# Where your business can be licensed

> Type what you do. See which free zones and the Dubai mainland list it, what each costs to start, and how long until you hold a residency visa.

- Canonical: https://dubaisetupindex.com/
- Updated: 2026-10-09

## At a glance

- Lowest package, no visa: AED 4,999 (Ajman Media City Free Zone, 12 months)
- Lowest Dubai package, no visa: AED 12,900 (IFZA, 12 months)
- Fastest licence issuance: Same day (Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone, once documents are complete)
- Zones with a published price: 38 of 43 (The rest are marked not published)

## Start with your question

- Can I licence what I do? [Search 3,195 activities](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities)
- Free zone or mainland? [Compare routes](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare)
- What will year one cost? [Build an estimate](https://dubaisetupindex.com/estimate)
- Setup firms: send a client a quote. [Create a quote](https://dubaisetupindex.com/quotes/new)

## Cheapest published start, no visa, 12 months

Licence packages start at AED 4,999 outside Dubai and AED 12,900 in Dubai.

| Free zone | Emirate | Price is | From |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| [Ajman Media City Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ajman-media-city) | Ajman | Package | AED 4,999 |
| [Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/srtip) | Sharjah | Package | AED 5,500 |
| [Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/uaq-ftz) | Umm Al Quwain | Package | AED 5,500 |
| [Ajman Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ajman) | Ajman | Package | AED 5,555 |
| [Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/spc) | Sharjah | Official calculator | AED 5,760 |
| [Innovation City](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/rak-dao) | Ras Al Khaimah | Starting price | AED 6,600 |
| [Meydan Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/meydan) | Dubai | Official calculator | AED 12,520 |
| [Dubai World Trade Centre Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-world-trade-centre) | Dubai | Official calculator | AED 12,525 |
| [IFZA](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ifza) | Dubai | Package | AED 12,900 |

[All 43 free zones](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones) · [How figures are sourced](https://dubaisetupindex.com/methodology)

## Not sure where to start?

Three plain questions narrow the routes worth investigating. The result is a starting point, not confirmed eligibility.

### Question 1 of 3: Will you sell into the UAE market or work onshore?

Why we ask: A free-zone licence covers the zone and abroad. Selling into the UAE market, premises or staff onshore and government tenders need a distributor, a DET permit or a mainland licence; your activity and any approvals decide which.

- Yes, I will sell or work onshore → [Compare free zone against Dubai mainland](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/free-zone-vs-mainland). Possible route — eligibility not confirmed. Check both routes against the work you will perform and where you will operate. Customer location alone does not establish which permissions apply.
- No, abroad or in free zones → question 2
- A mix, or not sure yet → [Compare free zone against Dubai mainland](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/free-zone-vs-mainland). Possible route — eligibility not confirmed. A mixed model is worth pricing both ways before you commit. The comparison shows what each route actually gives you.

### Question 2 of 3: Does a Dubai address on the licence matter to you?

Why we ask: It shows on the licence, your invoices and your bank record.

- Yes, I want a Dubai address → question 3
- No, I would rather keep the cost down → question 3
- Not sure what it changes → [Compare IFZA against Ajman Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/ifza-vs-ajman). Possible route — eligibility not confirmed. This is the trade-off in one table: the Dubai address against the package difference.

### Question 3 of 3 (after “Yes, I want a Dubai address”): How many residence visas do you need at the start?

Why we ask: Comparable prices also require the same visa type, licence term, applicant status and inclusions.

- None yet → [Explore IFZA](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ifza). From AED 12,900 (12 months · current package) with 0 visas. Possible route — eligibility not confirmed. A Dubai free-zone licence. Activity eligibility and the residence sequence need confirmation.
- One, for me → [Explore IFZA](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ifza). From AED 20,650 (12 months · current package) with 1 visa. Possible route — eligibility not confirmed. A Dubai free-zone licence. Activity eligibility and the residence sequence need confirmation.
- Two → [Explore IFZA](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ifza). From AED 26,400 (12 months · current package) with 2 visas. Possible route — eligibility not confirmed. A Dubai free-zone licence. Activity eligibility and the residence sequence need confirmation.
- More than two → [Compare IFZA against Ajman Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/ifza-vs-ajman). Possible route — eligibility not confirmed. The packages shown here cover at most two visas. Both zones sell larger allocations; ask each for a quote at your visa count, with the same licence term and inclusions. See [IFZA](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ifza) and [Ajman Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ajman).

### Question 3 of 3 (after “No, I would rather keep the cost down”): How many residence visas do you need at the start?

Why we ask: Comparable prices also require the same visa type, licence term, applicant status and inclusions.

- None yet → [Explore Ajman Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ajman). From AED 5,555 (12 months · current package) with 0 visas. Possible route — eligibility not confirmed. An Ajman licence. Check activity, premises and renewal costs for your business.
- One, for me → [Explore Ajman Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ajman). From AED 11,000 (12 months · current package) with 1 visa. Possible route — eligibility not confirmed. An Ajman licence. Check activity, premises and renewal costs for your business.
- Two → [Explore Ajman Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ajman). From AED 17,171 (12 months · current package) with 2 visas. Possible route — eligibility not confirmed. An Ajman licence. Check activity, premises and renewal costs for your business.
- More than two → [Compare IFZA against Ajman Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/ifza-vs-ajman). Possible route — eligibility not confirmed. The packages shown here cover at most two visas. Both zones sell larger allocations; ask each for a quote at your visa count, with the same licence term and inclusions. See [IFZA](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ifza) and [Ajman Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ajman).

## How setup runs

1. [Choose the licence activity](https://dubaisetupindex.com/how-it-works#activity)
2. [Pick the jurisdiction](https://dubaisetupindex.com/how-it-works#jurisdiction)
3. [File the application](https://dubaisetupindex.com/how-it-works#application)
4. [Licence issuance](https://dubaisetupindex.com/how-it-works#licence)
5. [Establishment card and residency](https://dubaisetupindex.com/how-it-works#visa)

- [See each stage in detail](https://dubaisetupindex.com/how-it-works)
- [Arriving from your country](https://dubaisetupindex.com/from)

## The choices founders weigh

- [IFZA or Meydan Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/ifza-vs-meydan)
- [IFZA or Ajman Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/ifza-vs-ajman)
- [Free zone or Dubai mainland](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/free-zone-vs-mainland)
- [IFZA or Dubai mainland](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/ifza-vs-dubai-mainland)
- [Ajman Free Zone or Dubai mainland](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/ajman-vs-dubai-mainland)

## Machine-readable

- [llms.txt](https://dubaisetupindex.com/llms.txt)
- [OpenAPI](https://dubaisetupindex.com/openapi.json)
- [MCP server docs](https://dubaisetupindex.com/docs/mcp)