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Meydan vs DMCC is a rare comparison where both zones print their prices, so the gap is easy to see. Meydan Free Zone sells its starter licence at AED 12,500 a year, with 3 activity groups and no visa. DMCC's Basic Biz Package is AED 35,484 a year, with flexi desk options and eligibility for 1 visa. Meydan suits solo founders and small online firms who want a fast, low start. DMCC suits commodity traders and crypto, gaming or AI companies that want DMCC's sector centres and a published visa rule.
Meydan and DMCC side by side
| Meydan Free Zone | DMCC | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | AED 12,500 a year, no visa | AED 35,484 a year, 1 visa eligibility |
| Package with a visa included | None published | Jump Start AED 43,780, 1 residency visa |
| Visa fees | Investor AED 4,000, employee AED 3,500 | New 2 year employment visa AED 2,972.50 from outside the UAE |
| Visa quota | Not published | Up to 3 on a flexi desk |
| Establishment card | AED 2,000, one time | AED 1,825 a year |
| Activities | 2,500+; 3 groups in the base licence | 1,000+ across 20 sectors; 3 from one group on Basic Biz |
| Share capital | No paid-up capital for the licence | AED 50,000 in DMCC's cost guide |
| Setup time | Within 24 hours | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Licence term | Up to 10 years | 2, 3 or 5 years if eligible |
| Base | Meydan City | JLT |
Both columns come from the zones' own websites, meydanfz.ae and dmcc.ae, as read in .
Entry price and what sits inside it
Meydan's AED 12,500 buys registration, a trade licence with up to 3 activity groups, the online application and flexi desk eligibility. A faster route, Fawri, costs AED 15,000 and issues the licence online in under 60 minutes.
DMCC's AED 35,484 Basic Biz buys the licence, flexi desk options, a true copy of resolution and Sustainability Hub access, with room for 1 visa. It is open to individual shareholders, not branches. DMCC shows it as a discount on a higher original price, so treat it as an offer that can change.
The two are not the same product. Basic Biz has a desk and a visa slot. Meydan's starter has desk eligibility and no visa. Even so, adding a full visa at Meydan from its own fee list keeps you well under DMCC's entry price.
Agency figures tell the same story. Agencies quote Meydan with one residence visa at AED 16,350 to AED 20,670, and DMCC first-year setups at AED 35,000 to AED 46,780 (2 agencies each, checked ). Those are not prices we set.
Visas: fees at both, rules at DMCC
Meydan publishes half the picture and DMCC nearly all of it. Meydan gives the fees: AED 4,000 for an investor visa, AED 3,500 for an employee visa, AED 2,250 per person for the medical and Emirates ID, and AED 2,000 once for the establishment card. It does not say how many visas a desk allows.
DMCC gives the rule: up to 3 visas on a flexi desk, 4 or 5 on a serviced office, 1 per 9 sq m in a physical office. The visa fee is in its schedule of charges: AED 2,972.50 for a new 2 year employment visa from outside the UAE, or AED 3,407.50 from inside without a status amendment, with medical and Emirates ID on top. Its card costs AED 1,825 a year, and an investor or partner visa needs at least 50 shares worth AED 50,000.
So at Meydan, ask for the quota in writing. At DMCC, check the visa fee against the current schedule before you budget. The free zone visa cost guide covers the government parts that apply everywhere.
Activities and sectors
Meydan lists more than 2,500 activities and charges AED 1,000 for each one beyond the 3 groups in its base licence. Its groups span trading, services, professional and e-commerce work.
DMCC lists more than 1,000 activities across 20 sectors under four licence types: Service, Trading, Commercial and Industrial. Its edge is sector focus. The Crypto, Gaming and AI Centre packages cost AED 31,000 with co-working access, KDID and VAT included. DMCC also has a JLT Resident Package at AED 29,205 for people who live in or own property in JLT.
Meydan and DMCC offices
Meydan's starter licence makes you eligible for a flexi desk, and Fawri needs no office. Larger teams can lease office space, but Meydan prints no rents on the pages we read.
DMCC offers flexi desks, co-working, serviced offices and physical offices, and its cost guide puts a flexi desk at AED 15,000 to AED 20,000 a year. Because the visa quota follows the space, the office choice at DMCC is also a visa choice. See flexi desk in Dubai for how desks compare.
Setup, terms and banks
Meydan says its licence is issued within 24 hours, and its setup runs fully online. DMCC gives 2 to 3 weeks and also describes a digital process. Both need you in the UAE for visa biometrics.
Meydan licences can run for up to 10 years, and it says multi-year terms save up to 15%. DMCC offers 2, 3 or 5 year terms to eligible firms, and Prime Plus at AED 40,145 freezes the renewal price.
On banks, Meydan claims a guaranteed IBAN and more than 26 banking partners. DMCC offers 0% instalments through Wio Bank and free account opening on Prime Plus. Both are the zones' own offers, and banks still decide. Our corporate bank account page explains the checks.
Choose Meydan if
- You want the lowest published entry price of the two
- You want the licence within a day
- You will start with one or two visas
- You want no paid-up capital for the licence
Choose DMCC if
- You trade commodities or work in crypto, gaming or AI
- You want a published visa quota tied to your office
- You want a package with a residency visa already inside
- You live or own property in JLT and qualify for the resident price
Full details are on the Meydan Free Zone and DMCC pages. For the cheapest Dubai entries, see cheapest free zone in Dubai. For DMCC against the port zone, read DMCC vs Jafza.
Get both figures
The form on this page reaches us, not the zones directly. UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com is an independent directory with no link to Meydan or DMCC. We forward your activity and visa count to each zone or to a licensed setup partner, and you receive their quotes.
Sources
- https://www.meydanfz.ae/dubai-trade-license-aed-12500 : starter licence, activity groups, capital, issue time
- https://www.meydanfz.ae/ : visa, medical and card fees, banking claim
- https://www.meydanfz.ae/fawri : Fawri price and timing
- https://www.meydanfz.ae/faqs : licence term and multi-year saving
- https://dmcc.ae/business/business-setup-packages : package prices, inclusions, Wio instalments
- https://dmcc.ae/blog/dubai-freezone-company-setup-cost : flexi desk, card, share capital, setup time
- https://dmcc.ae/blog/the-4-types-of-dubai-free-zone-visas-at-dmcc?hsLang=en : visa quota and partner visa rule
- https://dmcc.ae/members/support/schedule-charges : visa fees
- https://avyanco.com/meydan-free-zone-cost/, https://www.rizmona.com/meydan-free-zone/, https://www.vjmglobal.com/feeds/blog/dmcc-company-formation-cost-uae and https://avyanco.com/dmcc-free-zone-cost/ : agency ranges
