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The Jafza free zone license cost starts at AED 5,000 a year, according to Jebel Ali Free Zone's licence page. That is the licence line only. Every Jafza company also needs a lease, from a co-working workstation to a warehouse or land plot, and visas are charged on their own. Jafza has no published package price and no published visa quota. It suits trading, logistics and industrial firms that move goods through Jebel Ali.
What Jafza publishes, and what it does not
Most free zones sell packages with a price at the top. Jafza works differently. It publishes a starting licence fee, warehouse rents and its visa permit fees, then sends you to a cost calculator for the rest. So a Jafza quote is built from parts.
| Item | Published figure | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Business licence | from AED 5,000 a year | Licence line only, valid 1 year from issue; full table below |
| Extra activity | AED 500 each | Up to 17 activities on one licence |
| Late renewal fine | AED 1,000 | Charged when you renew after expiry |
| Licence reinstatement | AED 5,000 | Restores a lapsed registration and licence |
| Warehouse rent | from AED 400 per sq m | Warehouse space, as shown on the Jafza home page |
| Employment visa entry permit | AED 2,378 | Normal service, 1 year permit |
| Share capital | No minimum for FZE or FZCO | Must be enough for your activities |
| Package price | Not published | Built in the online cost calculator |
Source: jafza.ae home page, business licence page, company formation page and the Jafza guides on new company formation, renewal, reinstatement and the employment visa, checked .
The visa line needs a warning. The entry permit guide gives AED 2,378 for Normal one-year service, and lists higher figures for two-year, urgent and VIP permits, plus extra fees for people already inside the UAE, transfers and applicants over 60. A second Jafza visa guide shows different, higher package figures. The two Jafza pages do not agree, so get the current fee from Jafza in writing before you budget.
How much does a JAFZA license cost?
Jafza's New Company Formation guide prints the yearly licence fee for each licence type. The fee rises with the number of activity groups you hold.
| Licence type | Yearly fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trading | AED 5,000 or AED 8,500 | 1 activity group with up to 7 activities, or 2 groups with up to 12 |
| Service | AED 5,000 | One fee level listed |
| Industrial | AED 5,000, AED 8,500 or AED 12,000 | Three levels |
| National Industries | AED 5,500, AED 9,000 or AED 12,500 | Three levels |
| General Trading | AED 15,000 | Broad trading across product groups |
| Logistics | AED 15,000 | |
| Holding | AED 30,000 |
Label: official. Source: Jafza guide "New Company Formation", checked . Jafza marks these fees as subject to change.
Each activity beyond those in your tier costs AED 500, up to 17 activities in total. These are licence fees only. Registration, the lease, the establishment card and visas are separate lines, and Jafza does not publish a registration fee.
What a first year in Jafza costs through agents
Because Jafza gives no all-in price, most people end up with an agency estimate. Setup agencies publish Jafza first-year costs of about AED 40,000 to AED 60,000 (published prices of 2 agencies, checked ). The estimates at that level include a flexi desk or workstation and 1 visa. One agency says its figure can go above the top of the range. Neither figure is our price or Jafza's.
The gap between a AED 5,000 licence and those totals is mostly rent, registration and visa costs. Ask any quote to list each of them, and check the licence line against the official table above.
Which licence types and company forms does JAFZA offer?
Jafza issues four licence types: Trading, Service, Industrial and Logistics. The trading and service licences come in tiers that set how many activities you can hold:
- Trading Type 1: up to 7 activities from one group
- Trading Type 2: up to 12 activities from two or more groups
- Trading Type 3: unlimited activities from three or more groups
- Service Type 1: up to 7 activities
- Service Type 2: up to 12 activities
Jafza does not publish its total number of activities on the pages we read. If you plan general trading, compare it with our best free zone for general trading page.
Company forms
- FZE: one shareholder
- FZCO: 2 to 50 shareholders
- Public Listed Company
- Branch of a UAE or foreign company
- Offshore Company
The old minimum capital rules no longer apply. Jafza now says there is no minimum for an FZE or FZCO, as long as the capital fits the licensed activities. For offshore structures across the UAE, see offshore company setup.
Space: from workstation to land plot
This is where Jafza differs most from desk-based zones. Its range covers co-working and workstations, office space, showrooms, retail outlets, warehouses, plots of land, workers' residence and custom-built facilities. Warehouses start from AED 400 per sq m. Your lease is not optional: Jafza needs an active lease to issue and renew the licence. Jafza also calls itself the largest customs bonded zone in the Middle East, which matters if you store goods before re-export.
