UAE Free Zones by Authority and Sector
We are partnered with free zones across all seven emirates. Each one has a personality — a set of activities it does well, a cost level, and a reputation with banks. Below is the honest version of who each is for, grouped by the authority that regulates it.
We do not work in DIFC or ADGM. Both are common-law financial centres with their own regulators and their own specialist advisers. If that is genuinely where you need to be, we will say so and point you elsewhere.
Dubai
20 zonesDubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ)
TECOM Group — regulated by Dubai Development Authority
Independent and specialised
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is Dubai's other major free zone, with its own regulator and its own common-law courts. We do not operate there.
Abu Dhabi
4 zonesAD Ports Group
Abu Dhabi Airports
Creative Media Authority
Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) is Abu Dhabi's financial free zone, with its own legal system. We do not operate there either.
Sharjah
5 zonesSharjah Media City Authority
Sharjah Publishing City Authority
SAIF Zone Authority
Hamriyah Free Zone Authority
Ajman
3 zonesAjman Free Zone Authority
Ajman Media City Free Zone Authority
Ras Al Khaimah
3 zonesRAK Economic Zone Authority
RAK Digital Assets Oasis Authority
RAK International Corporate Centre
Umm Al Quwain
1 zoneUAQ Free Trade Zone Authority
Fujairah
2 zonesFujairah Free Zone Authority
Fujairah Creative City Authority
Licence costs change by package, activity count and visa quota, so we quote rather than publish. Tell us the shape of the business and you will have a figure the same day.
Free Zone Questions We Get Asked
Can a free zone company sell inside the UAE?
Not directly to the onshore market. It imports and re-exports freely, but selling to UAE customers needs a mainland distributor, a mainland branch, or customs duty paid through an agent.
Does the office have to be inside the zone?
Yes. The registered office must sit within the zone that issued the licence.
How many visas will I get?
It depends on the package and the facility you take. A flexi-desk typically carries one to three. A real office scales from there, so decide headcount before the package is issued.
Can I move to a different free zone later?
You can, but it is a new incorporation rather than a transfer in most cases — new licence, new immigration file, visas reissued. Worth getting right the first time.
Which free zone is cheapest?
SHAMS, SPC, Ajman and UAQ sit at the low end. Cheapest is not always right: a Sharjah or Ajman address is treated differently by some Dubai banks and landlords, so tell us if banking matters.
Do I pay customs duty?
Not on goods that stay within the free zone or are re-exported. Duty applies when goods enter the UAE mainland market, currently at 5%.
Not sure which one?
Send us your details and a line about the business. We will come back with two or three zones that fit and the cost of each.
Not Covered Above? Ask Us.
Send the question as you would ask it on the phone. One of the team answers it properly — not a template, and not a sales call dressed up as an answer.