Cheapest freezone in Dubai

For a company licence, Meydan Free Zone, Expo City Dubai and the Dubai South Business Hub share the lowest official Dubai price, AED 12,500 a year with no visa. Freelance permits start lower.

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Dubai free zones, lowest starting price first

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
Dubai SouthDubai South Free ZoneDubaiAED 12,500 a year: Business Hub Starter licence, 0 visas (offer AED 11,375)Business Hub Essential tier includes 1 visa from AED 16,500; Dubai South estimates AED 4,000 to 6,000 per visaFlexi desk, Serviced office, Warehouse, Land plot
Expo CityExpo City Dubai Free ZoneDubaiAED 12,500 a year: licence, registration, shared desk, 0 visasAllocation depends on leased space; Business Hub Package 2 allows 1 to 4 visasShared desk, Coworking, Private office, Retail
Meydan FZMeydan Free ZoneDubaiAED 12,500 a year: licence, 3 activity groups, flexi desk, 0 visasVisas are add-ons: investor visa AED 4,000, employee visa AED 3,500, plus AED 2,250 medical and Emirates IDFlexi desk, Office
IFZAIFZA (International Free Zone Authority)DubaiAED 12,900 a year: zero visa licence (published by 6 setup agents)Agents sell 1 visa from AED 14,900 to AED 15,000 (processing extra) or AED 21,450 to AED 22,200 all inFlexi desk (agent sources), Office
DHCCDubai Healthcare City (DHCC)DubaiAED 16,550: Zawel licence, 2 visa quota, no office in year 1 (limited-time offer)Zawel includes a 2 visa quota; a 2-year employment visa costs AED 3,226.73 to AED 4,947.63Desk space, Office, Clinical facility, Land
DWTCDWTC Free Zone (Dubai World Trade Centre)DubaiAED 16,845 to AED 17,800 with flexi desk and 1 visa (published by setup agents)Official visa fee AED 2,000 from outside the UAE, AED 3,200 inside (older DWTC visa PDF)On-demand licensing, Flexi desk, Business centre, Executive office, Commercial office, Home business (Expo Village)
d3Dubai Design District (d3)DubaiAED 3,500 registration plus AED 15,000 licence a year; studio or office lease extrad3 does not publish a visa quota per workspace; ask before you leaseCo-working (shared desks, micro studios), Office (from 700 sq ft), in5 Design
DIACDubai International Academic City (DIAC)DubaiAED 3,500 registration plus AED 15,000 licence a year; lease and KHDA approval extra1 visa per 80 sq ft of leased space (DIAC FAQ)Commercial space, Campus (sale or rent)
DICDubai Internet CityDubaiAED 3,500 registration plus AED 15,000 a year per tech segment, lease extra1 visa per 60 sq ft of leased space (DIC FAQ)Co-working, in5 Tech, Office, Light industrial unit, Warehouse, Retail
DKPDubai Knowledge ParkDubaiAED 3,500 registration plus AED 15,000 a year per segment, lease extra1 visa per 80 sq ft of leased space; 1 visa per freelancer on a hot deskHot desk (freelancers), Office, Built-to-suit
DMCDubai Media CityDubaiAED 3,500 registration plus AED 15,000 a year per media segment, desk extra1 visa per 80 sq ft of leased space; Open Quarters desk gives 1 work permitCo-working (D/Quarters), Office, Studios, Retail
DOCDubai Outsource City (DOC)DubaiAED 3,500 registration plus AED 15,000 licence a year; lease extra1 visa per 80 sq ft of leased space (DOC FAQ)Commercial space, Retail
DPCDubai Production CityDubaiAED 3,500 registration plus AED 15,000 to AED 25,000 a year by segment1 visa per 80 to 100 sq ft of leased space (DPC FAQ)Office, Warehouse, in5 Media
DSCDubai Studio CityDubaiAED 3,500 registration plus AED 15,000 to AED 40,000 a year by segment1 visa per 80 sq ft of leased space (DSC FAQ)Office (700 to 1,300 sq ft), Sound stages, Studios, Backlot
DSPDubai Science Park (DSP)DubaiAED 3,500 registration plus AED 15,000 licence a year; desk or lab lease extra1 visa per 80 sq ft of leased space (DSP FAQ); D/Quarters Open Quarters desk carries 1 work permitCo-working (D/Quarters), in5 Science, Office, Light industrial unit, Warehouse
IHCInternational Humanitarian City (Dubai Humanitarian)DubaiAED 11,250 a year: NPO desk; commercial desk AED 20,800 (2 visa quota)Every package includes a 2 visa quota and the establishment card; visa costs are charged on topBusiness centre hot desk, Standard office, Warehouse
Dubai CommerCityDubaiAED 27,545 to AED 28,000 a year: smart desk, 2 visa quota (published by setup agents)The zone publishes no visa quota or visa fees; agent smart desk packages come with visa allocationsSmart desk, Co-working, Office, Retail, Warehouse, Fulfilment centre
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
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
DIFCDIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre)DubaiUSD 1,500 a year: Innovation licence, tech firms only, plus USD 100 registrationInnovation licence: up to 4 visas on the first desk; new employment visa AED 3,950 plus AED 2,500 refundable deposit (DIFC handbook, may be out of date)Coworking (Innovation Hub), Shared office, Leased office
DMCDubai Maritime CityDubaiLicensed through Jafza (Jafza licences from AED 5,000 a year); DMC lease extraNot publishedOffice, Warehouse, Workshop, Showroom, Ship repair plot
DSODubai Silicon Oasis (DSO)DubaiLicence AED 12,000 to AED 15,000 a year, office extra (published by setup agents)DSO publishes no visa quota or fee; agents quote AED 3,000 to AED 5,100 per visaFlexi desk, Fixed desk, Office, Warehouse, Light industrial unit, Retail, Land
DUCAMZDubai Cars and Automotive Zone (DUCAMZ)DubaiAED 5,500 to AED 14,000 trading licence (published by setup agents, who disagree)Not publishedShowroom
Gold and Diamond ParkDubai Gold and Diamond ParkDubaiJafza licence from AED 5,000 a year; unit lease extraVisas are processed by Jafza under Jafza Free Zone RulesRetail showroom, Workshop, Office
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

