Free zone general trading: where to set up

For free zone general trading, pick by port, warehouse and licence rules. JAFZA licences start from AED 5,000 before rent; KEZAD sells a 1 visa package at AED 9,450.

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Container port with stacked containers and cranes at a free zone in Dubai

The free zones side by side

Starting prices are the free zone's own published package or fees, with what they include. Where a free zone publishes none, the row says so and shows what setup agents publish instead. Checked . Packages change often: confirm before you pay.

Free zoneEmiratePublished starting priceVisasOffice options
JAFZAJAFZA (Jebel Ali Free Zone)DubaiLicence from AED 5,000 a year (one activity group); facility lease extraVisa quota not published; employment entry permit from AED 2,378 (Normal, 1 year)Co-working and workstations, Office, Warehouse, Showroom, Retail, Land plot
DAFZDAFZ (Dubai Airport Freezone)DubaiAED 40,770 to AED 85,000 first year with an office (published by setup agents)Visa quota tied to office size; agents say the smart office carries a 2 visa quotaSmart office, Office, Warehouse, Retail
DMCCDMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre)DubaiAED 35,484 a year: Basic Biz licence, flexi desk options, 1 visa eligibilityFlexi desk up to 3 visas; a new 2 year visa from outside the UAE is AED 2,972.50 (DMCC schedule)Flexi desk, Co-working, Serviced office, Office
KEZADKEZAD (Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi)Abu DhabiAED 9,450 a year incl. VAT: licence, shared workstation, 1 visaStart-up packages come with 1 to 4 visas, from AED 9,450 to AED 14,550 for one yearShared workstation, Dedicated office, Warehouse, Light industrial unit, Land plot
SAIF ZoneSAIF Zone (Sharjah Airport International Free Zone)SharjahAED 10,800 a year: flexi desk, 3 visa quota (published by setup agents)3 visas with a SAIF Office, 5 with an Executive Office, 8 with a SAIF SuiteSAIF Office, Executive Office, SAIF Suite, Warehouse, Land
HFZAHamriyah Free ZoneSharjahAED 11,000: basic licence (archived HFZA FAQ, may be out of date); agents quote it with a 1 visa quotaAgents list AED 11,000 with a 1 visa quota; visa fees not confirmed by HFZAE-Office, Executive Office, Warehouse, Industrial land
AFZAjman Free Zone (AFZ)AjmanAED 5,555 to AED 5,565: no visa licence, shared desk (published by setup agents)One residence visa on the Freelancer and Pioneers packages; no company visa quota published. Setup agents publish AED 3,400 to AED 5,000 per employee visaBusiness centre (co-working), Office, Executive office, Warehouse, Land
UAQ FTZUmm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone (UAQ FTZ)Umm Al QuwainAED 5,500 a year: UAQ LYTE licence, co-working, 0 visasUAQ START includes 1 investor visa; executive offices offer 6+ visasCo-working, Serviced office, Executive office, Warehouse, Land, Staff accommodation

Last updated

Free zone general trading works best where your goods physically move: next to a port, an airport or a warehouse district. On published prices, Jafza licences start from AED 5,000 a year before any lease, and KEZAD in Abu Dhabi sells a start-up package at AED 9,450 with one visa. DMCC suits commodity traders who want a Dubai address. Sharjah and Ajman zones cost less but publish fewer prices.

The table above shows all eight zones. Read on for what each offers a trader, where the prices come from and the rules that catch people out.

Do I need a trading or a general trading licence?

Zones split trading in different ways, and the split changes your fee.

  • KEZAD needs a General Trading licence once you trade more than 17 items or more than 3 groups of goods. Renewal is AED 5,000 per 2 years for an ordinary trading licence and AED 15,000 for general trading.
  • Jafza grades by type. Trading Type 1 takes up to 7 activities in one group, Type 2 up to 12 from two or more groups, and Type 3 is unlimited across three or more groups. Its fee table prices Trading at AED 5,000 or AED 8,500 a year and General Trading at AED 15,000.
  • Ajman Free Zone limits general trading to one activity, covering all goods except diesel, oil, crude oil, cars and garments.
  • SAIF Zone issues a Trade licence for import, export, distribution and storage of up to 3 similar product lines.

Settle your product list before you ask for quotes. Our general trading license Dubai guide covers the licence in more depth.

Which free zones suit a general trading company?

Jafza, Jebel Ali

Jafza issues Trading, Service, Industrial and Logistics licences and hosts more than 11,000 businesses. Its own fee table starts the licence at AED 5,000 a year, but Jafza publishes no package, and a lease is required. Warehouses start from AED 400 per sq m. There is no minimum capital for an FZE or FZCO. Setup takes 3 to 14 business days once documents are in. Two agencies put a full first year at AED 40,000 to AED 60,000. See Jafza and our DMCC vs JAFZA comparison.

DAFZ, Dubai International Airport

DAFZ, run by DIEZ, sits at Dubai International Airport, which suits air freight and high value goods. We could not read its own fee pages. Two independent agencies publish first year prices of AED 40,770 to AED 85,000, from a small smart office to a serviced office with 1 visa, and both put the licence alone at AED 15,000 a year.

