Al Ain International Airport Free Zone
Al Ain — Al Ain International Airport (AAN), Eastern Region, Abu Dhabi Emirate · Est. 2012 · Abu Dhabi Airports Free Zone (ADAFZ), a division of Abu Dhabi Airports
Aviation, aerospace/MRO, air-cargo and freight businesses that want an Abu Dhabi airport base at Al Ain — especially operators eyeing the Oman corridor via the planned Hafeet Rail link — plus light manufacturers and e-commerce logistics firms wanting designated-zone VAT treatment on goods.
Businesses that need transparent online pricing and instant online setup, a large visible tenant community, or frequent passenger connectivity; financial-services firms (use ADGM) and freelancers (no permit offered).
01Capability profile
02Where AAIAFZ sits
AAIAFZ: 46th percentile (AED 12,000) · Licence + registration, AED.
AAIAFZ: 25th percentile (14 days) · Total estimated days from application to operational.
AAIAFZ: 62th percentile (100 visas) · Absolute maximum visa allocation. Values above 500 clipped to the right edge so the bulk of the distribution stays readable.
AAIAFZ: Moderate · Corporate bank account opening difficulty. Each cell is one zone.
03Costs
- Base licence
- AED 8,000
- Registration
- AED 4,000
- Renewal (year 2+)
- AED 8,000
- 3-year total
- AED 28,000
- 2-year visa cost
- AED 3,170
- Establishment card
- AED 834
- Minimum share capital
- AED 150,000
- Cancellation fee
- AED 3,500
- Visa cancellation
- AED 170
- Emirates ID (per visa)
- AED 370
- Dependent / spouse visa
- AED 500
Notify me if fees change — get an email if AAIAFZ updates its licence or setup costs.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Only emails you when costs change.
04Visas & workspace
- Maximum visas
- 100
- Flexi-desk cap
- 1
- Office cap
- 3
- Warehouse cap
- 3
- Family sponsorship
- Available
- Freelancer permit
- Not available
- Golden visa
- Available
- Green visa
- Available
- Medical required
- Yes
- Processing time
- ~5 days
- Virtual office
- No
- Flexi-desk
- Yes
- Coworking
- Yes
- Dedicated office
- Yes
- Executive office
- Yes
- Warehouse
- Yes
- Industrial unit
- No
- Land plot
- Yes
- Ejari issued
- Yes
- Parking
- Yes
- Dedicated office cost
- AED 75,500/yr
05Banking & setup
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to account
- ~10 days
- Minimum deposit
- AED 15,000
- Corp tax rate
- 0%
- Audit cost (est)
- AED 7,000
- UBO filing
- Required
- AML / KYC
- standard
- Registration modeFully online — no in-person visit required
- Documents & applicationPassport, visa, business plan — ~3–5 days
- Licence issued~5 business days after submission
- Bank account activeAdditional ~10 days · Moderate banking
- OperationalTypically ~14 days, up to ~30 days
06Permitted activities
Aircraft interiors
Airport services
Aircraft charter operations
In-flight catering & flight support services
MRO (hangar-based, 700-7,000 sqm hangars at Al Ain)
Cold storage - food & beverage
Pharmaceutical logistics
Freight forwarding & cargo handling
Light manufacturing & assembly
Regional headquarters
07Jurisdiction & ecosystem
This zone offers physical-office options sufficient for a standard QFZP substance posture, though the bar still applies at the entity level (CTGFZP1).
Focus: Aviation & aerospace services, MRO, Air cargo & freight forwarding, E-commerce & logistics, Pharma & biotechnology, Food & agritech, Light manufacturing & assembly, Technology & ICT, Trading & regional HQ
FedEx (ADAFZ Logistics Park, AUH), DHL (ADAFZ Logistics Park, AUH), SMSA Express (branch, joined 2020), Honeywell (joined 2020; Al Ain N95 mask line with Strata), Adjacent Al Ain aerospace cluster (Nibras Al Ain Aerospace Park, separate entity): Strata Manufacturing, AMMROC, Horizon International Flight Academy, Etihad Aviation Training
QFZP, audit, mainland-permit and substance values are sourced where the zone authority or FTA publishes them, and inferred from published zone characteristics otherwise. How we determine these values.
