VERIFIED 2026 · ALL-IN · FORMENZO
How much does it cost to set up a company in Dubai?
Setting up a company in Dubai in 2026 starts at AED 12,500 all-in for a licence only at Meydan Free Zone, or AED 17,615 all-in with one residence visa at IFZA — Dubai's cheapest one-visa setup. If a Dubai address is not essential, the same one-visa company costs from AED 10,800 at Ajman NuVentures across the wider UAE.
Every figure here is the real, all-in 2026 price — government/authority fee, our setup service and the residence-visa block — confirmed in writing, with no sales call. See the full Cost Index or the open price dataset (CC-BY).
Build your exact price →By the Formenzo Research Team · compare all 9 zones
What the Dubai figures include
Both Dubai numbers are complete packages, not licence-only teasers. Meydan's AED 12,500 buys a zero-visa company; IFZA's AED 17,615 bundles the licence with a full one-visa block. One dataset point frames them: IFZA licence-only is AED 12,900, almost level with Meydan, so the two zones only separate meaningfully once a visa is involved. At the top of the market, DMCC starts at AED 35,484, with packages priced individually.
Who picks Dubai anyway
Founders who pay the Dubai premium usually have a concrete reason: consultants who meet clients in person and want a recognisable address on proposals, trading and e-commerce businesses that put Dubai on invoices and marketplace listings, or commodity and financial firms drawn to DMCC's ecosystem. Without such a reason, the AED 10,800 Ajman NuVentures route mentioned above wins on arithmetic.
Two things founders ask
Is Meydan still cheapest if I later need a visa? No — Meydan with one visa is AED 24,450 in the dataset, so a founder who expects to need residency should compare that figure with IFZA's AED 17,615 from the outset.
Why is DMCC so far above the others? DMCC prices packages individually rather than a fixed menu; the AED 35,484 is a verified starting point, and the full Cost Index shows how all nine zones line up.