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Sijil lets you compare UAE free zones side by side on the numbers that decide your setup: total Year 1 cost, renewal cost, visa allocation, banking difficulty, and processing time. Every row is drawn from official fee schedules and partner-zone source documents — not marketing pages — so the comparison reflects what you actually pay, not an advertised base fee.
Year 1 costs across the 46+ UAE free zones run from AED 4,999 at SPC Free Zone in Sharjah to over AED 40,000 at JAFZA and DMCC in Dubai. That spread is why a headline price misleads: an advertised base license of AED 6,000 can reach AED 12,000–15,000 once registration, the establishment card, and the first residency visa are added. Sijil adds those line items before it ranks zones, which is why the order here differs from the order on most zone websites.
Pick two zones above to compare them directly, or start from a common entry point — SPC Free Zone, RAKEZ, or Meydan Free Zone — then refine from there. Sijil is an end-to-end digital business setup platform: once you have compared and chosen, the same workflow carries the registration through license issuance, banking, visa, and tax registration.
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Get My Setup QuoteSelect two free zones above to see a side-by-side breakdown of Year 1 costs, renewal costs, processing times, banking difficulty, and ratings. Sijil highlights which zone wins on each metric so you can make an informed decision for your business setup.
The most important factors are: (1) Total Year 1 cost including all fees, (2) Visa quota and processing time, (3) Banking difficulty — some zones make it much easier to open a corporate bank account, (4) Location/emirate for credibility and client meetings, (5) Specific features like crypto licensing or mainland trading permissions.
Free zone pricing ranges from under AED 6,000 to over AED 50,000 per year. The main cost drivers are: the emirate (Dubai is more expensive), physical office requirements, visa allocations included in the base package, and brand prestige. Budget zones in Sharjah, Ajman, and RAK achieve lower prices through virtual offices.
Banking difficulty rates how easy it is to open a UAE corporate bank account with a license from that free zone. "Easy" means most banks accept applications readily. "Moderate" means you'll need good documentation and may face delays. "Difficult" means many banks are reluctant.
All pricing data is verified as of October 2026. Sijil updates pricing quarterly or when zones announce fee changes. ISR (Incremental Static Regeneration) ensures pages refresh daily.
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