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Sub-zone · RAKEZ · Ras Al Khaimah

Al Hulaila Industrial Zone

Al Hulaila Industrial Zone (RAKEZ)

Al Hulaila Industrial Zone · Est. 2017 · RAKEZ

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

Heavy and medium manufacturers, building-materials producers and bulk-cargo traders who need large plots or warehouses, on-site labour housing and port access at northern-emirates cost levels, with VAT designated-zone benefits on goods.

Not ideal for

Consultancies, freelancers and e-commerce SMEs wanting flexi-desk pricing and an office community (use RAKEZ business zones instead), and any business that needs published fixed pricing or a Dubai address.

01Capability profile

Six independent dimensions, scored from official zone data.

?
Banking10/15
?
Visa scale3/15
?
Cost (lower=better)18/20
?
Activity breadth20/25
?
Workspace options9/15
?
Location6/10
02Where Al Hulaila Industrial Zone sits

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

Year 1 cost← lower is better

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

Setup time← lower is better

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

Visa caphigher is better →

Al Hulaila Industrial Zone: 5th percentile (6 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 Hulaila 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
Registration
AED 0
Renewal (year 2+)
AED 6,000
3-year total
AED 18,000
2-year visa cost
AED 3,000
Flexi-desk per year
AED 6,000
Hidden & one-off costs
Establishment card
AED 1,500
Cancellation fee
AED 3,000
Visa cancellation
AED 3,500
Emirates ID (per visa)
AED 370
Dependent / spouse visa
AED 1,505
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
6
Flexi-desk cap
0
Office cap
6
Warehouse cap
6
Family sponsorship
Available
Freelancer permit
Not available
Golden visa
Available
Green visa
Available
Medical required
Yes
Processing time
~5 days
Workspace options
Virtual office
No
Flexi-desk
No
Coworking
No
Dedicated office
Yes
Executive office
No
Warehouse
Yes
Industrial unit
Yes
Land plot
Yes
Ejari issued
No
Parking
Yes
Dedicated office cost
AED 27,000/yr
05Banking & setup

Banking difficulty, partner banks, and setup timeline.

Banking
Difficulty
Moderate
Time to account
~10 days
Minimum deposit
AED 10,000
Corp tax rate
0%
Audit cost (est)
AED 5,000
UBO filing
Required
AML / KYC
standard
Partner banks
Contact zone authority for banking guidanceRAKBankEmirates NBD
Neo-bank options
Wio BusinessMashreq NeoBizRAKBANK digital onboarding
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 ~10 days · Moderate banking
  5. Operational
    Typically ~7 days, up to ~30 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
Industrial Unit – EntryBest value2AED 20,000AED 16,500
Industrial Unit – Standard4AED 30,000AED 24,000
Large Industrial / Warehouse6AED 45,000AED 36,000
07Permitted activities

Activity categories, restrictions, and approval flags.

3000+ activities

Heavy industrial manufacturing

Building materials

Plastics & packaging

Assembly & processing

Bulk storage & distribution

Categories
Industrial / ManufacturingCommercial / TradingLogistics & WarehousingImport-Export
Matched industry clusters
tradingmediaindustriallogisticseducation
Restricted
Banking, insurance and regulated financial services (require federal regulators)Retail to public (routed via mainland licence/distributor)Activities requiring ministerial/external approvals handled case-by-case
Require approval
Chemicals & hazardous materialsFood & beverage manufacturingPharmaceuticalsEnvironmental/industrial-impact assessments for heavy industry
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: Industrial, Manufacturing, Trading, Logistics

40000 companiessmall communityNetworking events: YesIncubator: No
Notable companies

IAG (International Armored Group), Sunreef Yachts, Knauf

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

12 strengths · 3 caveats.

Strengths
  • ["VAT designated zone ('Al Hulaila Industrial Zone - Free Zone'
  • Cabinet Decision 59/2017): qualifying goods movements treated as outside UAE VAT scope - a real cash-flow advantage for traders/manufacturers"
  • 'Purpose-built for heavy industry: land plots from 5
  • 000 m2
  • warehouses 150-10
  • 000 m2
  • heavy power/water/gas utilities and multi-lane highway access'
  • 'On-site staff and labour accommodation (lease or build) cuts workforce logistics cost'
  • "Close to Saqr Port
  • MENA's largest bulk-cargo port - strong for import of raw materials and bulk export"
  • 'RAKEZ-level cost advantage: SME licence packages from AED 6
  • 000 and 0% corporate tax on qualifying income; operating costs 30-50% below Dubai industrial zones']
Caveats
  • Industrial-only product set: no flexi desks, coworking or executive offices in-district (small/medium offices only); SME packages sit in RAKEZ business zones
  • No published tariff for industrial licences, land or warehouses - everything is quote-based, slowing cost comparison
  • Zone-specific public data is thin (tenant counts, named companies, district history); RAK location is ~1 hour from Dubai

Not ideal for: Consultancies, freelancers and e-commerce SMEs wanting flexi-desk pricing and an office community (use RAKEZ business zones instead), and any business that needs published fixed pricing or a Dubai address.

10Recent developments

2 policy and pricing updates on record.

  1. 2025-Q2Al Hulaila Industrial Zone launched a dedicated heavy equipment and construction materials cluster, attracting new tenants from the UAE's infrastructure buildout cycle.
  2. 2024-Q3RAKEZ introduced a utilities optimisation programme at Al Hulaila to help industrial tenants reduce electricity and water costs through smart metering.
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 Hulaila 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 Hulaila 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 Hulaila Industrial Zone
Established
2017
Authority
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★10 reviewsGoogle

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16Take the next step

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