International Free Zone Authority
Dubai Silicon Oasis / Dubai Digital Park · Est. 2017 · IFZA (IFZA FZCO) - operates under Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority umbrella per Oct 2020 agreement; DSOA now part of DIEZ
Cost-conscious SMEs, consultants and e-commerce founders who want a genuine Dubai (DSO) address, 1-6 residence visas and fast remote setup without premium-zone pricing.
Businesses needing VAT designated-zone goods treatment, premium brand positioning, very large visa headcounts, or regulated financial/healthcare activities requiring external licences.
01Capability profile
02Where IFZA sits
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Corporate bank account opening difficulty. Each cell is one zone.
03Costs
- Base licence
- AED 12,900
- Registration
- AED 0
- Renewal (year 2+)
- AED 12,900
- 3-year total
- AED 38,700
- 2-year visa cost
- AED 3,750
- Establishment card
- AED 2,000
- Cancellation fee
- AED 2,000
- Visa renewal
- AED 3,750
- Visa cancellation
- AED 750
- Emirates ID (per visa)
- AED 370
- Dependent / spouse visa
- AED 3,500
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04Visas & workspace
- Maximum visas
- 50
- Flexi-desk cap
- 6
- Office cap
- 9
- Family sponsorship
- Available
- Freelancer permit
- Not available
- Medical required
- Yes
- Processing time
- ~14 days
- Virtual office
- Yes
- Flexi-desk
- Yes
- Coworking
- Yes
- Dedicated office
- Yes
- Executive office
- Yes
- Warehouse
- No
- Industrial unit
- No
- Land plot
- No
- Ejari issued
- Yes
- Parking
- Yes
- Dedicated office cost
- AED 20,000/yr
05Banking & setup
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to account
- ~14 days
- Minimum deposit
- AED 25,000
- Corp tax rate
- 0%
- Audit cost (est)
- AED 499
- UBO filing
- Required
- AML / KYC
- standard
- Registration modeFully online — no in-person visit required
- Documents & applicationPassport, visa, business plan — ~3–5 days
- Licence issued~2 business days after submission
- Bank account activeAdditional ~14 days · Moderate banking
- OperationalTypically ~5 days, up to ~14 days
06Permitted activities
Import and export trading
Professional consultancy and multiple types of services including technical and lifestyle
Some activities require additional approval from the zone authority.
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: General Business, E-commerce, Services
Primarily SMEs, startups, and international consultancies rather than publicly listed corporations.
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
- Low Dubai entry price: 0-visa license AED 12,900, 1-visa AED 14,900, with price locked for 3 renewals and multi-year discounts up to 30%
- Generous visa quota for the price: up to 6 visas on a flexi-desk package
- Fully remote incorporation in 3-5 working days; no minimum share capital and 100% foreign ownership
- 1 Residence Visa FREE for Life promotion on 1+ visa packages (covers visa fee for one person)
- Own banking desk (IFZA Money) with Wio, Mashreq and CBD partnerships speeds up account opening
- Mandatory financial statement at every renewal since Jan 2024 - simplified (~AED 499) only for companies <= AED 3M turnover and <9 staff, otherwise audited accounts
- Not a VAT designated zone - standard 5% VAT rules apply to all transactions
- No public schedule of charges: must buy through Professional Partners, so final quotes vary by agent
- Late renewal penalty is a steep fixed AED 1,000/month on license plus AED 1,000/month on the establishment card
Not ideal for: Businesses needing VAT designated-zone goods treatment, premium brand positioning, very large visa headcounts, or regulated financial/healthcare activities requiring external licences.
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.
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.
10About this data
IFZA 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
- Dubai Silicon Oasis / Dubai Digital Park
- Established
- 2017
- Authority
- IFZA (IFZA FZCO) - operates under Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority umbrella per Oct 2020 agreement; DSOA now part of DIEZ
- Last verified
- 2026-07-18
- Confidence
- high
- Methodology
- How we score →
- QFZP eligibility (0% corporate tax)Official · 2026-07-18Cabinet Decision No. 100 of 2023 on Qualifying Income ↗
- Audit requirementOfficial · 2026-07-18Primary source ↗
- Economic substanceOfficial · 2026-07-18Primary source ↗
- Mainland trading permitOfficial · 2026-07-18Dubai DED — mainland trading permits for free-zone companies ↗
11Founder reviews
Founder reviews
“Best value in Dubai. Mashreq Neo account opened in 3 weeks. No issues with clients — they just see a Dubai address.”
“Smooth process. Visa took 5 weeks total. Banking was easier than expected — applied to Mashreq and Emirates NBD simultaneously.”
Not sure if IFZA is the right fit?
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