We analysed the real all-in setup cost of nine UAE free zones — what it actually costs to register a company, ranked, by emirate, and with the residence-visa premium laid bare.
Cheapest to most expensive, zero-visa, all-in. The Northern Emirates dominate the value end; Dubai's flexible zones sit at the top of the mainstream range.
📌 DMCC (Dubai) sits in a premium tier of its own at AED 35,484 — a bundled licence + workspace + visa allowance — so it's charted apart from the mainstream range above.
| Free zone | Emirate | All-in (0 visas) |
|---|---|---|
| Ajman NuVentures Centre | Ajman | AED 4,888 |
| Fujairah Creative City | Fujairah | AED 4,900 |
| SRTIP | Sharjah | AED 5,500 |
| SPC Free Zone | Sharjah | AED 5,750 |
| RAKEZ | Ras Al Khaimah | AED 6,000 |
| Masdar City | Abu Dhabi | AED 7,000 |
| Meydan Free Zone | Dubai | AED 12,500 |
| IFZA | Dubai | AED 12,900 |
| DMCC | Dubai | AED 35,484 |
If location matters, here's the lowest all-in entry point per emirate in 2026:
The takeaway: a Dubai address costs roughly 2.5× the cheapest Northern-Emirates licence — AED 12,500 vs AED 4,888 — for what is, on paper, the same 100%-owned free-zone company.
The licence is only half the story. Most founders need at least one residence visa — and that's where totals jump. Across the zones, a first visa adds an average of about AED 7,900, but the spread is wide:
| Measure | Amount (first visa) |
|---|---|
| Lowest visa premium | ~AED 4,715 (IFZA) |
| Average visa premium | ~AED 7,900 |
| Highest visa premium | ~AED 11,950 (Meydan) |
| Cheapest all-in 1-visa company | ~AED 10,800 (Ajman) |
So while Ajman wins on the licence alone, the gap narrows once visas are added — which is exactly why an all-in calculation by visa count matters more than the headline licence price.
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Open the cost calculator →Ajman NuVentures Centre, at AED 4,888 all-in — followed by Fujairah Creative City (AED 4,900) and SRTIP in Sharjah (AED 5,500).
The median zero-visa licence across the nine zones is AED 6,000, ranging from AED 4,888 to AED 35,484. Eight of the nine cost under AED 13,000.
About AED 7,900 on average for the first visa, from ~AED 4,715 (IFZA) to ~AED 11,950 (Meydan). The cheapest all-in one-visa company is ~AED 10,800 at Ajman.
In Dubai itself, the cheapest all-in free-zone licence in 2026 is Meydan at AED 12,500, then IFZA at AED 12,900; DMCC is AED 35,484 (bundled licence + workspace). The same 100%-owned company starts at AED 4,888 in Ajman if you don't need a Dubai address. A first residence visa adds about AED 7,900.
About AED 10,800 all-in for one visa, at Ajman NuVentures Centre. IFZA has the lowest visa premium (~AED 4,715 on top of the licence); a first visa adds ~AED 7,900 on average across the nine zones.
For a solo or freelance company, the cheapest all-in licences are Ajman NuVentures (AED 4,888) and Fujairah Creative City (AED 4,900); with one residence visa, about AED 10,800 all-in. In Dubai, Meydan (AED 12,500) is the cheapest freelancer-friendly option.
