JAFZA Warehouse & Company Setup Costs 2026 – Full Breakdown

JAFZA is not a budget free zone. You will not find AED 5,000 starter packages or virtual office workarounds here. What you get is direct access to Jebel Ali Port, the busiest container port in the Middle East, with warehouse and logistics infrastructure that budget zones simply do not offer. If your business moves physical goods, that matters more than saving AED 20,000 on a license.

We broke down every cost involved in setting up a JAFZA trading company in 2026 — from the license fee to warehouse rent to the audit you cannot skip.

JAFZA License Costs in 2026

JAFZA offers four main license categories. Pricing depends on your activity type and facility choice, not on how many marketing emails you answer.

Trading License: AED 15,000/year. Covers import, export, and re-export of specific product categories. You pick your activities during application — each additional category adds to the cost. A flexi desk at Jafza One runs AED 15,000/year on top of that, bringing your minimum facility-plus-license cost to AED 30,000 before visas or government fees.

Service License: AED 15,000/year. Same base price as trading. Designed for consulting, professional services, and non-trading businesses. Honestly, if you are a service-only business, JAFZA is overkill — you are paying a premium for port access you will never use. Consider IFZA or DMCC instead.

General Trading License: AED 20,000/year. The flexible option. Trade any permissible goods under a single license without activity restrictions. This is the license most import/export businesses actually want. With a flexi desk and 3 visas, your Year 1 total lands at AED 49,329.

National Industrial License: AED 15,000/year. For manufacturing operations within JAFZA’s industrial park. You will need a plot or warehouse — flexi desks do not qualify for industrial activities.

On top of every license, budget for the establishment card (AED 1,975 in Year 1, AED 1,910 on renewal) and per-visa costs of approximately AED 3,518 per person including medical and Emirates ID. Health insurance adds AED 600/person minimum.

Here is what the actual Year 1 packages look like:

| Package | License | Facility | Visas | Year 1 Total | |---|---|---|---|---| | Trading + Flexi Desk | AED 15,000 | AED 15,000 | 2 | AED 40,211 | | Service + Flexi Desk | AED 15,000 | AED 15,000 | 2 | AED 40,211 | | General Trading + Flexi Desk | AED 20,000 | AED 15,000 | 3 | AED 49,329 | | General Trading + Office | AED 20,000 | AED 60,000 | 5 | AED 102,565 |

Prices verified April 2026. Use our cost calculator for a personalized estimate.

Warehouse & Facility Costs

This is where JAFZA gets expensive — and where it delivers value no other Dubai free zone can match.

Flexi Desk (AED 15,000/year): A hot desk at Jafza One business centre. You get a business address, meeting room access, and 2-3 visa allocations. Good enough for trading companies that do not store inventory on-site. Not suitable for manufacturing, logistics, or any business that handles physical goods.

Private Office (AED 60,000+/year): Dedicated office space within Jafza One or nearby facilities. Visa quota jumps to 5-10+ depending on size. Price varies significantly by floor, view, and fit-out requirements.

Warehouses (from AED 48,000/year): Standard warehouses start around AED 48,000/year for basic units in the 200-300 sqm range. Larger facilities with loading docks and high ceilings run AED 80,000-200,000+. Temperature-controlled and cold storage units cost AED 85,000-150,000+/year. These are the facilities that make JAFZA worth the premium — bonded storage with on-site customs clearance, direct truck access to Jebel Ali Port, and a logistics ecosystem of 11,000+ companies.

Industrial Land Plots: For businesses that want to build custom facilities, JAFZA leases land plots within the National Industries Park. Rates are quoted per square foot annually and vary by location and plot size. You will negotiate directly with JAFZA — published pricing is rare for plot leases.

The warehouse visa advantage is significant. A 500 sqm warehouse can support 15-20+ visa allocations, and large plots can scale to 50+. That is far beyond what any flexi desk or small office provides.

The trade-off: Jebel Ali is 35 km from Downtown Dubai. If your clients visit your office regularly, the commute will be a friction point. JAFZA is built for operations, not for client meetings.

Step-by-Step Setup Process

Setting up in JAFZA takes 2-4 weeks — slower than newer zones like IFZA (3-5 days) or SHAMS (48 hours). The process is more bureaucratic, but the outcome is a license that every bank in the UAE recognizes instantly.

