How much does a JAFZA licence cost?

Budget from around AED 25,000 for year one at the lower end, rising well past AED 70,000 once a warehouse or larger facility is attached. JAFZA prices for infrastructure rather than for lean service companies, so the facility lease is usually the dominant number rather than the licence itself. Ask for the licence fee and the lease quoted separately.

Is JAFZA worth it compared to a cheaper free zone?

Only if you need the port. For trading companies moving containers, holding stock or manufacturing, Jebel Ali adjacency, customs procedures and warehouse supply are genuinely hard to replicate elsewhere. For a consultancy or e-commerce seller with no physical goods, a zone like IFZA, Meydan or Ajman delivers the same licence for a fraction of the cost.

What is the difference between JAFZA and JAFZA Offshore?

They are different products. A JAFZA free zone company is an operating company with premises, visas and a trade licence. JAFZA Offshore is a holding vehicle with no physical presence, no visas and no office, used for asset and share holding. Many groups hold both, but an offshore company cannot trade or sponsor residence visas.

Can I get residence visas through JAFZA?

Yes, through the free zone company, with the allocation tied to your facility. Office and warehouse space produces a materially higher quota than the entry packages at other zones, which is part of what you pay for. The offshore entity carries no visa allocation at all.

Does JAFZA suit e-commerce?

It can, where you hold stock and fulfil orders yourself, because warehousing and customs are on site. If you are drop-shipping or fulfilling through a third party, Dubai CommerCity or a low-cost zone will be cheaper and simpler. Match the zone to whether you physically touch the goods.

Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA)

JAFZA is the largest free zone in the UAE and the one built around physical trade. It sits on Jebel Ali Port, the busiest container port in the region, and houses thousands of companies across logistics, manufacturing, trading and re-export. It is not the cheap option and it is not meant to be: if you move containers, hold stock or manufacture, the port adjacency is worth the premium. If you are a consultancy that needs a desk, you are paying for infrastructure you will never use.

Starting from: AED 25,000 - 70,000 for year one

Why choose Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA)?

Direct access to Jebel Ali Port, the largest container port in the Middle East
Connected to Al Maktoum International Airport, so sea-air transhipment is practical
Warehousing, light industrial units and land plots at genuine scale
Established customs and re-export procedures built for high volume
JAFZA Offshore available separately for holding structures with no physical presence
100% foreign ownership and full profit repatriation

How much does a Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) licence cost?

A licence here typically runs AED 25,000 - 70,000 for year one. The licence is normally issued in 10 - 30 working days once documents are ready, and entry package tiers carry 3 - 8 visas. The low end is a single-activity licence with no staff visas; the high end reflects extra activities, a dedicated office or a higher visa quota.

Largest UAE free zone, attached to Jebel Ali Port; built for scale logistics and manufacturing.

Estimate. Indicative market range for planning, not confirmed with the authority. Check current figures before you apply.

Indicative year-one cost — reviewed October 2026
Item	Indicative cost	Notes
Trade licence (year one)	AED 25,000 - 70,000	Varies with activity count and facility
Establishment / immigration card	AED 1,200 - 2,000	One-off per company, required before any visa
Investor or partner visa (2 years)	AED 3,500 - 5,500	Includes medical, Emirates ID and status change
Employee visa (2 years)	AED 4,000 - 6,500	Per employee
Annual licence renewal	85 - 100% of year-one fee	Excludes one-off formation items

Indicative ranges for planning, not a quote. Zone packages and government fees change — confirm current figures with the authority before you apply.

How many visas do you get?

Quota follows the facility you take, not the licence itself.

What you lease	Typical visa quota	Notes
Licence only (zero-visa)	0	Trade licence with no residency for anyone
Flexi desk / smart desk	1 - 6	Set by the package tier you buy, not by the activity
Dedicated office (15 - 25 sqm)	4 - 8	First step up when a flexi desk runs out of quota
Larger office or warehouse	about 1 per 9 sqm	Subject to the zone approving the allocation

Full detail, including how to increase your allocation: free zone visa quota explained.

Licence types available

Trading licence — import, export, distribution and re-export of specified goods
General trading licence — broad product range under one licence
Industrial licence — manufacturing, processing and assembly
Service licence — services delivered within the zone
National industrial licence — for companies with GCC ownership and local value-add
E-commerce licence — online retail with fulfilment from the zone

How to set up, step by step

Confirm the activity and whether you need warehouse, land or office space
Reserve the trade name and submit the application with a business plan
Receive initial approval and negotiate the facility lease
Pay the licence and lease fees, then sign the lease agreement
Complete fit-out where required and pass Civil Defence inspection
Open the immigration file, register with Dubai Customs and begin operating

Documents you need

Passport copy and recent photograph for each shareholder
Business plan, which JAFZA asks for more often than the low-cost zones
Parent company documents, attested, if registering a subsidiary or branch
Bank reference letter for the shareholders or parent company
Facility requirement specification — size, power, loading access
Two or three preferred trade names

Popular activities

Related guides

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Last updated: October 2026

General information, not advice. Fees, packages and visa quotas are set by the free zone authority and change without notice — confirm current terms before applying.