Cheapest Free Zone License in the UAE: Real Costs Compared

The cheapest free zone licence First Idea Consultant LLC sells in Dubai is Meydan Free Zone at AED 12,500 with no visa, then IFZA at AED 12,900. Both cover the licence, MOA, a flexi-office address and the certificate of registration. With one residence visa the totals are AED 23,136 at Meydan and AED 23,436 at IFZA. The package most buyers ask for is Premium: company, one residence visa and business bank account opening assistance, AED 28,136 at Meydan or AED 28,436 at IFZA. SPC Free Zone in Sharjah and RAKEZ in Ras Al Khaimah publish lower entry figures, shown below with each authority’s name and the date we checked.

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.

On WhatsApp: Send my activity or Company + visa + bank account

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

The two cheapest free zone licences we can price today

The Meydan and IFZA 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.

Premium with standard business bank account opening assistance at a local bank instead of a digital one (physical presence required): total with local bank account AED 33,136 at Meydan, AED 33,436 at IFZA.

The Basic totals include the professional service fee at AED 0 (promotion, regular AED 1,000), and the Standard totals include it at AED 2,000 (promotion, regular AED 3,500). Promotions do not run forever, so confirm current figures before you budget.

Every component behind these totals is itemised on the cost of setting up a business in Dubai page. Compare them side by side on our Dubai company setup packages page.

Relationship Manager availability depends on the selected bank and bank approval.

Cheapest free zones in the UAE compared: published fees, labelled

The figures below are what each authority publishes on its own site, which is not the same as a First Idea price.

Figures on other consultancy pages rarely say who published them. The figures in this table are the authority’s own, as read on its site on the date shown, and authorities change them without notice.

What the cheapest price leaves out

Visa

Meydan Free Zone publishes that a first investor visa typically adds around AED 7,850, covering the visa fee, allocation and the one-time immigration establishment card (meydanfz.ae, checked 15 Sep 2026). We do not sell a residence visa on its own at a fixed price. The Standard package, AED 23,136 at Meydan or AED 23,436 at IFZA, includes one residence visa with the establishment card, medical and Emirates ID. For partner or employee visas, send your visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

Emirates ID and medical

Both are part of every residence visa and both are included in Standard, Premium and Gold for the one visa in the package. For each additional person, send your visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

Annual renewal

A free zone licence is renewed every year with the authority that issued it. No professional service fee on licence renewals; government and authority fees still apply. Residence visas and the establishment card renew on their own dates and are quoted separately. Send your licence issuer and expiry date on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written renewal quote.

The steps are on our trade license renewal Dubai page. On WhatsApp: Send my licence issuer and expiry date

NOC if you are employed in the UAE

If you already work in the UAE on an employer’s visa, ask your employer and the free zone whether a no objection certificate is needed before you apply. Send your activity and your current visa status on WhatsApp and we check it before any payment.

Bank account opening

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. Premium, AED 28,136 at Meydan or AED 28,436 at IFZA, is the package that includes business bank account opening assistance.

Cheapest free zone in Dubai: Meydan or IFZA

Of the Dubai free zones we price, Meydan Free Zone is the cheapest at AED 12,500 with no visa, then IFZA at AED 12,900.

Amir Aslam checks your activity against both lists before you pay. More on the Meydan free zone, IFZA free zone and Dubai free zone company setup pages.

Two other Dubai free zones we set up, DMCC and Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), are priced on quotation. Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote. For DMCC, start with our DMCC business setup guide.

Cheapest free zone by business activity

Only Meydan and IFZA carry a First Idea figure here, and only the Basic or Standard totals.

Small business licence cost in Dubai

For a small business, the smallest complete company we set up in Dubai is the Basic package: AED 12,500 at Meydan Free Zone or AED 12,900 at IFZA. It covers the licence, MOA, a flexi-office address and the certificate of registration, with no visa. If you will live in the UAE on your own company, budget for Standard instead: AED 23,136 at Meydan or AED 23,436 at IFZA, which adds one residence visa, the establishment card, medical, Emirates ID and corporate tax registration.

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.

Every component behind these totals is itemised on the cost of setting up a business in Dubai page.

If you are comparing low cost business setup in Dubai, compare first-year totals rather than licence fees, and decide first whether you need UAE residence, because that answer moves you from Basic to Standard.

Is a mainland licence cheaper for a small business?

A Dubai mainland licence is built from separate items: the DET licence fee, an Ejari-registered office, MOA notarisation, the immigration establishment card and each visa. We quote mainland set-ups individually. Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

Background: our Dubai mainland license guide and mainland vs free zone in the UAE.

How to choose the cheapest free zone without regret

1. List what you need first

Write down three things before comparing prices: whether you need a Dubai address, how many residence visas you need, and your exact activity. Those answers decide which zones are worth pricing at all. A cheap licence is no saving if it cannot carry your activity or your visa.

