VERIFIED 2026 · ALL-IN · FORMENZO
Is it worth setting up a UAE free zone company?
It is worth it if you want a UAE base with 100% foreign ownership, 0% personal income tax and a residence visa — for as little as AED 4,888 (licence only) or AED 10,800 with one visa. A free-zone company suits consulting, e-commerce, trading, tech and holding structures. The main trade-off: a free-zone company cannot sell directly into the UAE mainland without a local distributor or a mainland branch. If you mainly serve clients abroad or online, a free zone is usually the cheapest, fastest route.
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).
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By the Formenzo Research Team · compare all 9 zones
What the numbers say across nine zones
The worth-it question is really a spread question. Across the nine verified zones, a licence-only company starts at AED 4,888 with Ajman NuVentures and rises to AED 35,484 at DMCC, while one-visa packages run from AED 10,800 to AED 24,450 at Meydan. Because every figure is all-in, the comparison holds without a hidden second invoice — the visa cost comparison shows how the totals move as headcount grows.
Who picks this option
Three profiles keep recurring: consultants who invoice clients in Europe or the Gulf and want a tax-resident base, e-commerce sellers who need an entity for payment gateways and marketplace accounts, and founders using a free-zone company to hold shares or property owned abroad.
Two things founders ask
How much extra does a Dubai zone cost? With one visa, IFZA is AED 17,615 and Meydan AED 24,450, against AED 10,800–13,165 in Ajman, Fujairah and Sharjah — the Dubai address is the premium you are paying for.
Does the ranking change with more visas? Largely no: two-visa packages span AED 16,200 at Ajman NuVentures to AED 34,400 at Meydan, so a zone that is cheap at one visa generally stays cheap as the team grows.