How do visas work in JAFZA?
Jafza does not publish a visa quota per office on the pages we read. Agents describe a quota tied to the size of the space, but treat that as a guide until Jafza confirms it for your lease. The entry permit is valid for 60 days, and if the employee is not covered by insurance a bank or cash guarantee applies. You also need a company establishment card, whose fee Jafza does not list on the pages read. Our free zone visa cost page covers the government steps after the permit.
What does JAFZA license renewal cost?
The licence is valid for one year from its issue date. You renew every year on the Jafza portal, and the lease must be active at the time. Jafza's Renew License guide says the renewal fee follows the same table as a new licence, so a Trading licence with one activity group renews at AED 5,000.
- Renew within the three months before expiry.
- Renew late and Jafza adds a AED 1,000 fine.
- Holders of a plot or a sublease can renew for 3 years at a time.
- If the registration lapses, reinstatement costs AED 5,000 and takes about 3 working days.
Source: Jafza guides "Renew License" () and "Registration and License Reinstatement", checked .
How do you set up a company in JAFZA?
- Choose your licence type and tier from the activities you need.
- Pick the company form: FZE, FZCO, branch, public listed or offshore.
- Choose your space and sign the lease agreement.
- Submit the documents online. Jafza describes formation as 100% digital.
- Receive the licence, then apply for visa entry permits for your staff.
Jafza says formation takes 3 to 14 business days once all documents are in, depending on the company form and licence.
What documents does JAFZA ask for?
- Memorandum of Association (MOA)
- EHS policy undertaking
- KYC documents for each ultimate beneficial owner (UBO)
- Proof of lease agreement
- Passport copies and photos of shareholders
How do I log in to the JAFZA portal or contact JAFZA?
Existing JAFZA companies sign in through Dubai Trade e-services. It is the zone's own online channel for company requests after setup.
Jafza points its e-services to the Dubai Trade portal, so you sign in there rather than on jafza.ae.
For a question only the zone can answer, such as the status of a file, use the official JAFZA contact page. We are a directory, not the zone, so we cannot see your portal account.
Pros and cons of Jafza
Pros:
- A published licence fee table, from AED 5,000, and no minimum share capital
- Warehouses, land and showrooms, not only desks
- A customs bonded zone at Jebel Ali for goods that move through Dubai
- Digital formation, 3 to 14 business days once documents are complete
Cons:
- No package price published, so every quote is built from parts
- The two Jafza visa guides show different fees
- Visa quota and establishment card fee not published on the pages read
- An active lease is required every year
Jafza sits in the west of Dubai, near Dubai South. To set it against a central zone, read DMCC vs Jafza or the DMCC page. All Dubai zones are listed on our Dubai free zones hub.
Get a priced Jafza quote
Send us your activities, the space you have in mind and how many visas you need, using the form on this page. We are UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com, a directory that works independently of Jafza and DP World. Your details go to Jafza or a licensed setup partner, and they come back to you with the numbers.
Setup consultants that work with JAFZA
If you would rather not handle the application yourself, KGRN Chartered Accountants, PAPERLESS Business Solutions and Creative Zone are the highest ranked consultants that name JAFZA on their own websites. KGRN Chartered Accountants is based in Business Bay. The full directory of Dubai setup consultants lets you filter by area and service.
Sources
- https://www.jafza.ae/: business count, space types, warehouse rent, customs bonded zone
- https://www.jafza.ae/business-setup/business-license/: licence types, activity tiers, starting licence fee, term and renewal
- https://www.jafza.ae/business-setup/company-formation/: company forms, share capital, setup time, documents
- https://www.jafza.ae/resources/guides/apply-for-employment-visa-entry-permit: entry permit fees and conditions
- https://www.jafza.ae/resource-centre/guides/new-company-formation/: licence fee table by type, extra activity fee
- https://www.jafza.ae/resource-centre/guides/renew-license/: renewal fees, late fine, renewal window
- https://www.jafza.ae/resource-centre/guides/registration-and-license-reinstatement/: reinstatement fee
- https://www.jafza.ae/cost-calculator/: Jafza's own cost calculator (no fixed packages)
- https://www.vjmglobal.com/feeds/blog/jafza-business-setup-cost-uae and https://emirabiz.com/jebel-ali-free-zone-company-setup: agency price range
- https://eservices.dubaitrade.ae: portal, activity list or contact page, checked
- https://www.jafza.ae/contact/: portal, activity list or contact page, checked
