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The cheapest Ajman trade license with a published price is a free zone licence from Ajman NuVentures, starting at AED 4,888 a year, or Ajman Media City at AED 4,999. Both include the licence, up to 10 activities and a workspace lease, but no visa. Ajman Free Zone, the largest of the three, publishes no package prices and quotes through a calculator. Visas, renewal and the activity rules decide what you pay after that.
Who issues an Ajman trade licence
| Where you set up | Issuer | Published prices |
|---|---|---|
| Ajman Free Zone (AFZ) | Free Zones Authority, Ajman | None; quote by calculator |
| Ajman Media City (AMC) | Free Zones Authority of Ajman | Four packages |
| Ajman NuVentures Centre Free Zone (ANCFZ) | ANCFZ, its own licensing authority | Two starting prices |
| Ajman mainland | Ajman Department of Economic Development | Not in our verified data |
A free zone licence lets you trade inside the zone and abroad. Goods for UAE buyers go through an authorised distributor or a mainland company. If most of your customers are local shops or the public, ask a mainland adviser too. We have not verified Ajman DED fees, so we do not print any.
Ajman trade license cost by number of visas
| Visas | Ajman NuVentures | Ajman Media City | Ajman Free Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | From AED 4,888 (Zero Visa) | AED 4,999 (Business Club) | Not published; agencies AED 5,555 to AED 5,565 |
| 1 | From AED 10,800 (All Inclusive) | AED 12,999 (Visionary) | Not published; agencies AED 13,131 to AED 13,141 |
| 2 | AED 16,200 (Arabic packages page) | AED 17,999 (Pioneer) | Not published |
| 3 | AED 20,700 (Arabic packages page) | AED 22,999 (Innovator) | Not published |
Source: ANCFZ packages and offers page and its Arabic packages page, Ajman Media City package pages, checked . The Ajman Free Zone figures are published prices of 3 setup agencies, not AFZ's own. ANCFZ's Arabic page says its one year prices are paid upfront and already carry a 10% discount for paying in advance.
What the visa prices include differs. AMC's Visionary lists the establishment card, investor security approval, medical, Emirates ID, status change and e-channel registration. ANCFZ's All Inclusive lists a similar chain, plus the e-channel guarantee and ICP licence activation. Health insurance is in neither. For an AFZ visa outside a package, two agencies put an employee visa at AED 3,400 to AED 5,000. ANCFZ's page also contradicts itself on the visa limit, saying "1 to 10" in one place and "up to 7" in another, so put the number in your quote.
ANCFZ lets you spread the cost with Tabby, from AED 1,222 per instalment. AFZ allows instalments only on the rental part of a package.
Ajman trade licence types and activity rules
The licence type matters as much as the price, because it limits what you may put on one licence.
- Ajman Free Zone. Seven licence types: Commercial, Industrial, Services, Pioneers, Freelancer, E-commerce and Offshore. One licence is either service or commercial, not both. A general trading licence holds one activity and covers all goods except diesel, oil, crude oil, cars and garments. To add activities, you move to a commercial licence with 1, 2 or 3 activities.
- Ajman Media City. Trading, services, e-commerce, media, consultancy, fintech, tech, logistics and healthcare. Its packages allow a mix of commercial and service activities, up to 10, with up to 10 shareholders.
- Ajman NuVentures. Commercial, industrial, service, consultancy and education activities from a list of over 3,500. Packages allow up to 10 activities, mixed as you like.
If you trade goods and also sell a service, AMC or ANCFZ can put both on one licence. At AFZ that means two licences or a different structure.
Renewing an Ajman trade license
| Zone | Renewal |
|---|---|
| Ajman Media City | AED 4,999 Business Club, AED 8,999 Visionary, AED 10,999 Pioneer, AED 14,999 Innovator |
| Ajman Free Zone | Set by licence type, activity and office, shown in the portal; e-channel AED 1,100 a year; one month grace period |
| Ajman NuVentures | Yearly, often online without shareholders present; price not published |
Source: AMC package pages, AFZ FAQ and ANCFZ FAQ, checked .
AMC is the easiest to budget for year two: the Visionary licence costs AED 12,999 to start and AED 8,999 to renew, card and e-channel included. If you close the company instead, AFZ lists a cancellation fee of AED 2,500.
Business setup in Ajman: steps and timing
- List your activities and check them against the zone's activity list.
- Choose the zone by licence rules and visa count, not price alone.
- Submit passport copies, photos and, if you live in the UAE, your visa and Emirates ID. AFZ also asks for a no objection letter from your current sponsor.
- Pay and receive the licence, lease and company documents.
- Apply for the establishment card and visas.
Timing on the zones' own pages: ANCFZ says a licence in 2 hours and visas within 24 to 48 hours. AFZ says its One-Click service issues licences within minutes and issues the establishment card within three working days. AMC describes a fully digital process you can use from anywhere.
Documents
- Passport copy valid for at least six months, for each shareholder
- Colour photo
- UAE visa copy and Emirates ID, if resident
- For a branch: the parent company's licence, articles and board resolution (AFZ and ANCFZ list these)
- ANCFZ also asks for proof of residence, such as a utility bill or tenancy contract
Which Ajman licence fits
- Lowest start with no visa: ANCFZ or AMC, at almost the same price.
- A clear year-two cost: AMC, which prints renewal next to each package.
- Stock, warehouse or land: AFZ, the only Ajman zone with warehouses and land.
- Freelancer: AFZ's Sole Professional Licence with one residence visa.
For each zone in depth, read Ajman Free Zone, Ajman Media City and Ajman NuVentures. To compare with other emirates, see the cheapest free zone in the UAE.
Ajman business setup quotes through us
Use the form on this page to send your activities, shareholders and visa count. UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com is an independent directory and does not issue licences; no Ajman authority runs this site. We pass your request to the zone that fits or to a licensed setup partner, and you receive a priced offer.
Sources
- ANCFZ packages and offers: starting prices, inclusions, visa limit wording, instalments
- ANCFZ Arabic packages page: one year price for each visa count
- Avyanco AFZ cost and Sarmat: AFZ agency package prices
- Safe Ledger AFZ visa cost and BCL AFZ guide: AFZ agency visa prices
- ANCFZ FAQ and types of companies: activities, renewal, timing, documents
- Ajman Media City packages, Business Club and Visionary: prices, renewal, inclusions
- Ajman Media City services: licence types
- AFZ licence types and AFZ FAQ: licence rules, renewal, e-channel, cancellation
- AFZ type of business: documents
- AFZ One-Click licence: licence timing
- u.ae, starting a business in a free zone: Ajman zones on the federal list
