Skip to main content
Umbrella authority · Abu Dhabi

KEZAD Group

Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD Group — umbrella)

Al Taweelah (adjacent to Khalifa Port); 12 economic zones across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra · Est. 2022 · KEZAD Group (AD Ports Group - Economic Cities & Free Zones cluster)

AED 9,450 – AED 28,300/ yr
high confidenceVerified 18 Jul 2026official ↗
Find zones like this →
Best for

Manufacturers, logistics operators and traders needing port-integrated industrial land, warehouses or low-cost free zone licensing with optional mainland market access.

Not ideal for

Freelancers, consultants and small service startups wanting a prestigious city address, coworking community or sub-AED 10k office-free setup.

01Zones within KEZAD Group

7 specialist zones operating under KEZAD Group.

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

ICAD
Manufacturing, Logistics, Industrial, Automotive, Food Processing, Pharmaceuticals, Metals, Polymers.
Khalifa Port FTZ
Port Logistics & Related Industries, Aluminum Sheet Manufacturing, Engineering & Glass Manufacturing, Metal Casting, Metal Processing, Paper, Printing & Packaging, Metal Products, Food Products/Processing, Chemical & Plastic Industries, Engineering Industries, Construction Products, Construction & Packaging, Packaging, Pharma, Office & Support Services, Trade & Logistics Related Activities, Metals, Polymers, Automotive, Logistics, Manufacturing & Industrial, Information Technology & Communication, Research & Development, Renewable Energy & Sustainability, Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare, E-Commerce & Retail, Automotive & Aerospace*
Al Ain Industrial City
Manufacturing, Logistics, Industrial, Trading, Food & AgTech, Automotive, Polymers, Metals
KEZAD Al Ain
Light & medium manufacturing, Food processing & AgriTech, Logistics & warehousing, Chemicals & plastics, Building materials, Automotive aftermarket, Metals & engineering
KEZAD Food & Agri Zone
Food, Agriculture
KEZAD Metals & Steel
metals, steel, aluminium, metal fabrication, galvanizing, metals storage and logistics
KEZAD Polymers Park
Polymers, Plastics conversion, Petrochemicals downstream, Recycling / circular economy, Packaging, Compounding & composites
02Capability profile

Six independent dimensions, scored from official zone data.

?
Banking10/15
?
Visa scale15/15
?
Cost (lower=better)17/20
?
Activity breadth20/25
?
Workspace options12/15
?
Location8/10
03Where KEZAD Group sits

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

Year 1 cost← lower is better

KEZAD Group: 66th percentile (AED 9,450) · Licence + registration, AED.

Setup time← lower is better

KEZAD Group: 40th percentile (10 days) · Total estimated days from application to operational.

Visa caphigher is better →

KEZAD Group: 99th percentile (600 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

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

04Costs

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

9,450
– 28,300
Year 1 range · AED
AED 19,855 less than DMCC
budget tier
Show in
Base licence
AED 9,450
Registration
AED 0
Renewal (year 2+)
AED 8,350
3-year total
AED 26,150
2-year visa cost
AED 1,500
Flexi-desk per year
AED 9,450
Hidden & one-off costs
Establishment card
AED 1,000
Cancellation fee
AED 2,500
Visa cancellation
AED 500
Emirates ID (per visa)
AED 370
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 KEZAD Group updates its licence or setup costs.

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

05Visas & workspace

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

Visa allocation
Maximum visas
600
Flexi-desk cap
4
Office cap
15
Warehouse cap
5
Family sponsorship
Available
Freelancer permit
Not available
Golden visa
Available
Green visa
Available
Medical required
Yes
Processing time
~1 days
Workspace options
Virtual office
No
Flexi-desk
Yes
Coworking
No
Dedicated office
Yes
Executive office
Yes
Warehouse
Yes
Industrial unit
Yes
Land plot
Yes
Ejari issued
No
Parking
Yes
06Banking & setup

Banking difficulty, partner banks, and setup timeline.