DMCC, Dubai

DMCC issues Trading, Commercial, Service and Industrial licences and lists more than 26,000 companies. Its Basic Biz Package costs AED 35,484 a year with flexi desk options and 1 visa eligibility, limited to 3 activities from one group. DMCC has no warehouse of its own on the pages we read, so it fits commodity traders and firms that store goods elsewhere.

KEZAD, Abu Dhabi

KEZAD's start-up packages run from AED 9,450 for 1 visa to AED 14,550 for 4 visas, VAT included, with a shared workstation. Setup takes 24 hours and there is no minimum capital. The free zone areas sit next to Khalifa Port, and land leases at AED 32 to AED 38 per sq m a year. Watch the general trading renewal noted above. More on KEZAD.

SAIF Zone, Sharjah

For a trading licence in Sharjah with an airport next door, SAIF is worth pricing. It rents pre-built warehouses of 125, 250, 400 and 600 sqm and land from 2,500 sqm. Visas follow the facility: 3 with a SAIF Office, 5 with an Executive Office, 8 with a SAIF Suite. SAIF publishes no package price. Three agencies quote AED 10,800 a year for a flexi desk with a 3 visa quota, visa fees extra. Share capital is AED 150,000 for an FZE or FZC. See SAIF Zone.

Hamriyah Free Zone, Sharjah

Hamriyah issues Service, Commercial and Industrial licences and leases E-Offices, warehouses and industrial land. It hosts more than 6,500 businesses. Its website was down for maintenance when we checked. HFZA's archived FAQ from gives AED 11,000 for a basic licence, and two agencies quote AED 11,000 now with a 1 visa quota. Treat the official figure as old. It suits heavy goods traders, such as steel, timber and building materials, more than desk-based firms.

Ajman Free Zone

AFZ has warehouses from 100 sq m and land beside Ajman Port. Prices come by quote only. 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. The one activity rule on general trading is the main limit.

UAQ Free Trade Zone

UAQ FTZ issues Commercial and General Trading licences and rents land from AED 18 per sq m a year. Four agencies quote AED 5,500 to AED 32,400. The low end is a licence with no visa; the high end is one agency's general trading estimate with one visa, co-working, establishment card and e-channel.

How do customs and VAT work for a free zone trader?

Goods brought into a free zone pay 0% customs duty, and duty applies when they enter the mainland, per the UAE government portal. The same source says that to sell into the UAE market, a free zone company uses a licensed mainland distributor or a mainland branch or company.

VAT depends on status. The FTA says a Designated Zone is treated as outside the UAE for VAT on goods if it meets the conditions; services there are taxed as in the rest of the UAE. Ask your zone whether it is designated.

Dubai zones have one more option. The Free Zone Mainland Operating Permit, AED 5,000 for up to 6 months, lists trading in its first phase. Our free zone vs mainland page explains the routes.

Choose by how your goods move

  • Choose Jafza if you ship by sea through Jebel Ali and need warehouses or a plot.
  • Choose DAFZ if your goods fly, or you want an airport address in Dubai.
  • Choose DMCC if you trade commodities and want a Dubai package with a published price.
  • Choose KEZAD if you want a visa package with VAT already in the price and land near Khalifa Port.
  • Choose SAIF or Hamriyah if you want Sharjah warehouses or industrial land.
  • Choose AFZ or UAQ FTZ if a lower agency price matters more than a big port.

Write your goods, routes and space needs in the form on this page. UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com is not a free zone, a customs body or an agent of any zone. We pass the request to the zone or a licensed setup partner, and they send the figures.

Sources

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Tell us about choosing a free zone for a trading company: your activity, the visas and the office you need. We pass it to the free zones that fit or to a licensed setup partner, and reply with options you can compare side by side.

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Good to know

Questions people ask

When do I need a general trading licence instead of a trading licence?

Each zone sets its own line. KEZAD requires General Trading once you trade more than 17 items or more than 3 groups of goods. Jafza instead grades trading licences by type, from up to 7 activities in one group to unlimited activities from 3 or more groups.

Which trading free zone has a port?

Jafza sits at Jebel Ali and calls itself the largest customs bonded zone in the Middle East. KEZAD's free zone areas are next to Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi, Hamriyah serves marine and industrial firms on the Sharjah coast, and Ajman Free Zone sits beside Ajman Port.

Do goods in a free zone pay customs duty?

The UAE government portal says goods imported into a free zone pay 0% customs duty. Duty applies when the goods move into the mainland. VAT depends on whether the zone is a Designated Zone, so ask your zone for its status.

Can an Ajman Free Zone general trading licence hold several activities?

No. The AFZ FAQ says general trading allows one activity only, covering all goods except diesel, oil, crude oil, cars and garments. To add activities you switch to a commercial trade licence with 1, 2 or 3 activities.

How many visas does a SAIF Zone trading company get?

SAIF ties visas to the facility. A SAIF Office allows 3 visas, an Executive Office 5 and a SAIF Suite 8. Investor visas last 3 years and employee visas 2 years.

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