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IFZA vs RAKEZ sets a Dubai licence sold through agents against a Ras Al Khaimah licence sold at printed prices. RAKEZ is the lower and clearer number: AED 6,000 a year with no visa and AED 12,000 with one, on its own promotion pages. IFZA publishes no prices, and six agencies quote its zero-visa licence at AED 12,900 in government fees. RAKEZ suits founders who want a fixed price and do not need Dubai. IFZA suits people who want a Dubai free zone address and a mixed trading and consulting licence.
IFZA and RAKEZ side by side
| IFZA | RAKEZ | |
|---|---|---|
| Emirate | Dubai (Dubai Silicon Oasis) | Ras Al Khaimah |
| No visa start | About AED 12,900, agency figure | AED 6,000, official |
| With 1 visa | AED 14,900 to AED 15,000 slot only, or AED 21,450 to AED 22,200 processed, agency figures | AED 12,000 official; agencies AED 12,010 to AED 17,550 |
| How you buy | Through a Professional Partner only | Direct on Portal 360, or via an agent |
| Visa fees | Not published; agencies quote AED 3,550 to AED 4,800 processing | AED 3,800 employee, AED 4,520 investor |
| Activities | Thousands; commercial and professional on one licence | Over 3,000 across 50+ sectors |
| Company forms | FZCO, FZE, branch | FZ-LLC, branches; also non-free zone LLC |
| Freelancer route | No permit listed | Freelancer permit |
| Setup time | Not published | 1 to 3 business days |
| Space | Flexi desk and offices | Coworking to warehouses and land |
Sources: ifza.com, rakez.com and agency price pages (6 for the IFZA zero visa figure, 2 to 5 for the other IFZA rows, 3 for the RAKEZ agency range), checked .
The price gap in plain numbers
RAKEZ's cheapest packages are Biz Starter and Instant Licence Basic, both AED 6,000. Biz Starter allows up to 10 activities and up to 50 shareholders with coworking membership. Instant Licence Lite at AED 12,000 adds one residence visa. The All Inclusive package at AED 14,000 per year bundles one visa, medical, Emirates ID, the immigration file and a shared workstation, and lets you add three visas at AED 4,000 each.
IFZA has no such list. Its AED 12,900 figure is government fees as reported by agencies, and their fee is added on top. With one visa, agencies split into two camps. Three sell the licence with a visa slot at AED 14,900 to AED 15,000 and bill processing later. Two quote AED 21,450 to AED 22,200 with the visa processed. Those are not our prices.
So a founder with one visa pays less at RAKEZ on every figure we found. The question is whether a Dubai address is worth the difference to you.
One caution on RAKEZ: older RAKEZ pages still show other prices. Ask RAKEZ to confirm the price on the day you apply.
Visas
RAKEZ is the easier zone to budget. Each new employee visa costs AED 3,800, including entry permit, medical, Emirates ID and stamping, and renews at AED 3,500. An investor or partner visa costs AED 4,520. The standard route takes about nine business days by the e-services page, or three with the VIP option.
IFZA lists no visa fee and no quota. Agencies fill part of the gap: five put visa processing at AED 3,550 to AED 4,800 per person, and six quote the establishment card at AED 1,500 to AED 2,200. RAKEZ includes the immigration file and e-channel in All Inclusive but does not price the card on its own.
Neither zone publishes a visa quota per office type. Get it in writing. More on the fees behind a visa on free zone visa cost.
IFZA Dubai or RAKEZ Ras Al Khaimah: where location matters
IFZA is in Dubai Silicon Oasis. Your licence names a Dubai free zone, which matters if your clients expect a Dubai company. RAKEZ is in Ras Al Khaimah, with business zones and industrial zones run by one authority. If you work online and rarely meet clients, the emirate makes less difference than the price.
Activities and licence types
IFZA issues commercial, professional and branch licences, and lets commercial and professional activities share one licence. That is useful for a consultant who also trades.
RAKEZ covers a wider set of licence types: commercial, general trading, e-commerce, educational, industrial, media, professional and service, plus a freelancer permit. It also licenses mainland-style entities, an LLC with 2 to 50 partners or an individual establishment, from the same authority. If you may need industrial land later, RAKEZ has it and IFZA does not list it.
RAKEZ free zone and IFZA setup and renewal
RAKEZ says one to three business days, with Biz Starter ready in 24 hours. IFZA gives no time; the partner sets it. Both let you incorporate from abroad.
RAKEZ licences run one year, and All Inclusive renews at the same price. IFZA does not publish a renewal fee. Two agencies put it at about AED 11,500 to AED 22,000 a year, depending on the package, so ask your partner to quote year two before you sign. See free zone licence renewal for what usually changes.
Banks
RAKEZ Biz Starter includes eligibility for a bank account, and the optional AED 2,500 upgrade on All Inclusive adds banking help and corporate tax registration and filing. IFZA makes no banking claim on its pages. The bank makes the final call in both cases.
Choose IFZA if
- You want a Dubai free zone on your licence
- You need commercial and professional activities together
- You prefer an agent to run the setup for you
- You are ready to compare quotes from two partners
Choose RAKEZ if
- You want the lowest official price on this page
- You want visa fees you can check before you pay
- You may need warehouses, land or a mainland-style entity later
- You work as a freelancer and want a permit, not a company
Read the full pages on IFZA and RAKEZ, or compare RAKEZ with its northern neighbour in RAKEZ vs Ajman Free Zone. The Ras Al Khaimah free zones and Dubai free zones hubs list the other options in each emirate.
Ask through the form
Tell us your activities, visa count and start date using the form on this page. UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com is an independent directory, not an IFZA partner office and not part of RAKEZ. We hand your details to a licensed IFZA partner and to RAKEZ or its partner, and you get two quotes to compare.
Sources
- https://ifza.com/en/about/ : partner sales model, location
- https://ifza.com/en/set-up-your-business/ : licence types, company forms, remote setup
- https://rakez.com/en/promotions/biz-starter-package, https://rakez.com/en/promotions/instant-licence and https://rakez.com/en/promotions/sme-business-setup : RAKEZ packages, extra visas, renewal, upgrade
- https://eservices.rakez.com/apex/RAK_Employment_Visa : RAKEZ visa fees and timing
- https://rakez.com/en/start-a-business/legal-entities and https://rakez.com/en/join-us/getting-started : RAKEZ entities and licence types
- https://avyanco.com/ifza-free-zone-cost/, https://safeledger.ae/blog/ifza-license-cost, https://www.rizmona.com/ifza-free-zone/, https://www.businessdubai.ae/blogs/ifza-free-zone-setup, https://emirabiz.com/ifza-license-cost/ and https://binderr.com/marketplace/ae/ifza-company-formation : IFZA agency prices, visa processing, card and renewal (with https://osome.com/ae/blog/ifza-company-costs/)