Last updated

The cheapest freezone in Dubai for a company licence is a three-way tie: Meydan Free Zone, Expo City Dubai and the Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone all start at AED 12,500 a year with no visa. Meydan's price is the licence with up to 3 activity groups. Expo City's Business Hub Package 1 adds registration and a shared desk. Dubai South's Starter tier covers 1 activity. Freelance permits cost less, and once you add a visa the order changes.

Looking ahead: see Free zone license cost 2027.

Cheapest Dubai free zone licence with no visa

Free zone Package Price a year What you get
Meydan Free Zone Licence AED 12,500 Trade licence, registration, up to 3 activity groups, no paid-up capital
Expo City Dubai Business Hub Package 1 AED 12,500 Registration, licence and shared desk. No company card or visa
Dubai South Business Hub Starter AED 12,500 1 activity, registration and e-licence, no visa. Shown at AED 11,375 as a limited time offer
Meydan Free Zone Fawri instant licence AED 15,000 Licence issued online in under 60 minutes, no office needed
TECOM parks such as Dubai Internet City Registration plus one segment AED 3,500 plus AED 15,000 Registration once, licence each year. Lease extra
DMCC Basic Biz Package AED 35,484 Licence, flexi desk options, eligibility for 1 visa

Source: Meydan Free Zone home and Fawri pages, ECDA fees and service charges list, Dubai South Business Hub tier list, Dubai Development Authority fee schedule and DMCC business setup packages page, checked .

Expo City's prices come from a fee list dated that says prices may change. Ask for the current list. The Dubai South offer price carries no end date, so check it is still live when you apply. DMCC sits at the top end, but it also sells cheaper niche packages: AED 29,205 for JLT residents and owners, and AED 31,000 for its Crypto, Gaming and AI Centres.

Dubai free zones with no package price of their own

Several popular zones leave their prices to agents or quotes. Agency figures give a rough idea, but they are not the zone's tariff.

  • IFZA. Setup agencies publish its zero-visa licence at AED 12,900 (published prices of 6 agencies, checked ). IFZA sells only through partners.
  • Dubai Silicon Oasis. Three agencies put the licence at about AED 12,000 to AED 15,000 a year, and DSO requires a desk or office on top. Many agent pages labelled DSO are really pricing IFZA, which has its offices there.
  • DWTC Free Zone. About AED 16,845 to AED 17,800 for a licence, a flexi desk and 1 visa (2 agencies, same date). DWTC itself prints a visa fee of AED 2,000 from outside the UAE.
  • Dubai CommerCity. About AED 27,545 to AED 28,000 for a smart desk package with visa allocations, visa fees extra (2 agencies, same date).
  • Dubai Maritime City. About AED 8,500 to AED 22,000 and up for a first year (2 agencies, same date). The two disagree on what that buys, and the licence itself is registered by Jafza.
  • DAFZ. About AED 40,770 to AED 85,000 for a first year with an office (2 independent agencies, same date).
  • JAFZA. Jafza does print a licence fee table, from AED 5,000 a year for a Trading or Service licence, but that is the licence alone. There is no package price. Agencies publish a first year at about AED 40,000 to AED 60,000 (2 agencies, same date).

If IFZA and Meydan are your last two, our Meydan vs IFZA page compares them line by line.

Cheapest Dubai free zone packages with a visa

Few Dubai zones publish a package with a visa inside it. These are the ones that do, or that publish the visa fee next to the licence.