08Strengths & limitations
- ['Direct airport integration at Al Ain (AAN): offices
- warehouses
- serviced land and aircraft hangars inside the airport precinct'
- 'VAT designated zone since 18/06/2018 — goods handled in-zone sit outside UAE VAT scope (Cabinet Decision 59/2017)'
- "Sits within Al Ain's aerospace cluster (Nibras park: Strata
- AMMROC
- Horizon) — strong MRO/aerospace ecosystem"
- 'Planned Hafeet Rail link will connect AAN to the UAE-Oman railway
- adding an air-rail freight corridor to Sohar'
- '0% corporate tax on qualifying income (QFZP)
- 100% foreign ownership
- 100% repatriation
- no customs duties in-zone']
- No independent authority or published price list — licensing, pricing and visas are quote-based through ADAFZ; 2026 tariffs not public
- Small, quiet precinct with limited scheduled passenger flights at AAN; most ADAFZ ecosystem weight sits at Zayed International (AUH)
- Minimum paid-up capital AED 150,000 (higher for aviation/manufacturing segments) and annual audit required
- Last published official fee schedule is ~2021 — budgeting requires a direct written quote
Not ideal for: Businesses that need transparent online pricing and instant online setup, a large visible tenant community, or frequent passenger connectivity; financial-services firms (use ADGM) and freelancers (no permit offered).
09Tax considerations
Does your planned revenue qualify under the QFZP qualifying-income rules?
QFZP 0% only applies to qualifying income. Mainland trading or revenue from non-free-zone clients is generally non-qualifying and taxed at 9%.
Will you need audited accounts even if this zone doesn't require them?
FTA corporate-tax filing typically expects audited accounts for revenue above AED 50M, and banks often request them at much lower thresholds.
Do your goods movements actually fall inside the VAT Designated Zone treatment?
Designated Zone status applies to goods within the zone, not services. Most service businesses get no VAT benefit from being inside one.
How much of your revenue will come from mainland UAE customers, and how does that affect QFZP and 5% VAT obligations?
Mainland revenue beyond ad-hoc levels can disqualify QFZP and triggers full 9% corporate tax plus standard VAT on supplies.
Do any of your customers, suppliers, or shareholders meet the FTA's related-party definition?
Related-party transactions need transfer-pricing documentation and may push otherwise-qualifying income into the 9% bracket.
These prompts are due-diligence questions, not tax advice. Confirm every answer with a UAE-licensed tax advisor before incorporating.
10Similar zones in Abu Dhabi
11About this data
AAIAFZ data is sourced from official zone authority publications, government fee schedules, and where available, verified against direct communications with the zone. All figures in AED.
- Location
- Al Ain — Al Ain International Airport (AAN), Eastern Region, Abu Dhabi Emirate
- Established
- 2012
- Authority
- Abu Dhabi Airports Free Zone (ADAFZ), a division of Abu Dhabi Airports
- Last verified
- 2026-07-18
- Confidence
- high
- Methodology
- How we score →
- QFZP eligibility (0% corporate tax)Secondary · 2026-07-18Primary source ↗
- Audit requirementSecondary · 2026-07-18Primary source ↗
- Economic substanceSecondary · 2026-07-18Primary source ↗
- Mainland trading permitSecondary · 2026-07-18Primary source ↗
12Founder reviews
Founder reviews
No founder reviews yet for AAIAFZ. Be the first to share your experience.
Not sure if AAIAFZ is the right fit?
Complex situations — holding structures, regulated activities, multi-jurisdiction setups — benefit from a 20-minute call with a specialist. No commitment required.
At-a-glance metrics, strengths, trade-offs, partner banks, and a setup checklist for AAIAFZ. We email a download link to your inbox.
We use your email only to send this report and a short follow-up sequence. Unsubscribe anytime.