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The IFZA license cost is never published by IFZA itself. The International Free Zone Authority sells only through partner agents, which it calls Professional Partners, so every price below is an agency figure. Six setup agencies publish the zero visa IFZA free zone licence at AED 12,900 a year, with no visa and usually with their own fee on top. IFZA suits consultants and traders who want commercial and professional activities on one licence.
Why IFZA has no price list
IFZA works business to business. On its own site you will find activities, company forms and the documents it wants, but no fee schedule. We also checked archived copies of its promotion pages: they list perks such as a free flexi desk or multi-year discounts, never an amount. One agency says it works from an IFZA price list and schedule of fees, but neither document is public, so we could not read it.
Partners buy at IFZA's rates and sell to you with their service charge added. That is why two quotes for the same licence can differ. What moves an IFZA price:
- The number of visa slots in the package
- Whether the quote covers only government fees or includes the agent's fee
- Whether visa processing, the establishment card and the medical are inside the price
- Office type: a flexi desk or a leased office
- Promotions the partner is running that month
IFZA packages: what setup agencies publish
| Item | Published range | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Licence with 0 visas | AED 12,900 a year | Licence and registration for 1 year, no visa (6 agencies) |
| Licence with 1 visa slot | AED 14,900 to AED 15,000 | The slot only; processing, medical and Emirates ID extra (3 agencies) |
| Licence with 1 visa, all in | AED 21,450 to AED 22,200 | Licence, card and one visa processed (2 agencies) |
| Visa processing, per person | AED 3,550 to AED 4,800 | Residence visa processing; medical and Emirates ID often extra (5 agencies) |
| Establishment card | AED 1,500 to AED 2,200 | The immigration card a company needs before any visa (6 agencies) |
Source: published prices of setup agencies (count per row), checked . These are agency prices, not ours and not IFZA's. Two of the agencies show the same visa ladder, so we count them as one.
The zero visa figure is the one thing the market agrees on. Avyanco, BusinessDubai, Emirabiz, Binderr, Safeledger and Rizmona all print AED 12,900. One more agency rounds it to about AED 12,500. Some say the price includes a flexi desk and the card; others say the card is extra. Ask yours.
The one visa price splits in two because agents sell it two ways. Some price the visa slot alone, so AED 14,900 to AED 15,000 still needs processing on top. Others quote AED 21,450 to AED 22,200 with the visa processed, the medical and the Emirates ID inside. Compare quotes of the same kind only.
What does an IFZA visa cost?
IFZA does not publish visa fees or a visa quota per office type. Agencies put visa processing at AED 3,550 to AED 4,800 per person (published prices of 5 setup agencies, checked ). AED 3,750 is the figure three of them give as the basic fee. Before you pay, get three things in writing:
- How many visa slots the licence carries.
- Whether each visa price includes the medical test and Emirates ID.
- What the establishment card costs in year one and at renewal.
The card range of AED 1,500 to AED 2,200 comes from six agencies; about AED 2,000 is the most common figure. Our establishment card guide explains what the card does.
What office options does IFZA offer?
IFZA's base is in Dubai Silicon Oasis, which is why you will see it called IFZA DSO. Its reception is at IFZA Business Park, Building A2. Agency pages describe flexi desk packages for small companies and leased offices for larger teams. IFZA does not publish rents or the link between office size and visas, so ask the partner to quote the office and the visa slots together.
What does IFZA license renewal cost?
IFZA publishes no renewal fee. Setup agencies put a yearly renewal at about AED 11,500 to AED 22,000 (published prices of 2 setup agencies, checked ). The low end is a plain zero visa licence; the high end matches a larger first year package. A third agency simply says renewal costs about the same as year one. Card and office renew on top, so ask for year two pricing in your first quote. Our free zone licence renewal page explains the usual steps.
Which licence types and company forms does IFZA offer?
IFZA issues three licence types:
- Commercial: trading activities
- Professional: service and consultancy activities
- Branch: a branch of an existing company
Commercial and professional activities can sit on the same licence, which is the main reason consultants who also sell goods look at IFZA. IFZA says it offers thousands of activities but gives no exact count.
