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Sub-zone · RAKEZ · Ras Al Khaimah

Al Ghail Industrial Zone

Al Ghail Industrial Zone (RAKEZ)

Al Ghail, inland southern Ras Al Khaimah; near RAK International Airport and the Etihad Rail freight corridor · Est. 2007 · Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ)

AED 6,000/ yr
high confidenceVerified 18 Jul 2026official ↗
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Best for

Large manufacturers and heavy industry needing serviced land or big-footprint warehouses at the UAE's lowest per-sqm costs - building materials, metals, automotive, plastics, chemicals, F&B and battery/energy-storage producers, especially export-oriented plants that benefit from designated-zone VAT treatment.

Not ideal for

Startups, freelancers and service businesses (no flexi desks or offices on site - use RAKEZ business zones instead); port-dependent bulk importers who should compare Al Hulaila next to Saqr Port; and businesses wanting transparent published pricing before engaging a sales team.

01Capability profile

Six independent dimensions, scored from official zone data.

?
Banking10/15
?
Visa scale15/15
?
Cost (lower=better)18/20
?
Activity breadth4/25
?
Workspace options6/15
?
Location6/10
02Where Al Ghail Industrial Zone sits

Tick marks for every zone, Al Ghail Industrial Zone highlighted. The shape of the field, not just the rank.

Year 1 cost← lower is better

Al Ghail Industrial Zone: 81th percentile (AED 6,000) · Licence + registration, AED.

Setup time← lower is better

Al Ghail Industrial Zone: 65th percentile (7 days) · Total estimated days from application to operational.

Visa caphigher is better →

Al Ghail Industrial Zone: 94th percentile (500 visas) · Absolute maximum visa allocation. Values above 500 clipped to the right edge so the bulk of the distribution stays readable.

Banking ease← better
Easy
4
Moderate
73
Difficult
15
Very difficult
1

Al Ghail Industrial Zone: Moderate · Corporate bank account opening difficulty. Each cell is one zone.

03Costs

Year-one license, renewals, and 5-year totals in AED.

6,000
Year 1 minimum · AED
AED 23,305 less than DMCC
budget tier
Show in
Base licence
AED 6,000
Renewal (year 2+)
AED 6,000
3-year total
AED 18,000
2-year visa cost
AED 3,800
Flexi-desk per year
AED 6,000
Hidden & one-off costs
Establishment card
AED 1,500
Cancellation fee
AED 3,000
Visa renewal
AED 1,800
Visa cancellation
AED 600
Emirates ID (per visa)
AED 370
Dependent / spouse visa
AED 2,500
Year-on-year fee tracking begins 2026 — changes appear here as they accrue.
Indicative, from published ratesOfficial fee schedule ↗Verified 2026-07high confidence

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04Visas & workspace

Visa caps, workspace options, and family-sponsorship rules.

Visa allocation
Maximum visas
500
Flexi-desk cap
0
Office cap
3
Warehouse cap
1
Family sponsorship
Available
Freelancer permit
Available
Golden visa
Available
Green visa
Available
Medical required
Yes
Processing time
~7 days
Workspace options
Virtual office
No
Flexi-desk
No
Coworking
No
Dedicated office
No
Executive office
No
Warehouse
Yes
Industrial unit
Yes
Land plot
Yes
Ejari issued
No
Parking
Yes
05Banking & setup

Banking difficulty, partner banks, and setup timeline.

Banking
Difficulty
Moderate
Time to account
~20 days
Minimum deposit
AED 10,000
Corp tax rate
0%
Audit cost (est)
AED 7,000
UBO filing
Required
AML / KYC
standard
Partner banks
Contact zone authority for banking guidanceRAKBankEmirates NBD
Neo-bank options
Wio Business
Setup timeline
  1. Registration mode
    Fully online — no in-person visit required
  2. Documents & application
    Passport, visa, business plan — ~3–5 days
  3. Licence issued
    ~3 business days after submission
  4. Bank account active
    Additional ~20 days · Moderate banking
  5. Operational
    Typically ~7 days, up to ~60 days
06Package pricing

3 packages from official fee schedules.

All figures in AED, from official fee schedules. Visa and health-insurance costs are additional.

PackageVisasYear 1Renewal
Light Industrial Unit – SmallBest value3AED 22,000AED 18,000
Light Industrial Unit – Medium5AED 32,000AED 26,000
Heavy Industrial Unit8AED 50,000AED 40,000
07Permitted activities

Activity categories, restrictions, and approval flags.

