IFZA Free Zone Company Setup, Dubai (2026)

Who IFZA suits

Consultants, service businesses, trading companies and founders who want a Dubai free-zone licence without premium-zone pricing. IFZA’s wide activity list means most business models fit without contorting the licence.

At a glance

Emirate	Dubai
Typical activities	Consulting, professional services, trading, e-commerce, marketing, IT
Foreign ownership	100%
Indicative entry cost	From roughly AED 5,500–6,000 per year for entry-level, zero-visa packages; higher with visa allocations and premium facilities
Corporate Tax	0% on qualifying income if QFZP conditions are met, otherwise 9% above AED 375,000

On pricing: free-zone authorities revise packages regularly and quotes change with activity, visa count and facility type. Figures here are indicative 2026 market ranges to help you compare — we confirm the live quote with the authority before you commit, with government fees shown separately from our fee.

Strengths

Broad activity list covering most consulting, service and trading models
Competitive package pricing at the entry level
Dubai licensing without the cost of a premium zone
Well-understood process with predictable timelines

Trade-offs to weigh

Not a specialist zone — if you need commodities, media or logistics infrastructure, a targeted zone may serve you better
Entry packages usually come with no or minimal visa allocation; adding visas changes the economics
As with any newer or budget zone, confirm your target bank is comfortable with it before committing

0% is conditional: a free-zone company pays 0% Corporate Tax only on qualifying income while it meets the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions — adequate substance, qualifying activities, transfer-pricing compliance, and non-qualifying revenue within the lower of 5% of revenue or AED 5 million. Breaching them means 9% for that period plus disqualification for the following four tax periods. Read the conditions →

How we set it up

We check that IFZA actually permits your activity and gives you the visa count you need, confirm the live package price with the authority, handle name reservation, application and licence issue, then move straight into establishment card, visas, corporate bank account preparation and Corporate Tax and VAT registration.

Not sure this is the right zone? We compare it against the alternatives on our free zone setup page — the cheapest licence is rarely the right one if it blocks your bank account or caps your visas.

Frequently asked questions

Entry-level packages are advertised from roughly AED 5,500–6,000 per year for zero-visa licences, with cost rising as you add visa allocations and facilities. Authorities revise packages regularly, so we confirm the live quote before you commit.

Visa allocation depends on the package and facility you choose rather than being fixed. Tell us how many people you need to place on visas and we will size the package accordingly — this is one of the most common reasons a cheap licence turns out to be the wrong one.

Yes, and IFZA companies open accounts routinely. Approval depends far more on the quality of your application, business rationale and source-of-funds evidence than on the zone itself. See our corporate bank account page.

IFZA Free Zone Company Setup