DAFZ Industrial Park
Al Qusais Industrial Area 5, ~5 km from Dubai International Airport (DXB) · Est. 2017 · Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZA), a member of Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ)
Importers, distributors, 3PLs, pharma/food cold-chain operators and light-assembly businesses that need bonded, customs-cleared warehouse space minutes from DXB air cargo, with 20-30 staff visas per unit.
Heavy manufacturers needing high power loads or land plots (look at Dubai Industrial City/KEZAD), and office-first or startup-stage businesses that belong in the main DAFZ Business Park or cheaper zones.
01Capability profile
02Where DAFZ Industrial Park sits
DAFZ Industrial Park: 12th percentile (AED 22,000) · Licence + registration, AED.
DAFZ Industrial Park: 65th percentile (7 days) · Total estimated days from application to operational.
DAFZ Industrial Park: 27th percentile (30 visas) · Absolute maximum visa allocation. Values above 500 clipped to the right edge so the bulk of the distribution stays readable.
DAFZ Industrial Park: Moderate · Corporate bank account opening difficulty. Each cell is one zone.
03Costs
- Base licence
- AED 15,000
- Registration
- AED 7,000
- Renewal (year 2+)
- AED 15,000
- 3-year total
- AED 52,000
- 2-year visa cost
- AED 3,200
- Flexi-desk per year
- AED 12,000
- Establishment card
- AED 2,020
- Minimum share capital
- AED 1
- Visa renewal
- AED 2,500
- Visa cancellation
- AED 600
- Emirates ID (per visa)
- AED 395
- Dependent / spouse visa
- AED 2,000
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04Visas & workspace
- Maximum visas
- 30
- Flexi-desk cap
- 0
- Office cap
- 3
- Warehouse cap
- 20
- Family sponsorship
- Available
- Freelancer permit
- Available
- Golden visa
- Available
- Green visa
- Available
- Medical required
- Yes
- Processing time
- ~7 days
- Virtual office
- No
- Flexi-desk
- No
- Coworking
- No
- Dedicated office
- No
- Executive office
- No
- Warehouse
- Yes
- Industrial unit
- Yes
- Land plot
- No
- Ejari issued
- No
- Parking
- Yes
05Banking & setup
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to account
- ~14 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~3 business days after submission
- Bank account activeAdditional ~14 days · Moderate banking
- OperationalTypically ~7 days, up to ~21 days
06Permitted activities
Bonded warehousing with 24/7 customs clearance
Cold storage (10 cold-storage-enabled warehouses)
Light assembly and light production in thermal-insulated LIUs
Air-cargo logistics tied to DXB (150+ airlines, 220+ destinations)
Aviation MRO support and electronics/pharma distribution
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: Warehousing & Distribution, Cold Chain (pharma, food & beverage), Light Manufacturing & Assembly, Air Freight & Logistics, E-commerce Fulfilment, Electronics
Tna Mena FZCO (food-processing equipment; confirmed Industrial Park warehouse tenant via shipping records)
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
- Bonded warehouses inside a VAT designated zone with 24/7 customs clearance and 5-km proximity to DXB air cargo (150+ airlines, 220+ destinations)
- Generous visa quotas for an industrial product: 20 visas (<=350 sqm) / 30 visas (>350 sqm) per official DAFZ policy
- Purpose-built stock: 33 Grade-A warehouses (10 cold-storage enabled, 7.9-11.1 m clear height, up to 200 kW power) plus thermal-insulated ~350 sqm LIUs with 90 sqm fitted offices
- Flexible multi-client/shared warehouse leasing lets smaller importers rent part-units instead of whole buildings
- Same DAFZA licence, audit credibility and on-campus banks (Emirates NBD, ADIB) as the parent zone; min share capital AED 1
- Premium rents (~AED 800-900/sqm/yr incl. service charge; LIUs up to ~AED 1,100/sqm) - a 312 sqm warehouse runs ~AED 250k-280k/yr before licence and visas, and DAFZ publishes no tariff so final quotes need direct inquiry
- No standalone offices, flexi desks or land plots at the park - admin teams needing Grade-A office space must lease separately at the main DAFZ campus
- Power capped at 200 kW and light-industrial scope rules out heavier manufacturing; mandatory DAFZ-approved annual audit adds compliance cost
Not ideal for: Heavy manufacturers needing high power loads or land plots (look at Dubai Industrial City/KEZAD), and office-first or startup-stage businesses that belong in the main DAFZ Business Park or cheaper zones.
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.
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11About this data
DAFZ Industrial Park 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 Qusais Industrial Area 5, ~5 km from Dubai International Airport (DXB)
- Established
- 2017
- Authority
- Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZA), a member of Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ)
- 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 ↗
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