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The trade license renewal cost in Dubai and the other emirates' free zones is mostly the yearly licence fee paid again. Registration is not charged a second time. On top come the lease or desk, the establishment card, the e-channel account and any visas that expire in the same year. A few zones publish renewal prices outright: UAQ LYTE renews at AED 5,500, Ajman Media City's Business Club at AED 4,999, and KEZAD at AED 5,000 for 2 years.
How much does trade license renewal cost in UAE free zones?
| Zone | Published renewal | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UAQ Free Trade Zone | AED 5,500 (LYTE) | UAQ START renews at its first year price |
| Ajman Media City | AED 4,999 to AED 14,999 | Business Club AED 4,999, Visionary AED 8,999, Pioneer AED 10,999, Innovator AED 14,999 |
| SPC Free Zone | From AED 5,750 | Publishing or e-commerce; Standard from AED 6,875 |
| Innovation City (RAK) | Same as the original package | Packages from AED 6,600 a year |
| RAKEZ | Same as the package | Guaranteed on the All Inclusive package (AED 14,000) |
| KEZAD | AED 5,000 per 2 years | Industrial, trading or service; general trading AED 15,000 |
| Expo City Dubai | From AED 10,000 a year | Same fee as a new licence of that type |
| Jafza | From AED 5,000 a year | Same table as a new licence; AED 1,000 fine if late; active lease needed |
| TECOM parks (DDA) | Segment fee each year | AED 15,000 for most segments, paid through axs |
| Dubai Healthcare City | AED 15,000 a year | Most activities; hospitals more |
| DIFC | USD 12,000 a year | Non-retail private company |
| ADGM | USD 5,300 a year | Category B non-financial, includes data protection |
Source: each zone's packages page, tariff or fee schedule, checked .
The Ajman Media City visa tiers renew for less than they cost in year one. Visionary is AED 12,999 to start and AED 8,999 to renew, because the visa itself is not issued again each year. The renewal still covers the licence, co-working, utilities, establishment card and e-channel.
Which zones do not publish a renewal fee?
- DMCC says renewal price depends on the package. The Prime Plus package freezes the renewal price, and the Crypto, Gaming and AI Centre packages give 50% off the second year.
- Meydan does not list a separate renewal fee. Licences can run up to 10 years, and the zone says multi-year licences save up to 15%.
- Ajman Free Zone shows the renewal amount only in its customer portal. It depends on licence type, activity and office.
- Shams renews each visa allocation at AED 1,600 with the licence, but does not publish the licence renewal fee.
- IFZA publishes no fees at all. Two setup agencies put a renewal at about AED 11,500 to AED 22,000 a year (checked ), the low end for a plain zero visa licence. That is an agency figure, not IFZA's.
- Fujairah Free Zone bills the licence and rentals on a statement, plus AED 30 per access card and AED 10 a year for the NER fee.
If your zone is in this group, ask for the renewal amount in writing before your first year ends.
What is the fine for late trade license renewal?
| Zone | Late fine |
|---|---|
| TECOM parks (DDA) | AED 2,500 at 31 to 60 days, AED 5,000 at 61 to 90 days, AED 10,000 after 90 days |
| Expo City Dubai | AED 1,500 (day 31 to 59), AED 3,000 (day 60 to 89), AED 6,000 (day 90 on) |
| Dubai Healthcare City | AED 500 a month after a 30 day grace period |
| Creative City Fujairah | AED 50 a month, up to AED 500; establishment card fine up to AED 1,200 after 28 days |
| ICP establishment card | AED 100 a month after 30 days, up to AED 1,000 |
Source: DDA licence categories decision, ECDA fee list, DHCA price list, Creative City rules and the ICP service page, checked .
Ajman Free Zone gives a one month grace period, and Sharjah Healthcare City 30 days without penalty. DMCC asks companies to renew before expiry to avoid sanctions.
Do the establishment card and e-channel renew too?
