How much does it cost to set up a business in a UAE Freezone?

The costs to set up a business in a Freezone in the UAE does very significantly vary- depending on the Freezone itself, the location as well as the corporate structure required.

A sole trader structure of FZE (Freezone Establishment) will be lower cost to set up than a Freezone LLC (FZLLC) or a Branch of a Foreign Company.

One key factor with setting up a freezone is to consider the office space requirements, as this can be the main cost. Most of the Freezones offer a virtual office space option for low staff numbers, and this will allow the company to have up to 1 or 2 visas. However, if the company wishes to hire more staff then you will need to take a larger office space in the freezone.

The minimum overall government fees / freezone fees required in order to obtain a trade licence and setup a company in the freezone starts from around AED 11,500. This does not include the fees required to set up the immigration file and eChannel system to allow the Freezone to hire staff and issue UAE employment visas.

If you need assistance with making a decision on what freezone company to set up in UAE, or any other information please do get in touch with us on +971 (0)4 456 1761 for Dubai or +971 (0)2 448 5120 for Abu Dhabi, email us at info@ppg.ae or complete the contact form below and we will be delighted to assist you.