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A UAE trade licence starts from around AED 8,650 in a low-cost northern freezone and from AED 25,000 all-in for a Dubai mainland company. The exact figure depends on your business activity, how many visas you need, and which authority you register with. Freezone pricing follows each authority's published fee list plus our service fee; mainland is priced per licence by the DED, so there is no fixed grid.
That range is wide for a reason. A lean consulting company registered in Umm Al Quwain and a mainland trading firm in Dubai with staff visas are two very different animals, and the licence fee is only the first number that matters. The second, and the one most founders underestimate, is whether the licence you pick actually opens the bank account you need.
We have started 1,400+ companies across four freezones and the Dubai mainland since 2007, so the prices below are what setups genuinely cost, not headline figures designed to get you on a call and then revised upward.
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Freezone, mainland or offshore: which trade licence do you actually need?
The right structure comes down to three questions: where your customers are, whether you need UAE residence visas, and whether you plan to hold assets rather than trade.
Freezone suits international businesses, consultants and e-commerce. It is faster and cheaper to set up, tax-efficient, and gives you 100% ownership. The catch is that a freezone company cannot sell directly to UAE mainland customers without a distributor or a separate mainland entity.
Mainland gives you direct access to the UAE market with no trade restrictions, plus the ability to take government contracts and open retail premises. It costs more and requires a real office.
Offshore is for holding assets, owning shares and invoicing clients outside the UAE. It cannot trade inside the UAE, cannot sponsor a residence visa, and cannot take a physical office.
If your customers are international and you want residency and a bank account, a freezone is usually the answer. If your plan depends on supplying the UAE market itself, that has to be built into your structure before you register, not after. We assess your actual activity before recommending a route rather than defaulting everyone to the same zone, and you can see the full process on our business formation service page.
The cheapest UAE trade licence, and the catch nobody mentions
The cheapest genuine UAE trade licence is around AED 8,650 in a low-cost northern freezone such as UAQ FTZ. It is a real company, with a real licence and visa allocation, at the lowest entry cost in the country.
Here is the part most consultants leave out. A licence from a budget northern freezone is often the one a Dubai bank scrutinises hardest. UAE banks operate under strict KYC and anti-money-laundering rules, and some zones carry materially stronger banking relationships than others. If your business plan depends on a UAE corporate account, the few thousand dirhams you save on the licence can cost you the account you actually needed, because the application stalls or gets declined.
This is not a reason to spend more for the sake of it. It is a reason to match the zone to the outcome. We know which zones open accounts faster because we have done it 1,000+ times, with named account-opening officers at 10+ UAE banks. That means we can tell you, before you pay for a licence, whether the cheapest zone will get you banked or quietly cost you weeks. Our bank account opening service works hand in hand with formation for exactly this reason.
Freezone trade licence costs across our four partners
These are the four freezones we register clients with directly. Every figure is an OMC estimate built from that authority's own published fee list plus our service fee and VAT. A consultant confirms your final quote, because the number moves with your activity count and visa package.
UAQ FTZ: from AED 8,650. Includes the company licence, up to 5 shareholders, up to 5 segments, co-working access, lease agreement, registration, visa (per package tier) with medical, Emirates ID, establishment card and E-Channel, plus company documents and bank account opening assistance.
Ajman Free Zone: priced per application. Includes the freezone trade licence, registered agent and office address, and company documents. A consultant quotes this one directly.
Meydan: from AED 15,670. Includes a corporate licence with 3 business activities, company formation, a flexi desk, immigration card (with visas) and visa allocation.
IFZA: from AED 16,050. Includes the IFZA Dubai business licence for one year, up to 3 activities, up to 3 individual shareholders, residence visa allocation per package tier and one complimentary residence visa with any 1+ visa package.
For a lean consulting or e-commerce operation, UAQ FTZ or Ajman give you a real UAE company at the lowest cost. For a trading or consulting business that expects clients and banks to check it out, IFZA and Meydan carry a Dubai address and stronger banking relationships, which usually matters more than the licence fee difference.
What a Dubai mainland trade licence costs, and why there's no fixed grid
A Dubai mainland trade licence starts from AED 25,000 all-in, based on setups we have actually completed. There is no published grid the way there is for a freezone package, because the DED prices each licence on the activity, the company structure and the premises. Two mainland companies in the same building can pay different amounts.