The establishment card has its own expiry. ICP's renewal charges are AED 100 application, AED 100 per year, AED 1,000 system subscription and AED 100 smart service. Zones that run the card for you add their own price. Expo City renews its company card at AED 2,500 a year, Dubai Healthcare City at AED 1,733 (AED 1,863 express) and ADGM at AED 1,127.27. Ajman Free Zone's e-channel renews at AED 1,100 a year and should be renewed 5 days before expiry. Masdar City's eChannels renews at AED 1,600 a year. See establishment card.
What documents do you need to renew a licence?
- A valid lease or desk agreement (Jafza and most office-based zones).
- Audited financial statements, an FTA tax certificate and UBO details at Fujairah Free Zone.
- Insurance, Civil Defence and EPDA certificates and audited accounts at RAK Maritime City.
- A FOIZ approval letter for Fujairah Free Zone companies inside the oil industry zone.
Qualifying free zone persons must keep audited accounts for corporate tax anyway, so many companies have them ready. See audit for a free zone company.
How does trade license renewal work?
- Check the expiry dates of the licence, the lease, the establishment card and each visa.
- Clear any open fines and update shareholder or activity changes first.
- Upload the documents the zone asks for in its portal, such as axs for the TECOM parks or RAKEZ 360.
- Pay the renewal invoice. The DDA lists online renewal with immediate delivery once fees are paid.
- Renew the establishment card and e-channel if they expire with the licence.
If you hand this to an agent, general PRO pricing for one task such as a renewal is AED 150 to AED 1,500 per task (published prices of 2 agencies, checked ). Government and zone fees are extra.
Can you renew a free zone licence for more than one year?
Paying for several years can lower the yearly cost. Shams gives 2% off for 2 years, rising to 10% for 10 years. SPC gives 10% off for 2 years up to 20% for 10 years. Creative City and Innovation City let you pick 1 to 10 years. Check that the discount covers the lease and card as well as the licence.
Get a renewal quote
Send your zone, licence number and expiry date through the form here. We are an independent directory and not your free zone. We pass the request to the zone or a licensed setup partner, who gives you the renewal total before any work starts.
Where to get a written quote
Once you know which zone you want, you can search the setup consultants we list by area, service or Google score and ask for a written quote to check against the prices here.
Sources
- https://dda.gov.ae/-/media/67662280247F46F2B94A853943F014C4.pdf (DDA licence fees and late renewal fines)
- https://dda.gov.ae/en/registration-licensing/existing-businesses/license-renewal/commercial-license-renewal (DDA renewal service)
- https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details/?serviceid=64afe3c1035448005bd52e6e (establishment card renewal fees)
- https://uaqftz.gov.ae/blogs/uae-business-license-without-visa-who-is-it-best-for (UAQ LYTE renewal)
- https://amc.gov.ae/packages (Ajman Media City renewal tiers)
- https://www.kezadgroup.com/en/business-facilities/tariffs (KEZAD renewal)
- https://innovationcity.com/faq (Innovation City renewal)
- https://assets.ctfassets.net/r2cfrvo3y08m/1bWGzdfXIymtBqyTMW1LW1/b61ed77fa9b3d3210f5842c6462574e6/28042025_ECDA_Services_Catalogue_-_Fees.pdf (Expo City renewal and late fees)
- https://www.dhcc.ae//Documents/AboutDHCR/FeeStructure/DHCA_Service_Price_List.pdf (Dubai Healthcare City late renewal and card)
- Creative City Rules and Regulations (PDF): late renewal and card fines
- https://freezone.fujairah.ae/api/uploads/application/renewal_process-_2025-1759766130284.pdf (Fujairah Free Zone renewal documents)
- https://www.jafza.ae/resource-centre/guides/renew-license/ (Jafza renewal fee table and late fine)
- https://www.businessdubai.ae/blogs/ifza-free-zone-setup and https://osome.com/ae/blog/ifza-company-costs/ (IFZA renewal, agency figures)
