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Masdar City Free Zone sells a Startup package for AED 7,000 a year plus VAT. It covers the licence and registration with up to 2 activities, but no office, and the zone's own pages disagree on whether it carries a visa. The first package with a clear visa quota is Innovation, AED 12,000 with 2 visas and a flexi desk. The zone suits clean tech, AI and start-up founders who want a fully online setup in Abu Dhabi.
How much does a Masdar City license cost?
These four packages appear on the zone's licence and registration page.
| Package | Price a year | Activities | Visas | Desk and extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Startup | AED 7,000 | Up to 2 | No visa quota | No office, licence and registration only |
| Innovation | AED 12,000 | Up to 3 | 2 | Flexi desk lease |
| Business One | AED 17,500 | Up to 3 | 1 free visa | Flexi desk lite, establishment card, e-channel fees |
| Enterprise | AED 27,000 | Up to 6 | 3 | Flexi desk plus |
Source: Masdar City Free Zone licence and registration page, checked . The zone's ads page says prices exclude VAT.
Business One looks dearer than Innovation, but it bundles costs you would otherwise pay separately. On Innovation you pay for the establishment card and eChannels yourself, AED 1,600 and AED 2,600 as one time fees, before the first visa.
Masdar describes its entry package three ways
We found three official Masdar pages, and each one describes the cheapest option differently. All three use the AED 7,000 price.
- The free zone licence page calls it Startup: up to 2 activities, licence and registration, no visa quota, no office.
- The Start-Lite page on masdarcity.ae gives 2 activities, eligibility for 1 visa, no registration fee, no lease needed and a single shareholder.
- The ads landing page calls it Starter, "from" AED 7,000: 1 activity, a digital licence in 1 day, shared workspace and 1 visa eligibility. It also shows a Growth tier with a dedicated smart desk and up to 4 visas, and a custom Enterprise tier.
News reports also mention a cheaper Start Lite offer, but we could not open the article to check it. If the visa matters to you, get the package name and visa terms written into your quote.
What agencies quote for Masdar City
Setup agencies publish the no-visa entry package at about AED 3,500 to AED 7,000 a year (published prices of 3 agencies, checked ). The lower figure is the Start Lite offer the zone has not confirmed on a page we could load. Packages with a visa run from about AED 12,000 to AED 17,500 (same 3 agencies), which matches Innovation and Business One. One agency adds 5% VAT to each price. Treat these as published ranges, not our price.
What does a Masdar City visa cost?
Your package sets the visa quota. The fees around each visa are listed separately:
- employment visa package, 2 year visa: AED 3,050
- establishment card: AED 1,600, one time
- eChannels registration: AED 2,600 one time, then AED 1,600 a year
- visa deposit: AED 2,500 per employee, refundable
- medical test: AED 350
The AED 3,050 visa package leaves out the medical fitness test and Emirates ID. If the person is already in the UAE, an in-country entry permit adds AED 800. These lines are from the zone's licence and registration page, checked . For a wider view, see our free zone visa cost guide.
Desk options
Masdar's packages use desk tiers rather than a menu of office sizes. Flexi desk lite comes with Business One, flexi desk with Innovation and flexi desk plus with Enterprise. The ads page also mentions a dedicated smart desk on its Growth tier. Private offices exist in Masdar City, but their rents are quoted on request. If you need a warehouse or factory space, KEZAD is the Abu Dhabi zone built for that.
What does Masdar City license renewal cost?
Masdar does not publish a separate renewal fee. The packages are priced per year, and the Start-Lite page calls its AED 7,000 an annual licensing fee, so plan on the package price each year. eChannels renews at AED 1,600 a year. Visa renewals are charged per person.
Which licence types and company forms does Masdar City offer?
You can register one of three forms:
- Free Zone Limited Liability Company (FZ-LLC)
- branch of a foreign company
- branch of a UAE company
The zone says it licenses 600+ activities across 20 industries. Its focus sectors are clean tech, sustainability, AI, life sciences and space tech. A Masdar factsheet also says companies can choose to be governed by ADGM common law rules, through a partnership between the two. If common law is the main reason you are looking, compare our ADGM company set up page.
How do you set up a company in Masdar City?
- Pick your activities and count them against the package caps.
- Choose a package based on visas and desk type.
- Apply online on the zone's start-up platform. The process is paperless.
- Pay the package fee plus VAT and receive the licence. The zone says registration takes a few working days, and its ads page offers a digital licence in 1 day.
- Register the establishment card and eChannels, unless you bought Business One.
- Apply for visas, pay the refundable deposit and book medicals.
Documents are not listed on the pages we checked. Have passport copies and photos for each shareholder and manager ready, and parent company papers for a branch.
How do Masdar City companies open a bank account?
The factsheet says the free zone has partnered with leading banks to help companies open business accounts. It names no banks, and approval stays with the bank.
Pros and cons of Masdar City Free Zone
Pros:
- a low AED 7,000 entry price for a licence without office
- four clear packages with activity caps and visa quotas
- fully online, paperless setup
- an option to use ADGM common law rules
Cons:
- official pages disagree on the entry package's visa
- prices exclude VAT, unlike some Abu Dhabi packages
- the AED 3,050 visa package excludes medical and Emirates ID
- no published renewal schedule
For other low entry prices in the emirate, see cheapest free zone in Abu Dhabi. Founders building software products should also read our free zone for IT companies guide.
Contact Masdar City through us
The form on this page reaches us. UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com is not Masdar and does not act for it; we are an independent directory. We forward your details to the Masdar City Free Zone team or a licensed setup partner, who confirm the package and send a priced offer.
Setup consultants that work with Masdar City
Several setup consultants name Masdar City on their own websites. The highest ranked of them by weighted Google score are Creative Zone, InZone - Business Setup in Dubai, UAE and Excellence Auditing, Accounting & Tax Consultants. Creative Zone is based in Downtown Dubai. Check any quote against Masdar City's own price on this page, and browse every firm in the directory of Dubai setup consultants.
Sources
- Masdar City Free Zone licence and registration: packages, entity types, establishment card, eChannels, employment visa package, visa deposit, medical, setup time
- Masdar City Start-Lite package: the conflicting entry package terms
- Masdar City Free Zone ads page: Starter and Growth tiers, VAT note, activity count
- Masdar start-up platform: online, paperless process
- Masdar City factsheet: banking support and ADGM common law option
- Masdar City Free Zone home: company count and focus sectors
