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ScoutBusiness setup
Costs and visasPackages, visas and renewal by zoneRules and taxAuthority, QFZP and audit rulesBy emiratePrice indexZones ranked by costCost calculatorFree zone authoritiesBest for startupsBest for freelancersSetup guide
Licences by activityApprovals, fees and setup stepsActivity look-upISIC activities and where they're allowedPermissions by zoneIncorporation documentsBusiness plan review
Mainland vs free zoneCompare free zonesDIFC vs ADGMCrypto (VASP) licenceSetup toolsSample setup reportAfter you incorporate
Talk to an adviserGet your AI advisory

In Scout · Business setup

Free zones
Costs and visasRules and taxBy emiratePrice indexCost calculatorFree zone authoritiesBest for startupsBest for freelancersSetup guide
Mainland
Licences by activityActivity look-upPermissions by zoneIncorporation documentsBusiness plan review
Compare and plan
Mainland vs free zoneCompare free zonesDIFC vs ADGMCrypto (VASP) licenceSetup toolsSample setup reportAfter you incorporate
Talk to an adviser
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VerifyLexaraVaultScope

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Free zonesBusiness activitiesUAE laws and rulebooksRegulatory updates
Find the right appAll apps →
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47 UAE Free Zones · 7 Emirates

Every UAE free zone,
one directory

Browse by emirate or budget, or jump straight to a zone. Every listing carries cost, visa quota, and banking data — independently scored, not sponsored. Cheapest entry point right now: Hub71 from AED 0.

