How we source what you read
Dubai Setup Index publishes current setup prices alongside the facts authorities publish. Where a fact is not available, the page says so instead of filling the gap with a plausible number.
How we classify each figure
Every price and timeline falls into one of five classes. Pages show when each figure was last updated; gaps are marked as not published.
- Published by authority
- The authority or registered partner publishes this figure. We link the page and the date we read it.
- Official estimate
- An official calculator or simulator output for a stated scenario. Your own inputs can change it.
- Dubai Setup Index data
- Our current package price or operating timeline, from setups we handle ourselves.
- Requires confirmation
- Depends on your activity, applicant profile or an approval. Treat it as a planning assumption.
- Not published
- No reliable public figure exists. We say what we checked instead of guessing.
Coverage today
- Free zones
- 43
- With a published price37 from the authority itself
- 38
- With a published timeline
- 31
- Recorded gapsShown as “Not published” on the guide
- 57
- Official sources
- 118
- Available with Dubai Setup Index
- 2
- With document lists
- 40
- With renewal facts
- 30
Computed at build time from the evidence record, last checked 4 September 2026. These figures are not written by hand, so they cannot drift from the data behind them.
Sourcing rules
Every price, timeline, document list and renewal rule on a jurisdiction page has a recorded date. Nothing is inferred from a comparable zone, averaged across zones, or carried over from a previous year.
Authority facts link to the authority. Current Dubai Setup Index package prices and operational ranges are presented as our own data and confirmed in your final quote and schedule.
- Official: the licensing authority's own site, portal, file or API
- Dubai Setup Index: our current package price or operational planning range for the setup shown
- Editorial: our own judgement, labelled and never mixed with authority facts
We never submit a lead form to get a price
Several authorities put their cost calculator behind a contact form. Submitting one would produce a number, and it would also hand over a real person's details to get it.
So we do not submit them. A zone whose pricing is lead-gated is recorded as lead-gated, and the page shows no price rather than one obtained that way.
Freshness
Each jurisdiction record carries the date it was last checked, shown on the page. Activity catalogues are synced from the authorities and carry their own sync date and row count.
A snapshot older than our freshness window stops being eligible for search indexing, even though the page stays online and linked. Stale evidence is a reason to publish less confidently, not to hide the page.
How unknowns and conflicts are shown
An unknown is a first-class result here. When a figure could not be found, the page states what was looked for, which pages were checked, and when.
Where two sources disagree, both claims are kept and the conflict is named. The customer-facing figure stays unpublished until the conflict is resolved rather than picking the more attractive number.
- Not published: no public source for this claim was found
- Not verified: we hold no catalogue or record for this authority yet, which is not the same as unavailable
- Conflicting: two sources disagree and neither is published as fact
Where Dubai Setup Index can help
An available jurisdiction is one where Dubai Setup Index handles the company setup directly. Everything else is documented for comparison, and the page says plainly when we do not currently handle applications there.
Availability never changes the evidence. A comparison-only zone gets the same sourcing treatment as an option we offer, including where its published figures are lower than ours.
Limitations
This is a research directory, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Authorities change activity lists, fees and rules without notice, and a licence decision should be confirmed with the authority or an adviser before money moves.
Activity coverage is deliberately narrower than the full catalogues. We publish the lines our clients actually ask for, and exclude regulated finance and construction categories we are not positioned to advise on.
Pages that do not yet carry enough evidenced, unique detail are kept out of search results while remaining readable and linked.
Where the evidence comes from
The allowlist below is derived from the record rather than maintained by hand — these are the hosts actually cited across the directory today.
| Host | Zones | Claims sourced |
|---|---|---|
| dda.gov.ae | 9 | activities |
| jafza.ae | 2 | documents, pricing, renewal, timeline |
| pcfc.ae | 2 | pricing |
| adafz.ae | 1 | documents |
| adgm.com | 1 | activities, pricing, timeline |
| afz.gov.ae | 1 | activities, documents, packages, pricing, timeline |
| ai.srtip.ae | 1 | packages |
| amc.gov.ae | 1 | activities, packages |
| assets.ctfassets.net | 1 | documents, renewal, timeline |
| assets.difc.com | 1 | timeline |
| creativecity.gov.ae | 1 | documents |
| dafz.ae | 1 | activities, packages |
| dhcc.ae | 1 | packages, pricing |
| difc.com | 1 | documents, pricing |
| dmcc.ae | 1 | activities, packages, pricing |
| dubaicommercity.ae | 1 | activities, documents |
| dubaimaritimecity.com | 1 | documents |
| dubaisiliconoasis.com | 1 | documents, packages |
| dubaisouth.ae | 1 | packages, pricing |
| dubaitrade.ae | 1 | documents, pricing |
Showing the twenty most-cited of 45 official hosts.
Activity catalogues we sync
| Authority | Rows | Last synced |
|---|---|---|
| IFZA | 825 | 4 September 2026 |
| Ajman Free Zone | 2,151 | 4 September 2026 |
| DMCC | 1,006 | 4 September 2026 |
| Meydan Free Zone | 2,230 | 4 September 2026 |
| SPC Free Zone | 2,039 | 4 September 2026 |
| ADGM | 1,844 | 4 September 2026 |
| Creative City Fujairah | 2,038 | 4 September 2026 |
12,133 catalogue rows in total. We publish activity guides for a deliberately narrower set — see the activity index.
FAQ
Why does a zone show no price at all?
Because the authority does not publish one in a form we can cite, usually because its calculator requires submitting contact details. We would rather show a gap than a number we cannot stand behind.
Is the price shown my final quote?
It is the current Dubai Setup Index package price for the setup shown. Your final quote depends on the activities, visa requirements and any authority approvals you need.
Questions about a specific figure?
Use the source links and stated unknowns to assess each route before choosing your setup.