Company forms are the FZCO, the FZE and the branch. IFZA's about page says licences come through incorporating an FZCO. Agencies also say IFZA licences are issued within Dubai Silicon Oasis and that IFZA started in another emirate before moving to Dubai. IFZA's own pages we read do not confirm either point, so we leave the dates out.
How do you set up a company in IFZA?
IFZA company formation always runs through a partner agent, in this order:
- Choose a Professional Partner. IFZA does not take applications from the public directly.
- Pick your activities and decide between commercial, professional or both.
- Choose FZCO, FZE or branch, and the number of visa slots.
- Send the application form with the UBO details and the documents below.
- Pay the partner's quote and receive the licence.
- Apply for the establishment card, then visas, medical and Emirates ID.
IFZA does not publish a setup time. Ask the partner for one in writing.
What documents does IFZA ask for?
- Application form, including ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) details
- Passport copy of each shareholder and director
- Digital photo
- Emirates ID and visa copy, if you already live in the UAE
- Extra company papers for a corporate shareholder
How do I log in to the IFZA portal?
Existing IFZA companies sign in through the IFZA portal. It is the zone's own online channel for company requests after setup.
Where is the IFZA activity list?
IFZA says it offers thousands of activities but gives no exact count, and the list sits on IFZA's own site rather than in a public download we could open. Every IFZA licence goes through a Professional Partner, so ask the partner to check your exact activity against the current IFZA list before you pay. The activity decides whether the licence is commercial, professional or both. Your partner can tell you if it needs an extra approval.
Pros and cons of IFZA
Pros:
- Commercial and professional activities on one licence.
- No physical presence needed during incorporation.
- Three company forms: FZCO, FZE and branch.
- Six agencies publish the same zero visa price, AED 12,900, so quotes are easy to compare.
Cons:
- No published prices, visa quotas or renewal fees from IFZA itself.
- One visa prices differ by thousands of dirhams depending on what the agent includes.
- You must buy through a partner, so quotes vary.
- The founding date and licensing link to Dubai Silicon Oasis are unconfirmed on IFZA's site.
- Visa medicals still need a trip to the UAE.
IFZA is most often compared with Meydan Free Zone, which does publish its prices. See Meydan vs IFZA, DMCC vs IFZA and IFZA vs RAKEZ for side-by-side views, or the Dubai free zones hub for every option.
Get an IFZA quote
Because IFZA prices only exist as partner quotes, the most useful thing you can do is compare two of them. Fill in the form on this page with your activities and visa needs. We run UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com on our own, with no tie to IFZA, and we hand your request to a licensed IFZA partner who sends you an itemised price.
Setup consultants that work with IFZA
Several setup consultants name IFZA on their own websites. The highest ranked of them by weighted Google score are ADS Management Tax Consultancy LLC, PAPERLESS Business Solutions and Zenesis Corporation. ADS Management Tax Consultancy LLC is based in Downtown Dubai. Check any quote against IFZA's own price on this page, and browse every firm in the directory of Dubai setup consultants.
Sources
- https://ifza.com/en/about/ : location, Professional Partner model, no published prices
- https://ifza.com/en/set-up-your-business/ : licence types, company forms, remote setup, documents
- https://ifza.com/en/industry-analysis/low-cost-business-setup-dubai/ : company forms and activity range
- https://avyanco.com/ifza-free-zone-cost/ : agency prices, zero and one visa
- https://safeledger.ae/blog/ifza-license-cost : agency prices and card range
- https://www.rizmona.com/ifza-free-zone/ : agency prices and card range
- https://www.businessdubai.ae/blogs/ifza-free-zone-setup : agency prices, visa processing, card and renewal
- https://emirabiz.com/ifza-license-cost/ : agency visa ladder, visa processing and card
- https://binderr.com/marketplace/ae/ifza-company-formation : agency visa ladder, visa processing and card
- https://osome.com/ae/blog/ifza-company-costs/ : agency card and renewal range
- https://portal.ifza.com/login: portal, activity list or contact page, checked
