is the single total it will charge for your card, in writing, before you pay.

Had you formed the same company through our Standard package at Meydan, AED 23,136, the card would already be one of its itemised rows. And if your free zone were in another emirate, the card would be ICP’s, with the request going through that zone, and ICP’s four general lines come to AED 2,300 (checked 16 October 2026).

Where is the establishment card number, and what does the card show?

The establishment card number identifies your company’s immigration file, and it appears on the establishment card issued to the company. ICP says it issues the card electronically in its system, and Meydan Free Zone says the number “appears on every visa application your business submits”. The GDRFA Dubai and ICP service pages do not show the number’s format, so the sample below uses placeholders.

Sample layout, not a real card
Establishment card
Establishment card number
SAMPLE-0000
Establishment name (trade name)
Sample Consulting FZCO
Licence number
SAMPLE-LIC-0000
Type of activity
Management consultancy
Partners
Partner A, shareholder
Expiry date
DD/MM/YYYY
Illustrative layout, not a real number format. Dummy data only
The same sample fields as a table, dummy data only
Field Sample entry
Establishment card number SAMPLE-0000
Establishment name (trade name) Sample Consulting FZCO
Licence number SAMPLE-LIC-0000
Type of activity Management consultancy
Partners Partner A, shareholder
Expiry date DD/MM/YYYY

The sample’s fields follow ICP’s description of the card and Meydan Free Zone’s, which says the card carries “a unique file number and an expiry date”. Neither GDRFA Dubai’s nor ICP’s issuing page states a validity period: ICP prices “Issuance Fees per Year”, and GDRFA’s note reads “The issuance or renewal fee is AED100 per year” (both checked 16 October 2026). ICP’s renewal service refers to the card’s expiry date.

To find your own number, look at the copy of the card issued to the company, or ask whoever applied for it: your free zone, or the provider that set up your company. For a Dubai company, GDRFA Dubai’s Visa Status service lets you “Verify entry/residence permits, establishment cards and more”.

No professional service fee on licence renewals; government and authority fees still apply. Card renewal is a separate GDRFA or ICP service with its own fees, set out with licence renewal on our licence renewal page.

Establishment card FAQ

What is an establishment card in the UAE?

An establishment card is your company’s file with the UAE immigration authority, and your company needs it before it can sponsor a residence visa. ICP describes it as an electronic card holding the trade name, licence number, partners and type of activity. GDRFA Dubai’s service covers Dubai’s private sector and free zone companies; elsewhere the card is ICP’s service.

Is the establishment card the same as the immigration card?

Yes, the establishment card and the immigration card are one card under two names. GDRFA Dubai and ICP call it the establishment card, and Meydan Free Zone calls it the immigration card or the immigration establishment card. The card is not the trade licence, which comes first. A mainland employer also registers with MOHRE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, for work permits; that is a separate labour record.

Does a free zone company need an establishment card?

Yes, a free zone company needs an establishment card before it sponsors any residence visa, the owner’s included. ICP says a free zone company’s request goes through its free zone authority, and Meydan Free Zone allows a visa application once you have “the immigration card and visa allocation”. In our packages that include a residence visa, the card is included, and it is an itemised row in the Standard package.

How much does an establishment card cost?

An establishment card for a Dubai company carries GDRFA Dubai’s issuing fee of AED 200 plus 5% VAT (checked 16 October 2026). The same GDRFA page lists extra charges (Knowledge Dirham AED 10, Innovation Dirham AED 10, service fee AED 50, urgent fee AED 100), adds AED 100 at Amer centres and notes “The issuance or renewal fee is AED100 per year.” ICP, the federal authority, lists four general lines that add up to AED 2,300, and Meydan Free Zone lists “a one-time immigration establishment card from AED 2,000” without saying whether that includes the GDRFA lines. Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

Where do I find my establishment card number?

Your establishment card number is on the establishment card issued to your company. If you do not have a copy, ask whoever applied for it: your free zone or the provider that set up your company. The GDRFA Dubai and ICP service pages do not show the number’s format, so the sample layout on this page uses placeholders.

How do I check my establishment card status?

A Dubai company can check its establishment card on GDRFA Dubai’s Visa Status service, which lets you “Verify entry/residence permits, establishment cards and more”. A free zone company outside Dubai can ask its free zone authority, since ICP says the request goes through that authority. A mainland company outside Dubai can ask the authorised service provider that applied, since ICP takes these applications “exclusively through the authorized service providers”.

Do I need the establishment card before my residence visa application?

Yes, you need the establishment card before the residence visa application: the card comes after the trade licence and before the entry permit or change of status. Meydan Free Zone’s steps run from the licence to “apply for an establishment card and open an immigration file”, and then to the investor visa application with the medical test and Emirates ID. The full order is in our free zone visa steps.

How long does it take to get an establishment card?

GDRFA Dubai states an expected completion time of 48 hours for the establishment card, and ICP a service completion duration of 2 days (both checked 16 October 2026). These are the authorities’ stated times, not a promise from us.

Sources and how we checked

Every rule, fee and stated time on this page comes from the publisher’s own website, read on 16 October 2026. These are the pages we used:

How we checked: each rule was read on the authority’s own website on 16 October 2026, and each fee is copied as the page printed it. Rules and fees change, so check the source before you file. Our own package prices come from our cost of setting up a business in Dubai page, also read on 16 October 2026.

About the reviewer

Amir Aslam is the Founder of First Idea Consultant LLC, a business setup firm in Dubai since 2015. He works from Park Regis, ParkLane Tower, Office 812, Business Bay, Dubai.

Want a written quote for the card and your visa?

Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote. Say where your licence is from, too. We usually reply on WhatsApp within a couple of hours.

WhatsApp Amir: establishment card and visa for my existing licence

First Idea Consultant LLC, founded 2015, Park Regis, ParkLane Tower, Office 812, Business Bay, Dubai. Call or WhatsApp +971 56 500 6694, or email info@firstideasetup.com. Open Monday to Friday 9:00 to 18:00 and Saturday 9:00 to 14:00; closed Sunday.

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