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Fujairah has two free zones on the u.ae list: the Fujairah Free Zone, run by FFZA next to Fujairah Port, and Creative City, a media free zone. Creative City is the one with prices on its own site: an offer page lists a no visa Media Package at AED 3,999 a year and a one visa Elite Package at AED 9,999. FFZA's current site shows no prices. Its former site listed a flexi desk from AED 18,000 a year, and setup agencies publish a first year with one visa at about AED 18,500 to AED 30,000 (published prices of 3 agencies, checked ).
Port zone or media zone
The two Fujairah free zones serve different people, so most founders can rule one out in a minute.
Fujairah Free Zone (FFZA). Set up in 1987 on the east coast beside Fujairah Port and the airport. FFZA licenses services, trading, distribution, assembly, manufacturing and consulting projects. Its application form lists a flexi desk, a virtual office, a trading office, a warehouse, a pre-built factory and land, so it can house anything from a one person trader to a plant. FFZA says a licence is issued within 1 hour once the terms are agreed and the first year is paid. It fits oil and marine service firms, traders that ship by sea and light industry.
Creative City Fujairah. The Fujairah Creative City Media Free Zone, founded by Emiri Decree in . It sells six tiers, every one with a flexi desk, and setup can be done remotely. The tiers run from Community Support, for a sole owner with one activity, to Business Multi Visa, with a quota of 15 visas. It fits freelancers, content creators, small agencies and consultants.
| Question | FFZA | Creative City |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Trade, logistics, marine, industry | Media, creative, freelance |
| Space | Desk to land and factories | Flexi desk, coworking, offices |
| Prices online | None on the new site; old price list archived | Offer page with three priced packages; setup page tiers have no amounts |
| Visa rule | No published quota per facility | Set by tier: 0, 1, or quotas of 5 or 15 |
| Renewal | Yearly, paid on your FFZA statement | Term of 1 to 10 years, your choice |
Source: FFZA start-your-business page and application form, archived copies of FFZA's former site, Creative City company set-up, packages and FAQ pages, checked .
What a free zone in Fujairah costs
Both zones have official figures somewhere, but each comes with a catch.
Creative City. The packages page at creativecity.gov.ae lists three offers: Media at AED 3,999 (flexi desk, up to 10 activities, no visa), Elite at AED 9,999 (adds 1 visa, the establishment card and e-channel) and Elite+ at AED 18,500 (2 visas). The page address ends in "packages_old", the names differ from the six tiers on the setup page, and the setup page does not link to it. So ask Creative City whether these prices still apply before you count on them. Three setup agencies price the current entry tiers at AED 4,900 to AED 5,599 a year.
FFZA. The new site, freezone.fujairah.ae, prints no fees. The old site, fujairahfreezone.com, had a price list that survives on the Wayback Machine (copies from and ): a flexi desk from AED 18,000 a year, a virtual office from AED 15,000, offices from AED 20,000, and AED 5,300 to incorporate an FZE or FZC. Those are official but old. Two agencies publish a licence with no visa at AED 9,000 to AED 14,500 a year.
Your final quote still turns on a few choices. Decide these before you ask.
- Facility. At FFZA a desk costs far less than a warehouse or plot. At Creative City the tier fixes your desk, owners and visa count.
- Visas. Each residence visa adds a medical test, an Emirates ID and visa fees. Creative City visas run for two years.
- Term. Creative City lets you pay for up to ten years at once. Late renewal there costs AED 50 a month, capped at AED 500.
- Renewal extras at FFZA. The FFZA renewal guide lists an access card at AED 30 and an NER fee at AED 10, and asks for audited accounts.
Creative City also announced a new fee schedule approved by the Ruler's Decision No. (4) of , without printing the amounts. We cannot tell whether the offer page follows it, which is one more reason to get the price in writing.
Areas that are not separate Fujairah free zones
- Fujairah Oil Industry Zone (FOIZ). It sits on the FTA list of VAT designated zones, so older lists call it a free zone. The FFZA renewal guide shows that companies located in the FOIZ area are registered with FFZA and need a NOC from FOIZ management at each renewal. We found no separate FOIZ licensing body.
- The VAT question. Fujairah Free Zone and FOIZ are designated zones for VAT on goods. Creative City is not on that list.
Free zone or mainland in Fujairah
A Creative City company can apply for a dual licence with Fujairah Municipality to work in the free zone and on the mainland. FFZA does not describe a similar route on the pages we read. Without one, a free zone company sells goods to UAE buyers through a licensed distributor or a mainland entity. Compare Fujairah's port with Ras Al Khaimah's free zones if you want a northern alternative with published prices, or read our guides to the best free zone for trading and the best free zone for media.
Ask Fujairah through us
The form on this page sends your details to UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com. We are a directory, not FFZA or Creative City, and not an agent appointed by either. Tell us the activity, the space and the visas, and we pass it to the right zone or to a licensed setup partner who sends a written price. Partners may pay us a fee for the referral.
Sources
- u.ae, starting a business in a free zone: the two Fujairah zones
- FFZA renewal process guide: renewal fees and the FOIZ approval letter
- FFZA company application form: project types and facilities
- Creative City office solutions: dual licence and the NOC rule
- Creative City packages page: Media, Elite and Elite+ offer prices
- FFZA former site, archived start-your-business page: old official desk, office and incorporation prices
- BusinessDubai Fujairah guide, Stratrich and BCL: FFZA agency prices
- FTA list of designated zones: FOIZ and FFZA VAT status
