SCOUTby Arakan

Free zones

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

Mainland

Licences by activityApprovals, fees and setup stepsActivity look-upISIC activities and where they're allowedPermissions by zoneIncorporation documentsBusiness plan review

Compare and plan

Mainland vs free zoneCompare free zonesDIFC vs ADGMCrypto (VASP) licenceSetup toolsSample setup reportAfter you incorporate
Prefer a person? Talk to an adviserGet your AI setup advisory
Activities
AI business setup advisory · for founders and advisers

Know where
to set up.
Get it in writing.

Tell Scout what your business does. It compares UAE free zones and mainland and writes you an advisory report: the licence that fits, why, and what it is likely to cost.

Free zones and mainland compared Costs with their source Cases for advisers
See a sample report

Already have an account?

Jurisdiction Scorecard
ExampleExample

Prospect: TechCo Holdings Ltd

Financial services · 3 shareholders · UAE intent

Scored
#1
DIFCTop match
Financial services free zone
A+

Tax

94
#2
ADGM
Fund management / family office
A+

Tax

91
#3
DMCC
Commodities & trading free zone
A

Tax

87
#4
DED Mainland
100% foreign ownership — mainland
B+

Tax

74
#5
RAKEZ
Low-cost free zone option
A

Tax

68
Example caseWrite the report →

Sound familiar?

Setup advisory shouldn't run
on habit, memory, and Word docs.

Jurisdiction recommendations built from memory and habit — not scored against the client's actual profile

Setup reports written by hand in Word, different every time, with no record of where the figures came from

Prospect pipeline managed in spreadsheets — no visibility on which cases are stalled or ready to proceed

Every case answered the same way, with the source of every figure.

Guided intake. Free zones and mainland compared. A written report. Cases for advisers.

How it works

From your answers to a written advisory

01

Describe the business

Answer a short intake: what you do, where your customers are, how many visas you need, your budget and timeline. Advisers can fill it in for a client.

A few minutes
02

Scout compares the routes

Free zones and mainland are checked against your answers, using the zone facts in Atlas and the rules in Lexara. Regulated activities are routed to the regulator that licenses them.

Facts with their source
03

Read your advisory report

Which regulator and licence apply and why, capital and fees with their source and check date, how the licences combine, entity structure, key people, risks and next steps.

A written report
04

Advisers: keep each client as a case

Setup firms keep every client's brief, intake, report and documents as a case, from the first question to incorporation.

For setup advisers

Free zone intelligence

42 UAE free zones, priced and scored

Browse all zones

Setup cost, visa quota, banking difficulty, and licensing detail for every UAE free zone — independently scored, not sponsored. Browse by emirate or budget, run the numbers on the calculator, or compare any two zones side by side.

Price Index

All zones ranked by cost

Calculator

Estimate by visa count

Guide

How setup actually works

IFZA vs DMCC

Example comparison

Advisory, unbundled

Pay for the step you need, not a subscription

Scout's advisory runs in three one-time steps. Each has a free page below to read before you pay for anything — the paid version runs the same checks against your specific business, not a generic template.

Step 1

Business Plan Review

Structural contradictions in tax, ownership, substance, and office type

Step 2

Structure & Jurisdiction Recommendation

Ranked structure and zone shortlist — dual-license, bifurcated, holding

Step 3

Document Generation

Incorporation-ready document pack for your finalized structure

AI interview engine

Plain questions.
A structured
profile.

Scout asks about the business in plain language: activities, ownership, residency, sector, capital. Your answers become the profile the advice is built on. Experienced advisers can fill the profile in directly.

Answers in your own words

Turned into a structured profile

A direct form for experienced advisers

Kept with the case

AI intake · example
Scout

What is the primary business activity?

Advisor

Financial services advisory — investment management

Scout

How many shareholders, and are any corporate entities?

Advisor

Three shareholders: two individuals, one UAE holding company

Scout

Is UAE residency for directors required?

Advisor

Yes — at least one director needs UAE residency visa

Screen recording coming soon

The advisory report

One written
report you
can act on.

A report you can take to your bank, your lawyers or your board: the licence that fits, the reasons, the alternatives and the costs, each figure with its source and the date it was checked.

Which regulator and licence apply, and why

Capital and fees, with their source

How licences combine, and cheaper alternatives

Entity structure, key people, risks and next steps

Advisory report
Example
01Regulator and licence✓ Compiled
02Capital and fees✓ Compiled
03How licences combine✓ Compiled
04Entity structure✓ Compiled
05Key people✓ Compiled
06Risks and next steps✓ Compiled
Screen recording coming soon

Everything included

The full setup advisory workflow

Guided intake

Plain questions about the business. Scout turns the answers into the profile the advice is built on.

Free zones and mainland

Routes compared on packages, visas, office rules, renewal and the activities each licence allows.

Regulated activities

When an activity needs DFSA, FSRA, VARA, the Central Bank or the CMA, Scout names the licence, the capital and the people it requires.

A written report

The recommended route, the reasons, the alternatives and the likely costs, each figure with its source.

Cases for advisers

Track each client's setup from the first question to incorporation.

Free guides

Free zone costs, activity look-ups and comparisons, open to everyone without an account.

Before you ask

Common questions

Who is Scout for?

What does the report cover?

Is it legal advice?

Does Scout connect to the rest of Arakan?

Ready to run
a setup evaluation?

Describe the business and get a written advisory: where to set up, why, and what it will cost.

Already registered?

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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Resources

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Free tools & guides

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  • Business activity look-up
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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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