Dubai South Free Zone or Innovation City
Compare Dubai South Free Zone and Innovation City on the same rows: starting packages at each visa count, licence and residency-visa timelines, renewal, facilities and remote paperwork. Every figure is read from the two guide pages.
Your situation
Answer for the default situation: one visa. Change an answer above to update it.
Ajman Free Zone fits your answers, and it is not in this comparison.
Choose Dubai Mainland if you will sell or work onshore.
Dubai South Free Zone publishes the faster licence, 1 business day against 5–10 business days for Innovation City. No like-for-like starting price is published for Dubai South Free Zone, so the cost side of this comparison is open.
Read from the same published figures as the table. Activity eligibility, approvals and the full first year still decide the route.
Side by side
Package figures cover their stated inclusions only. Activity eligibility, the full first-year cost and renewal still need confirmation for your case.
| Metric | Dubai South Free ZoneFree zone | Innovation CityFree zone |
|---|---|---|
| From, one visa | Dubai South Free Zone Not published: Not published | Innovation City AED 13,200 12 months · starting price |
| Lowest package price | Dubai South Free Zone AED 12,500 starting price | Innovation City AED 6,600 12 months · starting price |
| Licence issued in | Dubai South Free Zone 1 business day The official setup page claims licence issuance in one business day. Fastest | Innovation City 5–10 business days |
| Residency visa in | Dubai South Free Zone Not published: Not published | Innovation City Not published: Not published |
| Renewal price | Dubai South Free Zone Not published: Not published | Innovation City Not published: Not published |
| Licence types | Dubai South Free Zone Aviation, Logistics, Trading, Services | Innovation City Digital assets, Related tech |
| Facility options | Dubai South Free Zone Office, Warehouse, Logistics plots | Innovation City Office, Virtual options as offered |
| Visa options | Dubai South Free Zone Not published: Not published | Innovation City Not published: Not published |
| Remote paperwork | Dubai South Free Zone No | Innovation City Yes |
| Activity guides catalogued | Dubai South Free Zone Not published: Not published | Innovation City Not published: Not published |
| Next step | Explore Dubai South Free Zone | Explore Innovation City |
Check before choosing
Dubai South Free Zone
Confirm activity restrictions, premises and visa requirements for your case.
Read the Dubai South Free Zone guideInnovation City
Confirm activity restrictions, premises and visa requirements for your case.
Read the Innovation City guideAsk an assistant about this page: ChatGPT · Claude · Perplexity
FAQ
How are the prices compared?
Only package prices at the same visa count and term are ranked against each other. A calculator output, a licence-only estimate or a product flagged as not like for like is shown in the table but never used to name a cheaper side.
Which costs less on published figures, Dubai South Free Zone or Innovation City?
Dubai South Free Zone publishes the faster licence, 1 business day against 5–10 business days for Innovation City. No like-for-like starting price is published for Dubai South Free Zone, so the cost side of this comparison is open.
Still torn?
Explore the full guides to compare package costs, visa requirements and how you plan to trade.