Skip to main content
Tier 2 · Fujairah

Fujairah Free Zone

Fujairah Free Zone Authority

Sakamkam, adjacent to the Port of Fujairah · Est. 1987 · Fujairah Free Zone Authority

AED 10,300/ yr
high confidenceVerified 18 Jul 2026official ↗
Find zones like this →
Best for

Goods traders, import/export and logistics companies that want a designated VAT zone next to a major port at northern-emirates prices, plus light manufacturers needing warehouse or land facilities.

Not ideal for

Consultants, tech and media businesses (Fujairah Creative City or Dubai zones fit better), and anyone who needs a published tariff, instant setup or deep banking familiarity with the zone brand.

01Capability profile

Six independent dimensions, scored from official zone data.

?
Banking10/15
?
Visa scale15/15
?
Cost (lower=better)17/20
?
Activity breadth16/25
?
Workspace options15/15
?
Location6/10
02Where Fujairah Free Zone sits

Tick marks for every zone, Fujairah Free Zone highlighted. The shape of the field, not just the rank.

Year 1 cost← lower is better

Fujairah Free Zone: 57th percentile (AED 10,300) · Licence + registration, AED.

Setup time← lower is better

Fujairah Free Zone: 65th percentile (7 days) · Total estimated days from application to operational.

Visa caphigher is better →

Fujairah Free Zone: 40th percentile (50 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

Fujairah Free Zone: Moderate · Corporate bank account opening difficulty. Each cell is one zone.

03Costs

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

10,300
Year 1 minimum · AED
AED 19,005 less than DMCC
budget tier
Show in
Base licence
AED 5,000
Registration
AED 5,300
Renewal (year 2+)
AED 5,000
3-year total
AED 20,300
2-year visa cost
AED 3,460
Hidden & one-off costs
Establishment card
AED 300
Minimum share capital
AED 50,000
Cancellation fee
AED 1,500
Visa renewal
AED 2,500
Visa cancellation
AED 500
Emirates ID (per visa)
AED 370
Dependent / spouse visa
AED 4,500
Year-on-year fee tracking begins 2026 — changes appear here as they accrue.
Indicative, from published ratesOfficial fee schedule ↗Verified 2026-07high confidence

Notify me if fees change — get an email if Fujairah Free Zone updates its licence or setup costs.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Only emails you when costs change.

04Visas & workspace

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

Visa allocation
Maximum visas
50
Flexi-desk cap
2
Office cap
5
Warehouse cap
6
Family sponsorship
Available
Freelancer permit
Not available
Medical required
Yes
Processing time
~10 days
Workspace options
Virtual office
Yes
Flexi-desk
Yes
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 20,000/yr
05Banking & setup

Banking difficulty, partner banks, and setup timeline.

Banking
Difficulty
Moderate
Time to account
~21 days
Minimum deposit
AED 10,000
Corp tax rate
0%
Audit cost (est)
AED 5,000
UBO filing
Required
AML / KYC
standard
Partner banks
Fujairah National Bank (FNB)RAKBankADCBEmirates NBD
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
    ~2 business days after submission
  4. Bank account active
    Additional ~21 days · Moderate banking
  5. Operational
    Typically ~7 days, up to ~15 days
06Package pricing

4 packages from official fee schedules.

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

PackageVisasYear 1Renewal
Trading License – Flexi – 1 VisaBest value1AED 11,500AED 10,000
Trading License – Flexi – 3 Visas3AED 16,000AED 13,500
Industrial License – Unit4AED 25,000AED 20,000
Warehouse Unit – 5 Visas5AED 30,000AED 24,000
07Permitted activities

Activity categories, restrictions, and approval flags.

35+ activity categories (official open-data figure; no full list published) activitiesMainland selling: Yes

Oil and petrochemicals trading

Marine and bunkering-related services

Logistics and freight forwarding

Mining and rock processing

Aviation services

Categories
TradingGeneral TradingService/ConsultancyIndustrial/ManufacturingProcessingLogisticsMarine/MaritimePetrochemicalsEngineeringAviationMining
Matched industry clusters
consultingtradingindustriallogistics
Restricted
Activities that are illegal in the UAErequire special approvals from other government bodies (e.g.bankinginsurance)or are against public policy.
08Jurisdiction & ecosystem

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

Common lawNo
VAT designated zoneNo
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: Trading and import/export, Logistics and maritime services, Light manufacturing and industrial

663 active registered companies on FFZA official directory (accessed 2026-07-17) companiesmedium communityNetworking events: YesIncubator: No
Notable companies

Vopak Horizon Fujairah Limited, Vitol Bunkers (Fujairah Branch), Vitol Resources Middle East FZE, Gulf Energy Maritime (GEM) PJSC (Fujairah Branch), Aggreko Fujairah FZE

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

8 strengths · 6 caveats.

Strengths
  • ["One of the UAE's cheapest goods-trading setups: ~AED 10
  • 000 licence + AED 5
  • 300 one-time registration (agent-corroborated)"
  • 'Designated VAT zone (Cabinet Decision 59/2017): goods move in/out and between designated zones outside the scope of UAE VAT'
  • "Direct adjacency to the Port of Fujairah - the world's third-largest bunkering hub
  • outside the Strait of Hormuz"
  • 'Full facility ladder from flexi desk (agent-cited ~AED 900/month) to warehouses and industrial land'
  • 'Online setup via Fujairah Digital Government portal; licence advertised as issued within 1 hour after security approval']
Caveats
  • ['No published official fee schedule - all pricing must be confirmed by quote; agent figures vary widely'
  • "Security approval (5-7 days) gates every application
  • so real setup time is 1-2 weeks despite the '1-hour licence' marketing"
  • 'Google rating of 3.8 (45 reviews) is mediocre; location outside Dubai/Abu Dhabi reduces bank familiarity and networking depth'
  • 'No freelancer permit; legal forms limited to FZE
  • FZC and branch']

Not ideal for: Consultants, tech and media businesses (Fujairah Creative City or Dubai zones fit better), and anyone who needs a published tariff, instant setup or deep banking familiarity with the zone brand.

10Recent developments

2 policy and pricing updates on record.

  1. 2025-Q1Fujairah Free Zone announced a new logistics cluster development adjacent to Port Fujairah, with warehousing and distribution facilities available from mid-2025.
  2. 2024-Q3Fujairah Free Zone introduced streamlined digital licensing for service-sector companies, reducing paperwork requirements and enabling faster remote company formation.
11Tax considerations

4 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. 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.

  4. 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

4 common questions specific to Fujairah Free Zone.

13Similar zones in Fujairah

2 comparable zones in the same emirate.

14About this data

Last verified 2026-07-18 · high confidence.

Fujairah Free 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
Sakamkam, adjacent to the Port of Fujairah
Established
1987
Authority
Fujairah Free Zone Authority
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.

3.8★45 reviewsGoogle

Founder reviews

No founder reviews yet for Fujairah Free Zone. Be the first to share your experience.

16Take the next step

Not sure if Fujairah Free Zone 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.

Get the Fujairah Free Zone dossier as a PDF

At-a-glance metrics, strengths, trade-offs, partner banks, and a setup checklist for Fujairah Free Zone. 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.

No tracking cookies. Privacy Policy