Banking
Difficulty
Moderate
Time to account
~10 days
Minimum deposit
AED 25,000
Corp tax rate
0%
Audit cost (est)
AED 8,000
UBO filing
Required
AML / KYC
standard
Partner banks
First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB)ADCBADIBEmirates NBD
Neo-bank options
Wio BusinessMbank (Al Maryah Community Bank)
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 ~10 days, up to ~20 days
07Package 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 – Warehouse Unit – 5 VisasBest value5AED 22,000AED 18,000
Manufacturing License – Industrial Unit – 10 Visas10AED 45,000AED 38,000
Logistics License – Warehouse 1000sqm – 15 Visas15AED 75,000AED 62,000
Service License – Office Unit – 3 Visas3AED 18,000AED 15,000
08Permitted activities

Activity categories, restrictions, and approval flags.

50+ activitiesMainland selling: YesDual license: Yes

Automotive

Food processing

Life science / pharmaceuticals

Logistics

Metals

Polymers

Speciality chemicals

AgTech

Building materials

E-commerce & technology

Energy

Oil & gas

Paper & packaging

Categories
IndustrialTradingGeneral TradingServiceLogistics
Matched industry clusters
techtradinghealthcareindustriallogistics
Restricted
Heavy industries might face restrictions due to environmental regulations*
09Jurisdiction & 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 substancehigh
Inferred · 2026-07-18

This zone is Tier-1 with dedicated office and warehouse options under regulator supervision — substance is straightforward to demonstrate but the bar is high (regulator-grade evidence).

Focus: Manufacturing, Logistics, Food processing, Automotive, Pharmaceuticals & life sciences, Metals, Polymers, Speciality chemicals, AgTech, Building materials

2300 companiesvery large communityNetworking events: YesIncubator: Yes
Notable companies

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) - Al Taweelah alumina/aluminium, TALEX (Taweelah Aluminium Extrusion), Metal Park, Emirates Biotech (Falcon PLA project), Ghassan Aboud Global Auto Hub, Rungis International Food Hub (with Ghassan Aboud Group)

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.

10Strengths & limitations

5 strengths · 4 caveats.

Strengths
  • Direct Khalifa Port adjacency with bonded cargo movement and multimodal road/rail/air links
  • Only Abu Dhabi operator offering both free zone and mainland (Domestic Economic Zone) jurisdictions under one roof
  • Licence fees at AED 0 on the official tariff; all-in workstation packages from AED 9,450 incl. VAT
  • KIZAD and Khalifa Port FTZ are VAT Designated Zones (Cabinet Decision 59/2017) for qualifying goods movements
  • Scale: 12 zones, ~550 km2, 2,300+ clients and competitive land (AED 32-45/m2/yr)
Caveats
  • Location at Al Taweelah is ~1 hour from central Abu Dhabi - impractical for client-facing service firms
  • Geared to physical industry/logistics; pure consultancies get better value in office-centric zones
  • Key operational data (office/warehouse visa quotas, office rents) not published - quote-on-enquiry only
  • Licence renewals priced per 2-year cycle (AED 5,000; AED 15,000 for general trading)

Not ideal for: Freelancers, consultants and small service startups wanting a prestigious city address, coworking community or sub-AED 10k office-free setup.

11Recent developments

2 policy and pricing updates on record.

  1. 2025-Q2KEZAD Group signed a strategic partnership with AD Ports Group to accelerate integration between Khalifa Port logistics infrastructure and KEZAD industrial zones, enabling end-to-end supply chain solutions for tenants.
  2. 2024-Q4KEZAD Group launched the 'Invest in Abu Dhabi' industrial incentive programme, offering qualifying manufacturers up to 10-year land lease agreements with fixed rates and duty-free import benefits for raw materials.
12Tax 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.

13Frequently asked

4 common questions specific to KEZAD Group.

14Similar zones in Abu Dhabi

3 comparable zones in the same emirate.

15About this data

Last verified 2026-07-18 · high confidence.

KEZAD Group 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 Taweelah (adjacent to Khalifa Port); 12 economic zones across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra
Established
2022
Authority
KEZAD Group (AD Ports Group - Economic Cities & Free Zones cluster)
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 →
16Founder reviews

What founders who've registered here say.

4.2★250 reviewsGoogle

Founder reviews

No founder reviews yet for KEZAD Group. Be the first to share your experience.

17Take the next step

Not sure if KEZAD Group 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 KEZAD Group dossier as a PDF

At-a-glance metrics, strengths, trade-offs, partner banks, and a setup checklist for KEZAD Group. 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