# Dubai free zones

Dubai · Free zones · Dubai Setup Index

> 25 of the UAE's 43 free zones are in Dubai, and most publish a single fee rather than a setup package, so each figure here says which it is.

- Canonical: https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/emirates/dubai
- Updated: 2026-10-09
- Coverage: 25 zones · 24 publish a price, 8 of them a package
- Method: https://dubaisetupindex.com/methodology

## Dubai in four figures

- Cheapest no-visa package: AED 12,900 — IFZA · 12 months · current package
- No-visa prices published: 3 of 25 — Dubai World Trade Centre Free Zone AED 12,525 (calculator output), IFZA AED 12,900 (Dubai Setup Index package price) and Meydan Free Zone AED 12,520 (calculator output). Listed A–Z; different kinds of figure are not ranked.
- Licence in a day or less: 3 of 25 — As advertised: Dubai South Free Zone (1 business day), Expo City Dubai Free Zone (1 business day) and Meydan Free Zone (24 hours).
- Annual fee or tariff only: 16 of 25 — A single fee, not the cost of a setup. 8 publish a package or calculator price; Dubai CommerCity publishes none.

Computed from the free zone price matrix for Dubai's 25 zones; calculator outputs are shown, never ranked against packages. Source: Dubai Setup Index (dubaisetupindex.com), licensed CC BY 4.0.

## All 25 Dubai free zones, A–Z

The lowest figure each zone publishes. Where that is a single fee — an annual registration or one tariff — it is labelled, because it is not the cost of a setup.

| Free zone | Lowest published figure | Licence issued in | Visas | Premises |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| [DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/difc) — Financial services, fintech and common-law contracts under DIFC Courts | USD 1,500 (Annual fee only) | 3–5 business days | Not published | Office, Coworking within DIFC |
| [DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dmcc) — Commodities, trading houses and JLT-based services businesses | AED 35,484 | 2 weeks | 1-visa package | Flexi desk, Office, Retail |
| [Dubai Airport Freezone (DAFZA)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dafza) — Aviation-adjacent trading, freight and light assembly near DXB | AED 7,500 (Annual fee only) | 10–15 business days | Not published | Office, Warehouse, Showroom |
| [Dubai Auto Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-auto-zone) — Vehicle trading and automotive aftermarket | AED 3,000 (Annual fee only) | Not published | Not published | Showroom, Office, Yard |
| [Dubai CommerCity](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-commercity) — E-commerce fulfilment and cross-border online retail | Not published | Not published | Not published | Office, Warehouse, Fulfilment |
| [Dubai Design District (d3)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-design-district) — Fashion, design, architecture and creative studios | AED 7,500 (Annual fee only) | 0–10 business days | Not published | Office, Showroom, Studio |
| [Dubai Healthcare City](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-healthcare-city) — Clinical, wellness and health-tech operators under a healthcare free zone | AED 16,550 | 3–10 business days | Not published | Clinic, Office, Medical facilities |
| [Dubai International Academic City](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-international-academic-city) — Universities and education operators | AED 15,000 (Annual fee only) | 0–10 business days | Not published | Campus, Office |
| [Dubai Internet City](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-internet-city) — Established technology campus for software and digital firms | AED 7,500 (Annual fee only) | 0–10 business days | Not published | Office, Campus facilities |
| [Dubai Knowledge Park](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-knowledge-park) — Training, HR and professional learning providers | AED 7,500 (Annual fee only) | 0–10 business days | Not published | Office, Training facilities |
| [Dubai Maritime City](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-maritime-city) — Maritime services, ship trading and marine support | AED 380 (Single fee, not a package) | Not published | Not published | Office, Maritime facilities |
| [Dubai Media City](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-media-city) — Broadcast, publishing, advertising and media production | AED 7,500 (Annual fee only) | 0–10 business days | Not published | Office, Studios, Campus facilities |
| [Dubai Outsource City](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-outsource-city) — BPO and shared-services centres | AED 15,000 (Annual fee only) | 0–10 business days | Not published | Office, BPO facilities |
| [Dubai Production City](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-production-city) — Print, publishing and production-supply businesses | AED 15,000 (Annual fee only) | 0–10 business days | Not published | Office, Print and production facilities |
| [Dubai Science Park](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-science-park) — Pharma, biotech and scientific services | AED 15,000 (Annual fee only) | 0–10 business days | Not published | Office, Lab, Warehouse |
| [Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-silicon-oasis) — Technology, electronics and knowledge-economy businesses in a master-planned tech park | AED 24,675 | Not published | Not published | Office, Tech park facilities, Flexi options via partners |
| [Dubai South Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-south) — Al Maktoum Airport / Expo-adjacent logistics and aviation services | AED 12,500 (Starting price) | 1 business day | Not published | Office, Warehouse, Logistics plots |
| [Dubai Studio City](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-studio-city) — Film, TV and production companies | AED 15,000 (Annual fee only) | 0–10 business days | Not published | Office, Studios, Production facilities |
| [Dubai Textile City](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-textile-city) — Textile and garment trading | AED 120 (Single fee, not a package) | 1 week | Not published | Office, Showroom, Warehouse |
| [Dubai World Trade Centre Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/dubai-world-trade-centre) — Events, exhibitions, and central Dubai commercial licences; also known for fintech/crypto clustering | AED 12,525 | Not published | 0–2 visa packages | Office, Coworking |
| [Expo City Dubai Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/expo-city-dubai) — Post-Expo campus businesses, events and innovation tenants | AED 12,520 | 1 business day | Not published | Office, Event and campus facilities |
| [Gold and Diamond Park](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/gold-and-diamond-park) — Gold, diamond and jewellery retail and wholesale | AED 500 (Single fee, not a package) | Not published | Not published | Retail, Office, Workshop |
| [IFZA (International Free Zone Authority)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ifza) — General multi-activity free zone for trading, services and light consultancy · available with Dubai Setup Index | AED 12,900 | 3–5 business days | 0–2 visa packages | Flexi desk, Smart office, Office |
| [Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/jafza) — Port-adjacent logistics, manufacturing and heavy trading | AED 5,000 (Single fee, not a package) | 3–14 business days | Not published | Office, Warehouse, Plot, Onshore logistics facilities |
| [Meydan Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/meydan) — Cost-sensitive professional and trading licences with a Dubai free-zone address · available with Dubai Setup Index | AED 12,520 | 24 hours | 0–2 visa packages | Flexi desk, Office |

