UAE Free Zone Cost Index 2026

The UAE Free Zone Cost Index 2026 compares the entry prices that free zone authorities publish themselves. We do not use consultant quotes or blog figures in the main index. Where an authority only prices by quote, we say so. Checked on 28 October 2026 by the Pro24 Advisory Team.

Key findings

• Cheapest published licence: SPC Free Zone from AED 5,750 and RAKEZ from AED 6,000, both with no visa.
• Cheapest published price including a visa: RAKEZ Lite package at AED 12,000 (1 visa, up to 5 activities).
• Cheapest Dubai free zones: Meydan from AED 12,500 and Expo City Dubai from AED 12,520, both with no visa. Expo City’s Business Hub Package 2 adds 4 visas for AED 17,570.
• Premium tier: DMCC from AED 35,484 (Basic Biz package, flexi desk), ADGM about AED 21,300 before office space, and DIFC about AED 73,450 for a standard non-financial company.
• Only 7 of the 16 zones we checked publish a usable price. The rest price by calculator, quote or consultation.

The index: officially published entry prices

Year-one prices as published by each authority on 28 October 2026. “From” and promotional prices can change without notice. USD figures converted at AED 3.6725. JAFZA publishes a licence fee from AED 5,000, but a leased facility is also required, so it is not comparable and is left out of the ranking.

Free zones with no public price list

The IFZA figure is a Pro24 quote, not an official published price, which is why it is not in the main index.

Published renewal prices

Meydan, RAKEZ and SPC do not publish renewal prices; Meydan and SPC offer discounts on multi-year licences.

What the headline price leaves out

• Visas: a residence visa adds roughly AED 3,500 to 6,000 per person in most zones, plus the establishment card. Expo City Dubai charges AED 3,200 (applied from outside the UAE) or AED 4,500 (from inside) for a 2-year visa.
• Workspace: ADGM, DIFC and JAFZA prices exclude office space, which is often the largest cost.
• Activities: cheap packages often allow only 1 activity or 1 activity group.
• Renewal: a promotional year-one price may renew at a higher rate.

The honest comparison is the all-in cost for your activity and team size, not the headline price. See DMCC setup cost, Expo City Dubai cost or the DMCC cost calculator.

Methodology

• We took the cheapest year-one company licence price published by each authority on its own website or official fee schedule.
• Consultant blogs and comparison sites were excluded, even where they quote a lower price.
• Where an authority publishes only a calculator, a quote form or conflicting promotions, we list it as “no public price”.
• USD fees (ADGM, DIFC) are converted at AED 3.6725. Government visa and Emirates ID fees are not included unless the package includes them.
• We update the index when an authority changes its published price. Last checked: 28 October 2026.

You may cite this index with a link to this page. Pro24 Services is an authorised Expo City Dubai channel partner and a DMCC business setup provider in JLT; we set up companies in most of the zones listed.

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