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RAKEZ vs Ajman Free Zone is a contest between two of the lowest entry prices in the UAE, but only one of them is official. RAKEZ (Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone) prints a no visa licence at AED 6,000 a year and a one visa package at AED 12,000. Ajman Free Zone (AFZ) prints no packages. Three agencies quote its no visa licence at AED 5,555 to AED 5,565. RAKEZ suits founders who want fixed prices and remote setup. AFZ suits traders who want space near Ajman Port and the Dubai border.
What is the difference between RAKEZ and Ajman Free Zone?
| RAKEZ | Ajman Free Zone | |
|---|---|---|
| No visa licence | AED 6,000, official (Biz Starter or Instant Licence Basic) | AED 5,555 to AED 5,565, agency figure |
| Licence with 1 visa | AED 12,000, official (Instant Licence Lite) | AED 13,131 to AED 13,141, agency figure |
| Visa fees | Published: AED 3,800 employee, AED 4,520 investor | Not published; 2 agencies quote AED 3,400 to AED 5,000 |
| Activities | Over 3,000 across 50+ sectors | Over 3,500 |
| Company forms | FZ-LLC, branches, plus non-free zone LLC | FZE, FZC, branches |
| Space | Coworking to warehouses and land | Business centre to warehouses, land and staff housing |
| Setup time | 1 to 3 business days; Biz Starter in 24 hours | Not published as a service standard |
| Renewal | Same price on All Inclusive | Shown in the portal; one month grace |
| Location | Ras Al Khaimah | Ajman, next to Ajman Port |
Based on rakez.com promotion and visa pages and the afz.gov.ae FAQ and profile pages. AFZ prices are from 3 setup agencies. All checked .
Is RAKEZ or Ajman Free Zone cheaper?
RAKEZ has four packages on its promotion pages. Biz Starter at AED 6,000 gives up to 10 activities, up to 50 shareholders, coworking membership and no visa. Instant Licence Basic, also AED 6,000, is for one shareholder and one activity. Instant Licence Lite at AED 12,000 adds one residence visa and up to 5 activities. The All Inclusive package at AED 14,000 per year bundles one visa with medical and Emirates ID, the immigration file and e-channel, and lets you buy up to three more visas at AED 4,000 each.
AFZ's prices come only from its cost calculator, which emails a quote. Agencies say the no visa figure covers the trade licence, registration, the establishment card and a co-working or flexi desk for a year. Their one visa figure adds the entry permit, medical, Emirates ID and e-channel. Health insurance is not inside either. One agency says its own fee is on top.
Setup agencies quote RAKEZ at AED 6,000 to AED 7,050 with no visa and AED 12,010 to AED 17,550 with one (3 agencies, checked ). So on agency prices, the two zones are within a few hundred dirhams for a no visa start. With one visa, RAKEZ's own AED 12,000 package is below the AFZ agency figures.
RAKEZ's pages do not always agree with each other. Older pages show different package prices. Ask RAKEZ to confirm the figure on the day you apply.
How much is a visa in RAKEZ and in Ajman Free Zone?
RAKEZ prices each visa in public. A new employee visa is AED 3,800, covering the entry permit, medical, Emirates ID and residence stamping, and it renews at AED 3,500. An investor or partner visa is AED 4,520. A status change fee applies if you are already inside the UAE.
AFZ gives timings rather than prices. Two setup agencies fill the gap with an employee visa at AED 3,400 to AED 5,000 per person, health insurance extra. A newsletter reports AFZ's e-channel registration from AED 2,300, though AFZ does not confirm it. Visa stamping takes up to 4 days on the normal service and 2 on urgent. The establishment card is issued within three working days. To sponsor family, an AFZ employee needs a salary of at least AED 4,500 a month. Every AFZ employee pays AED 265 for insurance at visa renewal.
Neither zone publishes a visa quota per office for company licences. See free zone visa cost for the fees that apply in every emirate.
Activities and licence rules
AFZ has two rules that shape your licence. A licence is either commercial or service, never both. And a general trading licence holds one activity only. AFZ also offers a Freelancer licence covering 40 categories and a Pioneers package for people aged 20 to 30.
RAKEZ issues commercial, general trading, e-commerce, industrial, media, professional, educational and service licences, plus a freelancer permit. It also licenses non-free zone entities, such as an LLC with 2 to 50 partners, from the same authority.
AFZ asks that a manager hold a university degree attested in the home country and by MOFA in the UAE, translated into Arabic. RAKEZ does not list that requirement on the pages we read.
Space: desks, warehouses and land
Both zones go well beyond desks. AFZ lists executive and standard offices, a shared business centre, warehouses from 100 sq m, temporary warehouses, land on leases of 20 years or more and onsite staff accommodation. RAKEZ lists coworking, serviced, standard and executive offices, shell and core units, warehouses, land and labour accommodation, with the heavy space in its industrial zones.
For a manufacturer, the choice often comes down to where your goods move. AFZ is next to Ajman Port. RAKEZ is in Ras Al Khaimah, a longer drive from Dubai.
Setup, renewal and banks
RAKEZ says its Instant Licence needs no visit and runs through Portal 360. AFZ's blogs say a company can be formed in one working day, but that is marketing wording.
At renewal, the RAKEZ All Inclusive package promises the same price as year one. AFZ shows your renewal amount in its customer portal and gives a month of grace after expiry. Its e-channel renews at AED 1,100 a year.
AFZ issues a bank letter with the licence and works with partner banks through AFZ+. RAKEZ includes bank account eligibility on Biz Starter, and banking help in an optional AED 2,500 upgrade on All Inclusive. In both cases the bank decides.
Choose RAKEZ if
- You want an official price you can hold the zone to
- You want visa fees listed before you apply
- You need trading and service work on one licence, subject to RAKEZ's check
- You want the licence without visiting the UAE
Choose Ajman Free Zone if
- You need a warehouse or land near Ajman Port
- You want to be a short drive from Dubai and Sharjah
- You want a freelancer licence or the Pioneers package
- You are fine working from an emailed quote
Read the full RAKEZ and Ajman Free Zone profiles, or browse the Ras Al Khaimah free zones and Ajman free zones pages. To see where both sit against every emirate, open cheapest free zone in the UAE.
One request, two answers
Use the form on this page to send your activity, visa count and space needs. UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com is not part of RAKEZ or the Free Zones Authority, Ajman. We pass your request to each zone or to a licensed setup partner, and their quotes come straight to you.
Sources
- https://rakez.com/en/promotions/biz-starter-package and https://rakez.com/en/promotions/instant-licence : package prices and inclusions
- https://rakez.com/en/promotions/sme-business-setup : All Inclusive package, extra visas, renewal
- https://eservices.rakez.com/apex/RAK_Employment_Visa : visa fees
- https://rakez.com/en/start-a-business/legal-entities and https://rakez.com/en/about-us/facilities : company forms and space
- https://afz.gov.ae/en/help-and-support/faqs.html : AFZ fees, visa times, licence rules, renewal
- https://afz.gov.ae/en/start-your-business/product.html : AFZ offices, warehouses, land
- https://afz.gov.ae/en/cost-calculator/ : AFZ quote by email
- https://avyanco.com/ajman-free-zone-cost/, https://sarmat.ae/resources/cheapest-free-zone-uae-ajman and Noble Core Ventures : AFZ agency prices
- https://safeledger.ae/blog/ajman-free-zone-visa-cost and https://bcl.ae/blogs/ajman-freezone-business-setup-guide.md : AFZ agency visa prices
- Emirae Pro newsletter : reported AFZ e-channel fee
