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Tier 1 · Dubai

Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA North & South)

Jebel Ali · Est. 1985 · JAFZA / DP World

AED 15,000 – AED 58,500/ yr
high confidenceVerified 18 Jul 2026official ↗
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Best for

Manufacturers, logistics operators, re-exporters and large-scale trading companies that need port-adjacent warehousing, industrial land or factory space with bonded customs status.

Not ideal for

Solo consultants, freelancers and online/service startups with no physical goods - a desk-based zone (DMCC, IFZA, Meydan) will be cheaper and more central. No freelance permit product exists at JAFZA.

01Zones within JAFZA

2 specialist zones operating under JAFZA.

JAFZA is an umbrella authority. Companies register through JAFZA and operate in one of its specialist zones below — each with its own infrastructure, activity focus, and workspace type.

02Capability profile

Six independent dimensions, scored from official zone data.

?
Banking10/15
?
Visa scale15/15
?
Cost (lower=better)15/20
?
Activity breadth12/25
?
Workspace options12/15
?
Location9/10
03Where JAFZA sits

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

Year 1 cost← lower is better

JAFZA: 38th percentile (AED 15,000) · Licence + registration, AED.

Setup time← lower is better

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

Visa caphigher is better →

JAFZA: 83th percentile (200 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

JAFZA: Moderate · Corporate bank account opening difficulty. Each cell is one zone.

04Costs

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

15,000
– 58,500
Year 1 range · AED
AED 14,305 less than DMCC
budget tier
Show in
Base licence
AED 5,000
Registration
AED 10,000
Renewal (year 2+)
AED 5,000
3-year total
AED 25,000
2-year visa cost
AED 2,678
Flexi-desk per year
AED 18,000
Hidden & one-off costs
Establishment card
AED 1,975
Cancellation fee
AED 2,500
Visa renewal
AED 2,083
Visa cancellation
AED 320
Emirates ID (per visa)
AED 380
Dependent / spouse visa
AED 3,500
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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05Visas & workspace

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

Visa allocation
Maximum visas
200
Flexi-desk cap
2
Office cap
10
Family sponsorship
Available
Freelancer permit
Not available
Medical required
Yes
Processing time
~10 days
Workspace options
Virtual office
No
Flexi-desk
Yes
Coworking
Yes
Dedicated office
Yes
Executive office
No
Warehouse
Yes
Industrial unit
Yes
Land plot
Yes
Ejari issued
No
Parking
Yes
Dedicated office cost
AED 30,000/yr
06Banking & setup

Banking difficulty, partner banks, and setup timeline.

Banking
Difficulty
Moderate
Time to account
~14 days
Minimum deposit
AED 25,000
Corp tax rate
0%
Audit cost (est)
AED 5,000
UBO filing
Required
AML / KYC
standard
Partner banks
Emirates NBDHSBCMashreqStandard Chartered
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 ~14 days · Moderate banking
  5. Operational
    Typically ~7 days, up to ~14 days
07Permitted activities

Activity categories, restrictions, and approval flags.

2000+ activitiesMainland selling: No

Port-integrated re-export and bonded warehousing

Automotive & spare parts distribution (new 300,000 sq ft Hellmann-INDU hub, 2026)

Advanced manufacturing and engineering

Food manufacturing & agriculture logistics

Petrochemical and dangerous-goods storage

Categories
LogisticsFood & AgricultureRetail & E-CommercePetrochemicalsAutomotive & Spare PartsElectronics & ElectricalFMCGHealthcare DistributionManufacturingMachinery and Equipment
Matched industry clusters
tradingindustriallogistics
Restricted
Activities related to gamblingpoliticsreligionand other sectors contrary to UAE federal law are generally restricted.
Require approval
Food & Agriculture imports (relevant UAE authorities)Healthcare/medical productsHazardous/flammable goods (Civil Defense, Dubai Police)E-commerce licence (TDRA approval)RTA vehicle permits for transport outside the zone
08Jurisdiction & ecosystem

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

Common lawNo
VAT designated zoneNo
QFZP eligible (0% tax)Yes
Source: Official · 2026-07-18
Economic substancestandard
Source: Official · 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, Logistics, Trading, Manufacturing

11000+ companiesvery large communityNetworking events: YesIncubator: No
Notable companies

Nestlé, Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, Siemens

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

14 strengths · 4 caveats.

Strengths
  • ['Direct integration with Jebel Ali Port - goods move bonded between zone and port with no customs entry
  • unique among UAE free zones'
  • 'Licence fees start at AED 5
  • 000 and there is no minimum share capital requirement (since 2017)'
  • 'VAT Designated Zone plus QFZP 0% corporate tax on qualifying income'
  • 'Largest customs-bonded zone in the Middle East: 11
  • 000+ companies
  • USD 190bn trade (2024)
  • 100+ Fortune Global 500 tenants'
  • "Full industrial real-estate stack: pre-built warehouses from ~AED 400/sqm
  • land plots
  • workers' accommodation
  • build-to-suit"
  • '100% digital formation in 3-14 business days with no in-person visit required']
Caveats
  • All-in Year-1 cost is high once mandatory facility lease is added (realistically AED 40,000-60,000+ for a basic trading setup) despite the cheap licence
  • Visa quota is tied to leased area (~1 per 9-10 sqm) - small offices get few visas
  • No direct mainland selling: goods cleared into the UAE mainland attract 5% customs duty and need a distributor or dual licence
  • Location at Jebel Ali is 35-40 km from central Dubai - inconvenient for client-facing service businesses

Not ideal for: Solo consultants, freelancers and online/service startups with no physical goods - a desk-based zone (DMCC, IFZA, Meydan) will be cheaper and more central. No freelance permit product exists at JAFZA.

10Tax considerations

3 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. 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.

  3. 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.

11Similar zones in Dubai

3 comparable zones in the same emirate.

12About this data

Last verified 2026-07-18 · high confidence.

JAFZA 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
Jebel Ali
Established
1985
Authority
JAFZA / DP World
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 →
13Founder reviews

What founders who've registered here say.

4.1★1,600 reviewsGoogle

Founder reviews

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14Take the next step

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