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The RAKEZ free zone license cost starts at AED 6,000 a year. That buys the Biz Starter or Instant Licence Basic package: a trade licence with coworking access and no residence visa. If you need a visa, Instant Licence Lite costs AED 12,000 with one visa, and the All Inclusive package costs AED 14,000 per year. RAKEZ (Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone) suits small trading, service and e-commerce companies that want a low entry price.
How much does a RAKEZ license cost?
These are the packages on the RAKEZ promotion pages. Each one is a one-year licence.
| Package | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Biz Starter | AED 6,000 | Up to 10 activities, up to 50 shareholders, coworking centre membership, eligibility to open a bank account, no visa |
| Instant Licence Basic | AED 6,000 | One shareholder, one activity, coworking facility, no visa |
| Instant Licence Lite | AED 12,000 | Up to 5 shareholders, up to 5 activities, coworking space, one residence visa |
| All Inclusive | AED 14,000 per year | Licence, one residence visa with Emirates ID and medical, immigration file and e-channel, shared workstation at Compass Coworking Centre, 10 activities, up to 50 shareholders |
Source: RAKEZ promotion pages for Biz Starter, Instant Licence and SME business setup, checked .
The All Inclusive package also offers up to three extra visas at AED 4,000 each, 20% off dependent visas, multi-year options and payment in instalments. An optional AED 2,500 upgrade adds VIP visa support, banking assistance and corporate tax registration and filing.
Two RAKEZ pages show different prices
RAKEZ's own site is not consistent. The Getting Started page still lists a higher all-inclusive price, and a RAKEZ blog post updated in December shows a lower Biz Starter price and an older "Visa for Life" package. We use the promotion pages because they are the newest. Ask RAKEZ which price applies before you pay.
RAK free zone license cost through setup agencies
Agency prices sit close to the official ones because RAKEZ prices are low to begin with. For a licence with no visa, setup agencies publish RAKEZ packages at about AED 6,000 to AED 7,050 (published prices of 3 agencies, checked ). The top of that range adds a security deposit to the licence. With one visa, the published range is AED 12,010 to AED 17,550 from the same 3 agencies. The cheapest of those quotes is the government cost only, with the agency's own fee billed separately. Read what each quote covers before you compare totals.
What does a RAKEZ visa cost?
RAKEZ prices each visa on its own service card:
- New employee visa: AED 3,800, covering the entry permit, medical test, Emirates ID and residence stamping. Renewal is AED 3,500.
- New investor or partner visa: AED 4,520.
- Applying from inside the UAE adds a status change fee.
Processing a RAKEZ visa application takes about nine business days on the standard route by the e-services page, or three working days with the VIP option on the service card. The two official pages give different day counts, so plan for the longer one.
RAKEZ does not publish a visa quota per office type. The packages tell you the starting point: none on Biz Starter and Instant Licence Basic, one on Instant Licence Lite, one plus up to three extra on All Inclusive. For a bigger team, ask about a serviced or standard office.
The establishment card (immigration file and e-channel) is included in the All Inclusive package. RAKEZ does not publish a separate fee for it. Read more on the establishment card page.
What office options does RAKEZ offer?
RAKEZ lists these facilities: coworking space, serviced offices, standard offices, executive offices, shell and core offices, warehouses, land for development, and staff and labour accommodation. The cheap packages run on coworking access. Warehouses and land are for industrial licences in the RAKEZ industrial zones.
How does RAKEZ license renewal work?
The licence is valid one year from the date it is issued, and you renew it before it expires. The All Inclusive package comes with "same renewal price guaranteed", so year two costs what year one cost. RAKEZ does not publish a general renewal fee table for the other packages. Our free zone licence renewal guide covers what to prepare.
Which licence types and company forms does RAKEZ offer?
RAKEZ issues commercial, general trading, e-commerce, educational, industrial, media, professional, service and individual or professional licences, plus a freelancer permit. The homepage says it covers over 3,000 business activities across 50+ sectors.
For RAKEZ company formation, the free zone company is an FZ-LLC with 1 to 50 shareholders. You can also open a branch of a UAE company or of a foreign company. RAKEZ also licenses non-free zone entities: an LLC with 2 to 50 partners and an individual establishment. Share capital is not stated on the legal entities page.