3000+ activitiesMainland selling: YesDual license: Yes

Global manufacturing

Warehousing

Storage

Land development for manufacturing plants

Labour accommodations

Offices

Categories
Heavy manufacturingBuilding materials & metalsAutomotive assemblyPlastics & polymersChemicals & petroleum productsFood & beverage processingPackagingEnergy storage / batteriesIndustrial logistics & warehousingTrading (industrial goods)
Matched industry clusters
industrial
Restricted
Banking and financial services (require Central Bank licensing / specialised financial zones)InsuranceGambling and illegal activitiesCertain hazardous industrial activities may be routed to Al Hulaila or require special permits
08Jurisdiction & ecosystem

Legal framework, tax status, audit requirements, and zone focus — every value sourced.

Common lawNo
VAT designated zoneYes
QFZP eligible (0% tax)Yes
Inferred · 2026-07-18
Mainland permitYes
Inferred · 2026-07-18
Audit requiredNo
Inferred · 2026-07-18
Economic substancestandard
Inferred · 2026-07-18

This zone offers physical-office options sufficient for a standard QFZP substance posture, though the bar still applies at the entity level (CTGFZP1).

Focus: Heavy & large-scale manufacturing, Building materials & metals, Automotive assembly, Plastics & chemicals, F&B processing & packaging, Energy storage / renewables, Industrial logistics

40000+ companieslarge communityNetworking events: YesIncubator: Yes
Notable companies

Ashok Leyland (India), Shandong timber park (China), Vertiv (USA), NI MET (Canada), Huhtamaki (Finland/Norway), Statevolt Emirates (planned $3.2bn gigafactory)

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.

09Strengths & limitations

5 strengths · 4 caveats.

Strengths
  • UAE-scale industrial land: 28.2M sq m with 5,000+ sqm serviced plots and 25-50-year leases at some of the lowest per-sqm rates in the country
  • VAT designated zone since July 2019 - goods movements to other designated zones/exports can fall outside UAE VAT scope
  • Proven heavy-industry track record: Ashok Leyland, Vertiv, Huhtamaki, plus $3.2bn Statevolt gigafactory and Shandong timber park anchoring supply chains
  • Full industrial infrastructure: 24/7 government power/gas/water, open yards pre-approved by Civil Defence, on-site labour accommodation
  • Free-zone or non-free-zone entity choice inside the same district, with RAKEZ one-stop-shop government services
Caveats
  • Inland location away from Saqr Port - bulk maritime cargo needs road transfer (Al Hulaila/Al Hamra sit closer to the port)
  • No public fee schedule for industrial licences, land or warehouses - every quote is bespoke, slowing cost comparison
  • No commercial amenities in the district itself; offices, retail and services are 15-25 minutes away in RAK city
  • Industrial approvals (EPDA environmental permit, Civil Defence) add weeks to setup versus a standard licence

Not ideal for: Startups, freelancers and service businesses (no flexi desks or offices on site - use RAKEZ business zones instead); port-dependent bulk importers who should compare Al Hulaila next to Saqr Port; and businesses wanting transparent published pricing before engaging a sales team.

10Recent developments

2 policy and pricing updates on record.

  1. 2024-Q4RAKEZ expanded Al Ghail Industrial Zone with 30 new industrial units targeting food processing and light manufacturing businesses relocating from higher-cost emirates.
  2. 2025-Q3Al Ghail Industrial Zone introduced a sustainability programme offering energy efficiency audits and subsidised solar panel installations for industrial unit tenants.
11Tax considerations

5 tax questions relevant to this zone.

Questions to raise with your tax advisor

  1. 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%.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

12Frequently asked

3 common questions specific to Al Ghail Industrial Zone.

13Similar zones in Ras Al Khaimah

3 comparable zones in the same emirate.

14About this data

Last verified 2026-07-18 · high confidence.

Al Ghail Industrial Zone 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 Ghail, inland southern Ras Al Khaimah; near RAK International Airport and the Etihad Rail freight corridor
Established
2007
Authority
Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ)
Last verified
2026-07-18
Confidence
high
Methodology
How we score →
Cited source
Fee data sourced from the official fee schedule, fetched 2026-07-18. View source ↗
Per-field citations
How we verify every zone →
15Founder reviews

What founders who've registered here say.

4.2★1,200 reviewsGoogle

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