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Expo City Dubai Free Zone's lowest package is Business Hub Package 1 at AED 12,500 a year. It covers company registration, the licence and a shared desk. It includes no company card and no visas. Business Hub Package 2 at AED 17,550 adds the company card and an allocation of 1 to 4 visas, with visa fees on top. The zone suits start-ups, freelancers and firms that need a short-term permit for an event or project.
One warning first. The fee list behind these numbers is the ECDA Fees and Service Charges List dated , and it says prices are subject to change. It is still the list Expo City links to, but confirm each figure before you commit.
Who runs Expo City Free Zone
The free zone is run by the Expo City Dubai Authority (ECDA), created under Law No. 14 of . ECDA was set up in and its regulations were endorsed in . It is a separate free zone from Dubai South. Compare it with the Dubai South free zone if you are deciding between them.
How much does an Expo City license cost?
| Package | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Business Hub Package 1 | AED 12,500 a year | Registration, licence, shared desk; no company card, no visas |
| Business Hub Package 2 | AED 17,550 a year | Registration, licence, company card with 1 to 4 visa allocation, shared desk; visa fees extra |
| Expo Multi | AED 38,000 for 3 years | Initial approval, registration, licence and company card |
| Expo Freelance | AED 9,000 a year | Freelance permit, company card and visa |
| Expo Fellow | AED 5,000 a year | Licence without a shared desk; eligibility not stated |
Source: ECDA Fees and Service Charges List dated , linked from the Expo City free zone services page, checked .
Building your own licence instead of a package
If you lease your own space, you pay the fees one by one:
- Initial approval: AED 500
- Company registration: AED 5,000
- Service or commercial licence, one activity group: AED 10,000 a year
- Two activity groups: a higher fee, set on the ECDA list
- Industrial or logistics licence: AED 15,000 a year
- General trading licence: AED 25,000 a year
- Holding or e-commerce licence: AED 30,000 a year
- Company card: AED 2,100
Every licence or permit needs a lease, except the freelance permit. Share capital depends on the licence type, and ECDA publishes no figure for it. Ask for the capital rule for your activity before you sign a lease.
What do setup agencies charge for Expo City?
Only one setup agency publishes Expo City prices, so there is no market range we can show. Use the ECDA list above and get a written quote.
What does an Expo City visa cost?
Your visa allocation is tied to the space you lease. ECDA looks at the area, your activity, the layout and safety rules. Visas and every ECD ID count towards the total.
Visa costs on the fee list, standard service, include the visa and the ECD ID:
| Employee | 1 year | 2 years |
|---|---|---|
| Outside the UAE | AED 2,700 | AED 3,200 |
| Inside the UAE | AED 3,800 | AED 4,500 |
Medical tests and Emirates ID are not itemised on the list. An additional employee allocation costs AED 2,500 each. Urgent visa service costs more.
What office options does Expo City offer?
Packages 1 and 2 come with a shared desk. ECDA also leases coworking space, private offices and retail units inside Expo City. A bigger lease means a bigger visa allocation, so size the space to the team you plan to hire.
Short-term business permits
Expo City sells a Business Operation Permit for temporary work. It runs from AED 700 for 1 to 3 days up to AED 10,000 for 10 to 12 months. This suits an event operator, a pop-up or a contractor working on site for a few months.
Renewal and late fees
A licence renews at the same fee as a new licence of that type, so a single-group service licence renews at AED 10,000 a year. Pay on time: ECDA adds AED 1,500 if you are 31 to 59 days late, AED 3,000 from day 60 to 89, and AED 6,000 from day 90.
How do you set up a company in Expo City?
- Pick your activity and licence type from the ECDA list.
- Choose a package or a lease.
- Apply for initial approval (AED 500 if you build your own licence).
- Submit shareholder documents and pay registration.
- Sign the lease or package agreement.
- Receive the licence, then the company card.
- Apply for visas within your allocation.
ECDA does not publish a setup time. It does sell fast-track setup for AED 3,000 if speed matters.
What documents does Expo City ask for?
- Passport copies of shareholders and managers
- Passport photos
- Corporate documents for a company shareholder or a branch
- Lease or package agreement
How do Expo City companies open a bank account?
ECDA offers bank account setup assistance for AED 2,000. That is help with the application, not an approval, since the bank makes its own decision. Read our corporate bank account in the UAE notes before you apply.
Pros and cons of Expo City Dubai Free Zone
Pros:
- A published, itemised fee list with package and a la carte prices.
- A freelance permit with a visa, and no lease needed for it.
- Short-term permits from a few days to a year.
- A 3-year option at AED 38,000.
Cons:
- The fee list is dated and may have changed.
- Trading, holding and e-commerce licences cost far more than service licences.
- Every licence except freelance needs a lease.
- No published setup time or share capital figures.
The AED 12,500 entry price is the same as the starter licence at Meydan Free Zone, and neither includes a visa, so compare what else each one covers. Freelancers should also read our freelance licence in the UAE guide. See every option on the Dubai free zones hub and the free zone licence cost comparison.
Ask Expo City through us
Since the fee list may be out of date, the quickest fix is a current quote. Put your activity, team size and start date in the form on this page. We are an independent listing site and do not work for ECDA. We send your request to ECDA or a licensed setup partner, who replies with current prices.
Setup consultants that work with Expo City
Several setup consultants name Expo City on their own websites. The highest ranked of them by weighted Google score are Elevate Business Solutions DMCC, Emirabiz - Business Setup & Company Formation Dubai and Consult Kumar®. Elevate Business Solutions DMCC is based in JLT. Check any quote against Expo City's own price on this page, and browse every firm in the directory of Dubai setup consultants.
Sources
- https://www.expocitydubai.com/en/business-in-expo-city-dubai/free-zone-services/ : authority, founding law, lease rule, visa allocation, share capital
- https://assets.ctfassets.net/r2cfrvo3y08m/1bWGzdfXIymtBqyTMW1LW1/b61ed77fa9b3d3210f5842c6462574e6/28042025_ECDA_Services_Catalogue_-_Fees.pdf : all packages, licence, visa, card, permit, bank help and late fees
- https://www.expocitydubai.com/en/business-at-expo-city-dubai/expo-packages/ : package overview