For most activities you can now own 100% of a mainland company as a foreigner. The 2021 amendment to Federal Commercial Companies Law No. 2 of 2015 removed the old 51% local sponsor requirement across the majority of categories, including trading, consultancy, tech and most services. A short list of strategic sectors, such as oil and gas, defence, banking and insurance, still requires UAE national majority ownership.
Mainland does require a real tenancy registered through Ejari, so there is no virtual-office route the way some freezones allow. Office size also drives your visa quota. If a lean setup matters more to you than direct mainland market access, a freezone will usually fit better, and we will say so rather than sell you the more expensive structure.
Company registration in the UAE: what's included and how long it takes
Every OMC formation includes your trade licence, registered agent and office address, and your company documents (licence, MOA/AOA and share certificate). Depending on the package, we add a residence visa, bank account support, or multiple visas and a dedicated setup specialist.
Timelines depend on the authority and your visa count:
1Freezone setups typically complete in 3 to 15 working days after your documents are submitted. Low-cost, no-visa packages are fastest; multi-visa setups take longer.
2Mainland runs longer once you factor in Ejari, initial approvals and MOA notarisation.
3Every step moves through a visible status tracker, so you always know what stage you are at.
On tax, plan for this from day one. Corporate tax is 9% on net profit above AED 375,000 for financial years starting on or after 1 June 2023, per the Federal Tax Authority. VAT registration at 5% becomes mandatory once your taxable turnover exceeds AED 375,000, same source. Corporate tax registration with the FTA is required regardless of whether you end up owing anything, and a freezone company only accesses a 0% rate on qualifying income if it meets the FTA's substance requirements. Treat 0% as something to be established with an accountant, not assumed because you registered in a freezone.
How to choose the right authority for your activity and your bank
Work backwards from the outcome, not forwards from the sticker price. Ask three things in order:
Where are your customers? International clients point you to a freezone. UAE consumers or government contracts point you to the mainland.
Do you need a bank account, and how soon? If yes, the zone's banking relationships matter more than a few thousand dirhams of licence fee. This is where the cheapest option often turns out to be the most expensive.
How many visas, and do you need a physical office? Visa count and premises drive both the price and the timeline.
Applying to the wrong bank for your business type, or with an incomplete file, is what causes most rejections, and a rejection can make the next application harder. We know what each bank's compliance team will ask because we have done it a thousand times, so we choose the zone with your account in mind, not just your licence. Start with our business formation service and we build the whole route around getting you licensed and banked.
Get your exact trade licence price in one free call
Every figure above is a real starting point. Your exact number depends on your activity, your visa count and the zone that actually gets you banked. Rather than guess, we price it properly and tell you which authority fits your business and your bank in one conversation.
A Dubai trade licence starts from AED 25,000 all-in on the mainland, based on setups we have completed, and from AED 15,670 for a Dubai freezone licence with Meydan. There is no fixed mainland grid because the DED prices each licence on activity, structure and premises. Your exact figure depends on your activity and visa count.
What is the cheapest trade licence in the UAE?
The cheapest genuine UAE trade licence is from around AED 8,650 in a low-cost northern freezone such as UAQ FTZ. It is a real company at the lowest entry cost. The trade-off is that budget northern zones are often scrutinised hardest by Dubai banks, so if you need a corporate account, the cheapest licence is not always the cheapest overall.
How long does company registration in the UAE take?
Most freezone setups complete in 3 to 15 working days after your documents are submitted, depending on the package and authority. Low-cost, no-visa packages are fastest, while multi-visa and mainland setups take longer. Authority processing schedules vary, so we confirm a realistic timeline for your specific case at the start.
Can a freezone company sell to UAE mainland customers?
Not directly. A freezone company cannot sell to UAE consumers, local retailers or government entities without appointing a mainland distributor or running a separate mainland entity alongside it. If your customers are international, this rarely matters. If your plan depends on the UAE market itself, factor it into your structure before you register.
Does a UAE mainland licence require a physical office?
Yes. A mainland licence requires a real tenancy registered through Ejari, which links your licence to a physical address. There is no virtual-office route on the mainland the way there is in some freezones. Office size also drives your visa quota, so it affects both your cost and how many people you can sponsor.
Which is better for opening a bank account, freezone or mainland?
It depends on the zone, not just the mainland-versus-freezone question. Some zones carry materially stronger banking relationships than others, which affects how fast an account opens and whether it opens at all. We have opened 1,000+ accounts with named officers at 10+ UAE banks, so we choose the zone with your account in mind rather than the lowest licence fee alone.
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