Get a ranked shortlist View price index

Browse by budget

Filtered by cheapest published Year 1 package

30

Under AED 15,000

zones

16

AED 15,000 – 30,000

zones

1

AED 30,000 – 50,000

zone

0

AED 50,000+

zones

Abu Dhabi

6 zones

Hub71

Abu Dhabi

AED 0 /yr from

twofour54

Abu Dhabi

AED 3,539 /yr from

Media ProductionGaming & Esports

ADGM

Abu Dhabi

AED 5,505 /yr from

Financial ServicesFinTech

MCFZ

Abu Dhabi

AED 7,000 /yr from

CleanTechRenewable Energy

KEZAD

Abu Dhabi

AED 9,450 /yr from

Manufacturing & Light IndustrialLogistics & Warehousing

ADAFZ

Abu Dhabi

AED 17,000 /yr from

Logistics & WarehousingAviation & Aerospace

Ajman

3 zones

ANCFZ

Ajman

AED 4,888 /yr from

StartupsE-commerce

AMC

Ajman

AED 4,999 /yr from

FreelancersContent Creators

AFZ

Ajman

AED 5,555 /yr from

FreelancersE-commerce

Sharjah

6 zones

SRTIP

Sharjah

AED 5,500 /yr from

Tech StartupsR&D Companies

SHAMS

Sharjah

AED 5,750 /yr from

FreelancersMedia & Creative

SPC

Sharjah

AED 5,750 /yr from

PublishersE-commerce

COMTECH

Sharjah

AED 8,500 /yr from

ICT & TelecomAI & Data Infrastructure

HFZA

Sharjah

AED 10,900 /yr from

ManufacturingIndustrial & Heavy Industry

SAIF

Sharjah

AED 11,650 /yr from

Import/Export TradersLogistics & Freight

UAQ

1 zone

UAQ FTZ

UAQ

AED 5,500 /yr from

StartupsFreelancers

RAK

2 zones

RAKEZ

RAK

AED 6,000 /yr from

StartupsSMEs

RMC

RAK

AED 10,000 /yr from

ShippingLogistics

Dubai

23 zones

DKP

Dubai

AED 7,500 /yr from

Education & Training ProvidersHR & Recruitment Firms

DPC

Dubai

AED 7,500 /yr from

Printing & PackagingPublishing

D3

Dubai

AED 7,500 /yr from

Design StudiosFashion & Luxury Brands

DUCAMZ

Dubai

AED 11,000 /yr from

Used Car DealersAuto Exporters

GDP

Dubai

AED 11,500 /yr from

Jewelry ManufacturingGold Trading

DWC

Dubai

AED 12,500 /yr from

E-commerceLogistics

DUQE

Dubai

AED 12,500 /yr from

StartupsConsultants

Meydan

Dubai

AED 12,500 /yr from

FreelancersConsultants

DMC

Dubai

AED 12,542 /yr from

Media & BroadcastingPublishing & Journalism

IFZA

Dubai

AED 12,900 /yr from

FreelancersStartups

DFC

Dubai

AED 13,375 /yr from

Flower TradingHorticulture

DIFC

Dubai

AED 16,515 /yr from

Financial ServicesFinTech & AI

DSO

Dubai

AED 18,500 /yr from

Tech StartupsSoftware & IT

DSP

Dubai

AED 18,540 /yr from

BiotechnologyHealthcare

DAFZA

Dubai

AED 22,040 /yr from

Trading & Import/ExportAviation & Aerospace

DIC

Dubai

AED 22,150 /yr from

IT & Software CompaniesTech Startups

JAFZA

Dubai

AED 22,800 /yr from

Trading & Import/ExportLogistics & Warehousing

DMCC

Dubai

AED 23,620 /yr from

General TradingCommodities

DWTC

Dubai

AED 23,700 /yr from

DHCC

Dubai

AED 26,800 /yr from

Clinics and healthcare operatorsMedical wellness brands

IHC

Dubai

AED 28,814 /yr from

Humanitarian OrganizationsNGOs

DCC

Dubai

AED 28,945 /yr from

E-commerceOnline Retail

DSC

Dubai

AED 38,540 /yr from

Film & TV ProductionBroadcasting & OTT

Fujairah

3 zones

FCC

Fujairah

AED 10,000 /yr from

FreelancersMedia & Creative

FOIZ

Fujairah

AED 21,000 /yr from

Oil & GasEnergy Trading

FFZ

Fujairah

AED 21,500 /yr from

Logistics & Supply ChainIndustrial & Manufacturing

Best zones by business type

Ranked and scored for your specific audience, not a generic average

🚀Startups🧑‍💻Freelancers🛒E-commerce💼Consulting📦Trading🏭Manufacturing💻Tech & Software🔗Crypto & Web3🎨Media & Creators🏦Financial Services🏛️Holding & IP🏥Healthcare

How to choose a UAE free zone

Price alone is a poor filter — the cheapest zone for one business can be the wrong one for another. Six factors decide the fit, and Scout weighs all of them against your specific profile rather than a generic average:

1

Licensed activity — does the zone's permitted activities list actually cover what you do?

2

Year 1 and renewal cost — the full stack, not just the headline licence fee

3

Visa quota — how many visas your office/desk tier actually supports

4

Banking difficulty — some zones have materially harder account-opening experiences

5

Mainland access — whether you need to sell directly to UAE mainland customers

6

Substance and audit requirements — physical office, audit mandates, and headcount thresholds

Skip the browsing. Get your top 3.

Describe your business once. Scout scores every zone in this directory against your specific activity, ownership, and banking needs.

Start your advisory
Arakan

UAE compliance, from company setup to filing — for UAE companies and the firms that serve them. 11 apps on one company record.

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11 apps

Comply

Your compliance manager

Govern

Governance and board compliance

Onboard

Client onboarding (KYC/CDD)

Shield

Clients' regulatory compliance

Ledger

Clients' FTA compliance

Scout

Planning your UAE setup

Atlas

UAE setup reference

Verify

Sanctions and PEP screening

Lexara

UAE rulebook library

Vault

Statutory records storage

Scope

What applies to you

Business setup by activity

All 2,100+ activities
Trading & ServicesManufacturingReal Estate & Business ServicesPersonal & Social ServicesTransport, Storage & LogisticsConstruction & ContractingFinancial ServicesVirtual AssetsHealth & Social WorkEducationAgriculture & FishingProfessional & Technical ServicesAccommodation & Food ServicesMining & QuarryingUtilities & Energy
Free zone setup costsFree zone price indexSetup cost calculatorMainland vs free zoneWhich zones permit your activity

UAE free zones by emirate

View all
Dubai
DMCCDIFCJAFZADAFZADSODWCDICDubai Media CityDHCCIFZAMeydanDSCDPCDKPDOCDSPD3DIACDCCDubai Maritime CityDWTCGDP
Abu Dhabi
ADGMKEZADMCFZtwofour54ADAFZICADAAIAFZ
Sharjah
SPCSHAMSHFZASAIFSRTIPSHCC
RAK
RAKEZRAK DAO
Ajman
ACMFZAFZAMC
Fujairah
FOIZFCCFFZ
UAQ
UAQIZUAQ FTZ

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