JAFZA vs KEZAD Group: Dubai vs Abu Dhabi
JAFZA vs KEZAD Group comes down to a handful of concrete trade-offs. Both are genuine UAE free zones — 100% ownership, global invoicing, visa sponsorship — so the decision lives in the numbers below, not in the fundamentals. KEZAD Group's Year 1 minimum is AED 9,350 against JAFZA's AED 30,000 — a gap of AED 20,650 (221%) before you add visas or office space. They also sit in different emirates (JAFZA in Dubai, KEZAD Group in Abu Dhabi), which shapes where your licence, address, and client base live. JAFZA (Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA North & South)) sits in Dubai as a Tier 1, premium zone. Year 1 starts around AED 30,000, banking is rated moderate (~14 days to open an account), and the visa cap is 200. It's built for manufacturing, logistics, and large-scale trading companies requiring port access and extensive warehousing. KEZAD Group (Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD Group) sits in Abu Dhabi as a Tier 1, mid-market zone. Year 1 starts around AED 9,350, banking is rated moderate (~14 days to open an account), and the visa cap is 600. It's built for manufacturing, logistics, and trading companies needing port access and strategic market reach.
JAFZA
Dubai · Tier 1
Manufacturers, logistics operators, re-exporters and large-scale trading companies that need port-adjacent warehousing, industrial land or factory space with bonded customs status.
KEZAD Group
Abu Dhabi · Tier 1
Manufacturers, logistics operators and traders needing port-integrated industrial land, warehouses or low-cost free zone licensing with optional mainland market access.
Visual comparison
Six-dimension scoring
Scores are 0–100 normalized across all UAE & GCC zones. Higher is better on every axis. Cost is scored so cheaper = higher. See methodology.
Choose JAFZA if…
- ✓JAFZA's premium-tier ecosystem and brand recognition are worth the higher fee for the buyers you're targeting
- ✓Your operations, clients, or team are anchored in Dubai rather than Abu Dhabi
- ✓You want flexible desk and virtual-office options — JAFZA offers them; KEZAD Group is geared to physical premises
- ✓JAFZA is purpose-built for manufacturing, logistics, and large-scale trading companies requiring port access and extensive warehousing
Choose KEZAD Group if…
- ✓Year 1 cost matters — KEZAD Group opens at AED 9,350 vs JAFZA's AED 30,000, a AED 20,650 head start that compounds every renewal
- ✓You'll hire and scale headcount — KEZAD Group allows up to 600 visas vs JAFZA's 200
- ✓Your operations, clients, or team are anchored in Abu Dhabi rather than Dubai
- ✓Renewals stay lean — KEZAD Group renews at AED 9,350 a year vs JAFZA's AED 20,000, a saving that recurs for the life of the company
- ✓You'd rather not lock up cash — KEZAD Group's minimum bank deposit is AED 15,000 vs JAFZA's AED 50,000
Our Verdict
Default to KEZAD Group — at AED 9,350 in Year 1 it's the lower-risk starting point for most founders. JAFZA makes sense mainly when its ecosystem or address is a direct fit for your buyers; if that edge isn't decisive for your business, the saving is better spent on growth. Use the scored comparison below to pressure-test the call against your own activity, visa count, and banking needs.
Frequently asked questions
Is JAFZA or KEZAD Group cheaper to set up?
KEZAD Group is cheaper. Its Year 1 minimum is AED 9,350 against JAFZA's AED 30,000 — a gap of AED 20,650 before visas or office. Both figures are entry minimums; adding visas and dedicated space narrows or widens the gap depending on package.
Is banking easier at JAFZA or KEZAD Group?
Both are rated moderate for corporate banking, so neither has a structural edge here. Your activity, ownership structure, and source-of-funds documentation will matter more than the zone itself.
How many visas can I get with JAFZA or KEZAD Group?
JAFZA allows up to 200 visas and KEZAD Group up to 600. Most zones tie the practical number to your office type — a flexi-desk supports only a handful, while a dedicated office unlocks the higher cap.
Do JAFZA and KEZAD Group both qualify for 0% corporate tax?
Yes — both are Qualifying Free Zone Persons (QFZP), so genuinely qualifying income is taxed at 0% under the UAE's 9% corporate-tax regime, provided you keep adequate substance and meet the qualifying-income tests. Non-qualifying income (for example mainland-sourced revenue) is taxed at 9% in either zone, so tax treatment isn't a differentiator between them.
Can I move from JAFZA to KEZAD Group later?
Not as a transfer — UAE free zone licences don't migrate between zones. You'd close the first entity and incorporate fresh in the second, which means dissolution costs, re-onboarding your bank, and moving any visas. It's cleaner to pick the right zone up front, or to run two entities deliberately if you genuinely need both.