How do you set up a company in RAKEZ?
- Pick your activities and the package that matches your visa needs.
- Apply online through RAKEZ Portal 360 with your passport and application details.
- Pay the package fee.
- Receive the licence. RAKEZ quotes one to three business days, 24 hours for Biz Starter.
- If your package includes a visa, apply for the entry permit, then do the medical and Emirates ID in the UAE.
- Open a bank account once the licence is issued.
What documents does RAKEZ ask for?
- Passport copy for each shareholder
- UAE visa or Emirates ID, if you already live in the UAE
- Completed application form
- Business plan details (for the Instant Licence)
How do RAKEZ companies open a bank account?
Biz Starter includes eligibility for bank account opening. Banking assistance sits in the optional AED 2,500 upgrade on the All Inclusive package. RAKEZ does not promise an account; the bank decides. See our corporate bank account guide.
How do I log in to the RAKEZ portal or contact RAKEZ?
Existing RAKEZ companies sign in through the RAKEZ e-portal. It is the zone's own online channel for company requests after setup.
The zone publishes its own business activity list. Check your exact activity there before you pick a package, because the activity decides the licence type and sometimes the price.
RAKEZ also links a transaction tracking page from its home page, so you can follow a request after you submit it.
For a question only the zone can answer, such as the status of a file, use the official RAKEZ contact page. We are a directory, not the zone, so we cannot see your portal account.
Pros and cons of RAKEZ
Pros:
- One of the lowest published entry prices: AED 6,000 with coworking access
- A one-visa package at AED 12,000, with visa fees published per visa
- Online setup with no visit needed for the licence
- Industrial land and warehouses as well as desks, in one authority
- Same renewal price on the All Inclusive package
Cons:
- RAKEZ pages disagree on prices, so you must confirm the current figure
- No published visa quota per office type
- Establishment card fee not published on its own
- Ras Al Khaimah is a long drive from Dubai if your clients are there
If you are weighing RAKEZ against other low-cost zones, compare it with Ajman Free Zone in our RAKEZ vs Ajman Free Zone page, or with IFZA in IFZA vs RAKEZ. All Ras Al Khaimah options are on the Ras Al Khaimah free zones page.
Ask for a RAKEZ price
Send us your activity, the number of visas and when you want to start, using the form on this page. UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com is an independent directory, not part of RAKEZ. We forward your details to RAKEZ or to a licensed setup partner, and they send you the quote.
Setup consultants that work with RAKEZ
If you would rather not handle the application yourself, ADS Management Tax Consultancy LLC, SHAMILY BUSINESS CORPORATE SERVICES and PAPERLESS Business Solutions are the highest ranked consultants that name RAKEZ on their own websites. ADS Management Tax Consultancy LLC is based in Downtown Dubai. The full directory of Dubai setup consultants lets you filter by area and service.
Sources
- https://rakez.com/en: activities count and setup time
- https://rakez.com/en/promotions/biz-starter-package: Biz Starter price and inclusions
- https://rakez.com/en/promotions/instant-licence: Instant Licence Basic and Lite, licence term, remote setup, documents
- https://rakez.com/en/promotions/sme-business-setup: All Inclusive package, extra visas, renewal price, upgrade
- https://rakez.com/en/join-us/getting-started: licence types and the older all-inclusive price
- https://rakez.com/en/blog/details/article/27/rakez-company-setup-affordable-uae-business-options: older blog prices
- https://eservices.rakez.com/apex/RAK_Employment_Visa: employee and investor visa fees and processing days
- https://rakez.com/en/service-cards/visa-services/new-visa-employee: visa service card
- https://rakez.com/en/start-a-business/legal-entities: company types
- https://rakez.com/en/about-us/facilities: office and facility types
- https://eportal.rakez.com/RAKEZ_Login: portal, activity list or contact page, checked
- https://rakez.com/en/start-a-business/license-activity-list: portal, activity list or contact page, checked
- https://rakez.com/en/contact-us: portal, activity list or contact page, checked