## How Dubai zones differ

1. **Most publish a fee, not a package.** 8 of 25 publish a package or calculator price. 16 publish only an annual fee or a single tariff, so that figure is not the cost of a setup. Dubai CommerCity publishes no price.
2. **Licence times are stated in different units.** In hours: 24 hours (Meydan Free Zone). In business days: 1 business day (Dubai South Free Zone and Expo City Dubai Free Zone) to 10–15 business days (Dubai Airport Freezone). In weeks: 1 week (Dubai Textile City) to 2 weeks (DMCC). Units differ, so they are not ranked against each other. 6 publish no licence time.
3. **Premises on offer.** 6 of 25 offer a flexi desk, coworking or virtual office (DIFC, DMCC, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai World Trade Centre Free Zone, IFZA and Meydan Free Zone). 7 offer warehouses, yards, plots or land. The other 12 list offices or sector facilities only.

## Related

- [All UAE free zones, by emirate](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones)
- [Abu Dhabi free zones](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/emirates/abu-dhabi) — 4 zones
- [Ajman free zones](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/emirates/ajman) — 2 zones
- [Fujairah free zones](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/emirates/fujairah) — 2 zones
- [Ras Al Khaimah free zones](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/emirates/ras-al-khaimah) — 3 zones
- [Sharjah free zones](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/emirates/sharjah) — 6 zones
- [Umm Al Quwain free zones](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/emirates/umm-al-quwain) — 1 zone

## Citation

Required when quoting any figure from this page. Copy one of these verbatim — the link is not optional.

Dubai Setup Index. “Dubai free zones.” Updated 2026-10-09. https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/emirates/dubai

[Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/emirates/dubai). “Dubai free zones.” Updated 2026-10-09.

Licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any use or transformation of the data carries: Source: Dubai Setup Index (dubaisetupindex.com), licensed CC BY 4.0. https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/emirates/dubai, updated 2026-10-09.

Licensed CC BY 4.0: any use or transformation carries the attribution text, with its link and date. Quoting any figure from this record requires a resolvable link to url. Keep the figure's unit, what it covers (licence only, package, government fee) and the updated date with it. A starting price is not a total setup cost, and an unknown amount stays unknown. A figure sourced from a third party (Invest in Dubai, DET, a free zone authority or a partner's quote) keeps its source citation — the source named in the record, with its URL and checked date — alongside the licence attribution.