  • Dubai South Business Hub, Essential. AED 16,500 a year with 2 activities, 1 visa and a flexi desk. Visa processing is billed separately, and the Business Hub estimates about AED 4,000 to AED 6,000 per visa all in. See Dubai South.
  • Dubai Healthcare City, Zawel. AED 16,550 with a 2 visa quota and no office in year one. It is a limited-time offer for an FZ-LLC with activities that need no outside approval, such as IT, marketing and consultancy. Visa fees are extra, from AED 3,226.73 per visa. See Dubai Healthcare City.
  • Expo City, Business Hub Package 2. AED 17,550 with registration, licence, a company card, a shared desk and a 1 to 4 visa allocation. Expo's employment visa packages cost AED 2,700 to AED 4,500 depending on length and whether you apply from inside the UAE.
  • Meydan Free Zone. No visa package, but published add-ons: AED 4,000 for an investor visa or AED 3,500 for an employee visa, AED 2,250 for the medical and Emirates ID, and AED 2,000 for the establishment card. Setup agencies publish Meydan one-visa packages at about AED 16,350 to AED 20,670 (2 agencies, checked ).
  • IFZA. Agencies sell one visa in two ways. A licence with the visa slot only runs AED 14,900 to AED 15,000 (3 agencies), and processing comes on top. All in, with the visa processed, it is AED 21,450 to AED 22,200 (2 agencies, same date).
  • DMCC, Basic Biz. AED 35,484 with eligibility for 1 visa. DMCC's schedule of charges adds AED 2,972.50 for a new 2 year visa applied from outside the UAE, medical and Emirates ID extra. The AED 1,825 establishment card is yearly.

Freelance and early-stage routes that cost less

If you work alone, a freelance permit is the low cost business setup in Dubai, and it can undercut every company licence above.

  • GoFreelance covers Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Knowledge Park and Dubai Design District. It costs AED 7,520 a year with a hot desk and no visa. An employment visa on top is AED 4,600 for 1 year.
  • Expo City Freelance is listed at AED 9,000 a year with the permit, a company card and a visa, on the same April fee list.
  • in5, the start-up programme in the TECOM parks, charges AED 1,000 a year for the licence for 3 years. You need approval from its evaluation committee.
  • Dubai Healthcare City SME licences are AED 1,000 a year for the first 3 years. The zone does not define who counts as an SME on the pages we read.
  • DIFC Innovation licence. USD 1,500 a year plus USD 100 registration, for tech firms only, with a desk at USD 250 a month.

Costs the cheapest Dubai package leaves out

The AED 12,500 at Meydan buys the licence. Once you live in the UAE on the company's visa, add Meydan's own visa, medical and card fees, then the federal ones. ICP charges AED 100 a year for the residence permit and AED 100 a year for the Emirates ID, plus application and smart service fees. A change of status inside the country is AED 500. Meydan also charges AED 1,000 per extra activity and AED 2,000 per extra shareholder.

If you will sell to Dubai clients, budget for that too. A Dubai free zone company approved by its zone can get a DET branch licence at AED 10,000 a year or a temporary permit at AED 5,000 for up to 6 months.

Trade-offs of the cheapest Dubai zones

  • Meydan sets no paid-up capital and says setup is fully online. Visas are all add-ons, so the price climbs quickly with staff.
  • Expo City requires a lease for its licences, except the freelance permit, and visa allocation follows the space you lease.
  • TECOM parks tie visas to leased space, for example 1 visa per 60 sq ft at Dubai Internet City. The licence alone is cheap to read but rarely the whole bill.
  • Zawel is subsidised for the first year only, and an office becomes mandatory on renewal.

If no Dubai price fits your budget, the cheapest free zone in UAE page covers zones in Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah from AED 3,999. All Dubai zones sit in the table above and on the Dubai free zones hub.

Getting a Dubai quote

Fill in the form on this page with your activity, the visas and any office you need. We send it to the Dubai zones that fit, or to a licensed setup partner who will price it as one figure. We do not run any of these zones. UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com is independent, and it is paid by partners for referrals.

Where to get a written quote

Prices on this page are the zones' own or what agencies publish. For a quote that fits your activity and visas, use the directory of Dubai setup consultants, or see the best ranked firms side by side.

Sources

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Good to know

Questions people ask

What is the cheapest free zone license in Dubai for a company?

Meydan Free Zone, Expo City Dubai and the Dubai South Business Hub all list AED 12,500 a year for a company licence with no visa. Meydan's covers up to 3 activity groups. Expo City's Business Hub Package 1 adds a shared desk. Dubai South shows a limited time offer of AED 11,375.

What is the cheapest trade license in Dubai with a visa?

The Dubai South Business Hub Essential tier is AED 16,500 with 1 visa and a flexi desk, with visa processing billed on top. Dubai Healthcare City's limited-time Zawel package costs AED 16,550 with a 2 visa quota, visa fees extra. Expo City's Package 2 is AED 17,550.

Is JAFZA cheap if the licence starts from AED 5,000?

That figure is the licence line only. JAFZA publishes no package price, and a company there also needs registration and an office or warehouse. Agencies publish JAFZA packages at about AED 40,000 to AED 60,000.

Is IFZA cheaper than Meydan?

IFZA does not publish prices and sells through partner agents. Six agencies list its zero-visa licence at AED 12,900, close to Meydan's official AED 12,500. With one visa, agency ranges overlap for both zones.

Can a freelancer get a cheaper licence in Dubai?

Yes. The GoFreelance permit in the TECOM parks costs AED 7,520 a year with a hot desk and no visa. Expo City lists a Freelance package at AED 9,000 a year that includes the permit, a company card and a visa, on a fee list that may be out of date.

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