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There is no single best free zone for ecommerce. The right pick depends on two things: whether you hold stock, and whether your buyers are in the UAE or abroad. For a store with no warehouse, SPC Free Zone in Sharjah publishes a Publishing and E-commerce licence at AED 5,750 a year with no visa. If you need fulfilment space in Dubai, Dubai CommerCity is built only for digital commerce, but it publishes no prices.
The table above lists the seven zones we cover on this page. Below is why each one fits, what it costs to start, and where it falls short.
What does an online business need from a free zone?
Three questions sort the zones fast.
- Does the licence name e-commerce? Some zones have an E-commerce licence type. Others fold it into a trading or service licence. Ask the zone to confirm your exact activity, such as selling on your own website or on marketplaces.
- Where does your stock sit? A digital product, a service or a drop shipping model can live on a flexi desk. Physical stock needs storage, and that changes the shortlist.
- Who are your customers? Selling abroad from a free zone is simple. Selling to UAE buyers has rules, covered further down.
Which UAE free zones suit an e-commerce business?
Dubai CommerCity
Dubai CommerCity sits in Umm Ramool, next to Dubai International Airport. It describes itself as the first free zone in the region dedicated only to digital commerce. Its licence types are E-commerce, Trade, Service, General Trading, Industrial and a Dual Licence with DET, the Dubai mainland regulator. Space runs from a smart desk up to a dedicated warehouse, third party warehousing and a fulfilment centre. One licence can carry up to 20 activities from four groups, and share capital starts at AED 1,000.
The catch is price. The zone publishes none. Two setup agencies list smart desk packages at AED 27,545 to AED 28,000 a year (published prices of 2 agencies, checked ). The lower one names 2 visa allocations, and both leave the visa fees out. That range is the agencies' figure, not ours. More on the Dubai CommerCity page.
SPC Free Zone, Sharjah
SPC has the clearest published e-commerce price we found. The Publishing and E-commerce tier costs AED 5,750 for one year with up to 5 activities, a co-working lease and no visa. With one investor visa it is AED 13,165. Renewal is quoted from AED 5,750. Do not confuse it with the AED 4,999 E-Publishing tier, which covers online publishing only. SPC also rents storage and warehouse space from AED 480 per sqm, and it sets no visa cap on the flexi desk. See the SPC Free Zone page for every fee line.
Meydan Free Zone
Meydan's standard licence costs AED 12,500 a year. It takes up to 3 activity groups across trading, services, professional and e-commerce work, so an online store and a related service can share one licence. No visa is included: an investor visa is AED 4,000 extra. Setup is 100% online with no visit. Meydan suits an online business that wants a Dubai licence and has no stock to store.
DWTC Free Zone
DWTC lists E-commerce as one of seven licence types, next to General Trading and Professional. It prints no package price, only a few fees such as AED 2,000 per visa from outside the UAE. Two agencies quote AED 16,845 to AED 17,800 for a first year with a licence, a flexi desk and 1 visa. You get a central Dubai business district address and an online setup portal.
Ajman Free Zone
AFZ issues an E-commerce licence and lists an E-Commerce Hub among its office types, plus warehouses from 100 sq m near Ajman Port. AFZ has no public price list. Three agencies publish a no visa licence at AED 5,555 to AED 5,565 and one visa at AED 13,131 to AED 13,141. Two of them put each extra employee visa at AED 3,400 to AED 5,000. One rule to know: service and commercial activities cannot share an AFZ licence.
Ajman Media City
Ajman Media City lists E-commerce among its licence categories. Its Business Club licence costs AED 4,999 a year with a co-working lease, up to 10 activities and no visa. The one visa tier is AED 12,999. Setup is fully digital. Check with the zone that your selling activity sits on the Business Club tier before you pay.
RAKEZ
RAKEZ in Ras Al Khaimah issues an E-Commerce licence. The Biz Starter package is AED 6,000 a year with coworking, up to 10 activities and no visa. Instant Licence Lite, with 1 visa, is AED 12,000. RAKEZ also leases warehouses, which helps if you grow into holding stock.
Can a free zone e-commerce company sell to UAE customers?
This is the limit most online sellers miss. The UAE government portal says free zone companies sit outside the mainland jurisdiction. They trade freely inside the zone and abroad. To sell into the UAE market they must use a licensed mainland distributor or set up a mainland branch or company. Goods brought into a free zone pay 0% customs duty, and duty applies when they move to the mainland.
Dubai has opened one more door. Under Executive Council Resolution No. 11 of , a Dubai free zone company can work in mainland Dubai with a DET licence or permit. The Free Zone Mainland Operating Permit costs AED 5,000 and lasts up to 6 months. A branch licence costs AED 10,000 a year. Dubai CommerCity's Dual Licence is built for the same need. The routes and their limits are on our free zone vs mainland page.
Choose by how you sell
- Choose Dubai CommerCity if you hold stock in Dubai and want a fulfilment centre or third party warehouse in the same zone as your licence.
- Choose SPC if you want a published e-commerce tier with a clear price and an unlimited visa count on the flexi desk.
- Choose Meydan if you want a Dubai licence set up fully online and you have no stock to store.
- Choose DWTC if a central Dubai address matters and you may add general trading later.
- Choose AFZ or RAKEZ if you need a warehouse outside Dubai at agency prices that start lower.
- Choose Ajman Media City if you sell digital products and want the lowest published entry price.
For the licence itself, activities and approvals, read our e-commerce license Dubai guide. To rank zones on price alone, see the cheapest free zone in the UAE.
Costs on top of the licence
The package price is rarely the whole bill. Plan for visas, the establishment card (AED 640 at SPC, AED 2,000 at Meydan), medical tests and Emirates ID, and any office upgrade. Payment gateways and marketplace accounts usually ask for a corporate bank account, so budget time for that too. Our free zone license cost guide breaks down each line.
Use the form on this page to describe your store: what you sell, where the stock is and how many visas you need. UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com is a directory, not a free zone and not a government office. We hand your details to the zone or a licensed setup partner, who replies with a quote.
Sources
- Dubai CommerCity licence types: licence types including E-commerce and the Dual Licence with DET
- SPC Free Zone e-commerce package: Publishing and E-commerce tier, price and inclusions
- Meydan Free Zone AED 12,500 licence: licence price, activity groups and online setup
- DWTC activities and licences: licence types
- Ajman Free Zone licence types: E-commerce licence
- Ajman Media City Business Club package: price and inclusions
- RAKEZ Biz Starter package: price and inclusions
- u.ae, running a business in a free zone: selling into the UAE market and customs duty
- Dubai Media Office on the mainland operating permit: permit launch and scope