Step 1: Choose your license type and facility. Decide between trading, service, general trading, or industrial. Pick your facility tier — flexi desk, office, warehouse, or plot. This determines your visa quota and total cost.

Step 2: Reserve your trade name. Submit your proposed company name through the Dubai Trade Portal. JAFZA reviews for conflicts and compliance. Budget 2-3 business days.

Step 3: Submit your application. Upload shareholder documents, passport copies, a business plan summary, and your facility preference. JAFZA reviews and issues an initial approval letter.

Step 4: Sign your lease and pay. Once approved, sign your facility lease agreement and pay your license fees, establishment card, and first year’s rent. All payments go through the Dubai Trade Portal.

Step 5: Get your license. JAFZA issues your trade license after payment clears. You can now open a bank account — and JAFZA’s “Easy” banking rating means most major banks will process your application in 2-4 weeks.

Step 6: Process visas. Apply for investor and employee visas through the portal. Each visa takes 2-3 weeks including medical examination and Emirates ID. Budget AED 3,518 per person plus AED 600 minimum for health insurance.

One thing JAFZA does not let you skip: the annual audit. Every JAFZA company, regardless of size or revenue, must submit audited financial statements. Budget AED 5,000-15,000 for accounting and audit fees. This is not optional and catches first-time entrepreneurs off guard. Read our hidden costs guide for more surprises like this.

The Real Year 1 Budget for a JAFZA Trading Company

The package prices above are real, but they are not the whole picture. Here is what a typical trading company with a warehouse actually pays in Year 1:

| Cost Item | Amount | |---|---| | Trading license | AED 15,000 | | Warehouse (basic, ~250 sqm) | AED 48,000 | | Establishment card | AED 1,975 | | 3 employee visas (@ AED 3,518) | AED 10,554 | | Health insurance (3 persons @ AED 600) | AED 1,800 | | Annual audit | AED 7,500 | | Share capital (declared, not deposited) | AED 100,000–150,000* | | Total cash outlay | AED 84,829 | | Renewal Year 2 (est.) | AED 75,000+ |

Share capital is declared but typically not required to be deposited in full. Confirm your specific requirement with JAFZA.

For a general trading license with a larger warehouse and 5 visas, push that number to AED 120,000-150,000. If you are comparing this to the cheapest free zones in Dubai — where you can get started for under AED 15,000 — the gap is enormous. But those zones do not give you a 250 sqm bonded warehouse next to the busiest port in the region.

The question is not whether JAFZA is expensive. It is. The question is whether your business needs what JAFZA uniquely provides: Jebel Ali Port access, bonded warehousing, on-site customs, and a banking reputation that opens doors at Emirates NBD and Mashreq without a fight.

Cheaper Alternatives for Traders Who Don’t Need Jebel Ali

If you are reading this and thinking “I just need a warehouse, not a port” — you have better options.

KIZAD (Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi): Industrial licenses from AED 9,450. Connected to Khalifa Port. Comparing KIZAD against JAFZA is worth it if your supply chain can work from Abu Dhabi. You will save 60-75% on Year 1 costs. The trade-off is a smaller logistics ecosystem and fewer banking relationships than JAFZA.

RAKEZ (Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone): Warehouse packages from AED 14,320 for Year 1. No Jebel Ali access, but strong for traders and light manufacturing operations that do not need Dubai’s port infrastructure. Banking takes longer to set up, but costs are a fraction of JAFZA.

Hamriyah Free Zone (Sharjah): Industrial licenses from AED 12,000. Waterfront location with its own port facilities — smaller than Jebel Ali, but adequate for many importers. A solid middle ground between JAFZA’s premium and KIZAD’s budget pricing.

Dubai South: Warehouse and logistics licenses from AED 12,500. Located near Al Maktoum International Airport and the Expo City district. Still in Dubai, which matters for banking and prestige, but without JAFZA’s port-adjacent advantages.

For a side-by-side on how JAFZA stacks up against its main competitor in Dubai, read our DMCC vs JAFZA comparison. DMCC is stronger for commodity trading without physical warehousing; JAFZA wins when you need to touch, store, and ship goods.

Bottom line: JAFZA is the right choice for trading and logistics businesses that depend on Jebel Ali Port. The Year 1 cost of AED 85,000-150,000 is steep, but port proximity, warehouse infrastructure, and instant banking credibility are hard to replicate elsewhere. If you do not need those things, you are overpaying. Run the numbers through our cost calculator before you commit.