2. Cost it over three years, not one

Add the first-year total to each year’s renewal with the authority, then add the visa renewals that fall due in the same period. Ask for every year to be itemised in writing. How renewal is priced is in the annual renewal section above.

3. Check your activity is permitted

Every free zone keeps its own activity list, and the same activity can be worded differently from one list to the next. Send the activity on WhatsApp and Amir Aslam checks which of the zones we set up allow it before you pay. See also free zone business setup mistakes.

4. Ask which banks open accounts for that zone and activity

Ask which banks open accounts for companies in that zone and for your activity, and what each asks for. Banks look at the activity, the shareholders, the source of funds and the countries you trade with. See the bank account opening section above.

5. Plan the visa count for the next two years

Visa allocation depends on the zone and the office type, so a zone that fits one visa today may need a facility upgrade later. If you expect to add staff or a shareholder with a visa within two years, say so at the start and we price the office type that fits.

FAQ

What is the cheapest free zone license in the UAE?

Meydan Free Zone Basic at AED 12,500 and IFZA Basic at AED 12,900 are the cheapest licences we price, both with no visa. Outside Dubai, SPC Free Zone published AED 5,750 for a one-year licence with no visa (spcfz.ae, checked 15 Sep 2026) and RAKEZ published a Biz Starter package at AED 6,000 (rakez.com, checked 15 Sep 2026); neither is a First Idea price. The number to compare is the total after one residence visa: Standard, AED 23,136 at Meydan or AED 23,436 at IFZA.

Which is the cheapest free zone in Dubai?

Of the Dubai free zones we price, Meydan Free Zone is the cheapest at AED 12,500 with no visa, then IFZA at AED 12,900. With one residence visa the Standard totals are AED 23,136 at Meydan and AED 23,436 at IFZA. DMCC and Dubai World Trade Centre are priced on quotation. Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

How much does the cheapest free zone company setup in the UAE cost with one visa?

Our Standard package is AED 23,136 at Meydan Free Zone or AED 23,436 at IFZA. It covers the licence, MOA, a flexi-office address, the certificate of registration, one residence visa, the establishment card, medical, Emirates ID and corporate tax registration. For partner or employee visas, send your visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

What does the cheapest free zone visa in the UAE cost?

We do not sell a residence visa on its own at a fixed price. Meydan Free Zone publishes that a first investor visa typically adds around AED 7,850, covering the visa fee, allocation and the one-time immigration establishment card (meydanfz.ae, checked 15 Sep 2026). Our Standard package, AED 23,136 at Meydan or AED 23,436 at IFZA, includes one residence visa with the establishment card, medical and Emirates ID. For more visas, send your visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

What is the cheapest licence or trade licence in the UAE?

The cheapest company licence we price is Meydan Free Zone Basic at AED 12,500, with no visa. Whether a trading activity fits depends on the activity. Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote. The comparison table above shows the lower figures SPC Free Zone and RAKEZ publish, each with the authority’s name and check date.

How much does a small business licence cost in Dubai?

The smallest complete company we set up in Dubai is the Basic package: AED 12,500 at Meydan Free Zone or AED 12,900 at IFZA, with no visa. If you will live in the UAE on your own company, Standard adds one residence visa, for AED 23,136 at Meydan or AED 23,436 at IFZA. Every component behind these totals is itemised on the cost of setting up a business in Dubai page.

Is there an affordable free zone in Sharjah?

SPC Free Zone published AED 5,750 for a one-year licence with no visa (spcfz.ae, checked 15 Sep 2026). That is the authority’s figure, not a First Idea price. We set up SPC Free Zone companies on quotation. Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.

How much does it cost to renew the cheapest free zone licence?

A free zone licence is renewed every year with the authority that issued it. No professional service fee on licence renewals; government and authority fees still apply. Send your licence issuer and expiry date on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written renewal quote.

On WhatsApp: Send my activity or, for a renewal, Send my licence issuer and expiry date

Questions about the cheapest free zone licence?

Send us your business activity and how many visas you need. We will come back with the licence options and a written cost breakdown. Message us on WhatsApp or call +971 56 500 6694, or visit Office 812, ParkLane Tower, Park Regis, Business Bay, Dubai. We reply within a couple of hours.

Client reviews are on our Google Business Profile.

Authority sources for the figures on this page

• Meydan Free Zone publishes the licence and first investor visa figures: meydanfz.ae, checked 15 Sep 2026.
• SPC Free Zone published the one-year licence figure: spcfz.ae/pay-as-you-go/, checked 15 Sep 2026.
• RAKEZ published package, Biz Starter: rakez.com/en/promotions/biz-starter-package, checked 15 Sep 2026.
• RAKEZ published package with one UAE residence visa: rakez.com/en/promotions/sme-business-setup, checked 15 Sep 2026.
• Ajman Free Zone (afz.gov.ae) and SHAMS (shamsfz.ae): no static figure shown, checked 15 Sep 2026.