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Yas Creative Hub is the Yas Island campus where twofour54 hosts media, gaming and entertainment businesses in Abu Dhabi. A new FZ-LLC licence is listed at AED 15,000 a year for up to 5 activities, and a freelance licence at AED 4,500 for 12 months. Both fees are waived for the first 2 years. Your office, your visas and your general manager's residency are not part of the waiver.
What is Yas Creative Hub?
twofour54 describes the hub as the first purpose-built development in the region for media, entertainment and gaming. It lists production facilities, adaptable workspaces, event and collaboration areas and a dedicated gaming hub. The zone groups the people it serves under four headings: gaming, production, content creation, and media and entertainment.
Three names get mixed up, so here is who does what:
- Yas Creative Hub is the place on Yas Island.
- twofour54 operates the zone and leases the space.
- The Creative Media Authority (CMA) issues the licences.
If you searched for the hub and want the full zone profile, read our twofour54 free zone page. This page is the shorter route for someone choosing between a company and a freelance permit.
Can you get a freelance permit or a company at Yas Creative Hub?
| Route | Listed fee | What you get | During years 1 and 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZ-LLC | AED 15,000 a year | Up to 5 activities | Waived |
| Branch of a UAE or foreign company | AED 3,500 | One licensed branch | Waived |
| Freelance (Sole Proprietor), 12 months | AED 4,500 | 3 activities | Waived |
| Freelance (Sole Proprietor), 6 months | AED 2,250 | 3 activities | Waived |
Source: Creative Media Authority regulation and licence page and business package page, as listed in our twofour54 profile, checked .
The zone's own business setup page offers three routes: new company, branch expansion and freelancer. It states that no minimum capital is required and that ownership is 100% in the media free zone regulated by the CMA. A company needs at least two individual directors and an office in the Creative Zone.
What does a Yas Creative Hub visa cost?
twofour54 sells office space under four names: Co-Lab, Co-Create, Co-Quip and Co-Customize. A Co-Lab office gives 1 visa and a Co-Create office gives 2. The zone does not publish a visa fee. Setup agents put each visa at about AED 3,500 to AED 7,000, and that is an agency figure, not a zone price.
The federal ICP fees sit under every UAE residence visa. Our freelance visa in Abu Dhabi page lists them, with a breakdown of what a freelancer pays in the first year.
The twofour54 site also carries an apply button for the golden visa. We have not checked who qualifies through it, so ask the zone directly if that is your plan.
Who should not choose Yas Creative Hub?
The hub is built for one sector group. If your work is trading, consulting, software or e-commerce, the licence activities will not fit, and other zones cost less to start. Our best free zone for media page compares the media options across the UAE, and cheapest free zone in Abu Dhabi ranks the emirate on published prices.
How do you set up a company in Yas Creative Hub?
- Decide between a company, a branch and a freelance licence.
- Ask for the activity list and check that your work is in it.
- Choose an office size if you are a company, because the visa count follows it.
- Send passports and the licence form through twofour54's Tawasol team or a licensed partner.
- Wait for approval. The CMA gives 14 working days as its estimate for its business setup process.
- Apply for visas once the licence is issued.
Ask the zone through us
Use the form on this page with your sector, whether you are a company or a freelancer, and how many visas you need. UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com is an independent directory. We are not twofour54 or the CMA. We pass your request to the zone or a licensed setup partner, who replies with the licence, office and visa costs together.
Sources
- twofour54 destinations: what Yas Creative Hub offers, checked
- twofour54 business setup: routes, no minimum capital, office names, checked
- Creative Media Authority regulation and licence: licence fees and the freelance licence
- Creative Media Authority business package: the 2 year waiver and the timeline
