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UAE Free Zone Visa Cost Index

UAE Free Zone Visa Cost 2026 — All 42 Zones Ranked by Cost per Visa

Last verified: June 2026

By Daniel Harmon, Senior Editor

The cheapest UAE free-zone residency visa is SPC at AED 2,895 all-in (Year 1). Across 42 zones, the cost per residency visa ranges from AED 2,895 to AED 7,284, with a median of AED 4,340. "All-in per visa" = government visa fee + standard medical + Emirates ID — it excludes annual health insurance and refundable deposits.

Complete Visa Cost Index: All 42 UAE Free Zones

Every UAE free zone, sorted cheapest to most expensive by all-in cost per residency visa. "All-in / visa" is the government visa fee plus standard medical test plus Emirates ID. "Renewal" is the per-visa renewal cost; "Dependent visa" is the cost to sponsor a family member. Click any zone for the full visa breakdown.

# Free Zone Emirate All-in / visa Gov fee Medical Emirates ID Renewal Dependent visa Max visas Processing days
1 SPC Sharjah AED 2,895 AED 2,530 AED 365 — AED 4,495 AED 5,000 20 5
2 KIZAD Abu Dhabi AED 3,480 AED 2,640 AED 450 AED 390 AED 2,640 AED 2,640 4 14
3 Dubai South Dubai AED 3,500 AED 2,660 AED 450 AED 390 AED 3,500 AED 4,500 10 15
4 JAFZA Dubai AED 3,523 AED 2,683 AED 450 AED 390 AED 2,083 — 50 21
5 DFC Dubai AED 3,840 AED 3,000 AED 420 AED 420 AED 3,500 AED 2,500 3 15
6 Gold & Diamond Park Dubai AED 3,840 AED 3,000 AED 420 AED 420 AED 3,500 AED 2,000 4 14
7 FOIZ Fujairah AED 3,840 AED 3,000 AED 450 AED 390 AED 3,000 AED 2,500 10 18
8 COMTECH Sharjah AED 3,840 AED 3,000 AED 450 AED 390 AED 2,500 AED 2,200 3 10
9 DAFZA Dubai AED 3,950 AED 3,110 AED 450 AED 390 AED 3,000 AED 4,000 20 10
10 IHC Dubai AED 4,000 AED 3,000 AED 500 AED 500 AED 3,800 AED 4,500 50 2
11 ADAFZ Abu Dhabi AED 4,010 AED 3,170 AED 450 AED 390 AED 2,800 AED 2,500 5 14
12 Creative City Fujairah AED 4,040 AED 3,200 AED 450 AED 390 AED 3,500 AED 4,000 15 30
13 DSO Dubai AED 4,040 AED 3,200 AED 450 AED 390 AED 3,200 AED 4,500 15 7
14 SRTIP Sharjah AED 4,070 AED 3,510 AED 260 AED 300 AED 3,510 AED 3,500 10 14
15 ADGM Abu Dhabi AED 4,077 AED 3,237 AED 450 AED 390 AED 2,310 AED 2,607 10 14
16 ANCFZ Ajman AED 4,200 AED 3,200 AED 500 AED 500 AED 3,800 AED 4,200 7 1
17 DCC Dubai AED 4,200 AED 3,200 AED 500 AED 500 AED 4,000 AED 4,500 25 18
18 SHAMS Sharjah AED 4,200 AED 3,360 AED 450 AED 390 AED 4,200 AED 3,500 20 5
19 DIC Dubai AED 4,340 AED 3,500 AED 450 AED 390 — — 6 21
20 DMC Dubai AED 4,340 AED 3,500 AED 450 AED 390 — — 6 14
21 DSP Dubai AED 4,340 AED 3,500 AED 450 AED 390 AED 3,000 AED 2,500 3 10
22 DUCAMZ Dubai AED 4,340 AED 3,500 AED 450 AED 390 AED 3,000 AED 2,500 10 10
23 DUQE Dubai AED 4,340 AED 3,500 AED 450 AED 390 AED 3,000 AED 2,500 6 10
24 RAK Maritime City RAK AED 4,340 AED 3,500 AED 450 AED 390 AED 1,000 AED 2,500 5 7
25 RAKEZ RAK AED 4,340 AED 3,500 AED 450 AED 390 AED 3,500 AED 3,000 4 5
26 UAQ FTZ UAQ AED 4,377 AED 3,537 AED 450 AED 390 AED 3,537 — 4 10
27 DHCC Dubai AED 4,398 AED 3,558 AED 450 AED 390 AED 2,080 AED 2,350 3 5
28 IFZA Dubai AED 4,590 AED 3,750 AED 450 AED 390 AED 4,000 AED 4,500 15 21
29 HFZA Sharjah AED 4,625 AED 3,785 AED 450 AED 390 AED 3,785 — 50 10
30 DMCC Dubai AED 4,659 AED 3,408 AED 800 AED 451 AED 2,790 AED 4,500 20 21
31 Masdar Abu Dhabi AED 4,730 AED 3,890 AED 450 AED 390 AED 3,890 AED 3,500 6 10
32 twofour54 Abu Dhabi AED 4,910 AED 4,070 AED 450 AED 390 AED 4,070 AED 3,000 6 10
33 SAIF Zone Sharjah AED 5,210 AED 4,370 AED 450 AED 390 AED 4,370 — 8 10
34 AFZ Ajman AED 5,400 AED 4,500 AED 400 AED 500 AED 2,000 AED 3,500 10 5
35 Meydan FZ Dubai AED 5,750 AED 3,500 — — AED 3,500 AED 5,000 6 15
36 DIFC Dubai AED 6,310 AED 5,470 AED 450 AED 390 — — 4 7
37 AMC Ajman AED 6,400 AED 5,560 AED 450 AED 390 AED 5,560 AED 3,500 10 3
38 d3 Dubai AED 6,400 AED 5,560 AED 450 AED 390 AED 5,560 AED 5,000 8 12
39 DKP Dubai AED 6,400 AED 5,560 AED 450 AED 390 AED 5,560 AED 5,000 10 12
40 Dubai Production City Dubai AED 6,400 AED 5,560 AED 450 AED 390 AED 5,560 AED 5,560 10 12
41 Dubai Studio City Dubai AED 6,400 AED 5,560 AED 450 AED 390 AED 5,560 AED 5,560 10 12
42 Fujairah Free Zone Fujairah AED 7,284 AED 6,444 AED 450 AED 390 AED 6,444 — 10 10

All prices in AED, cost per residency visa (Year 1), verified June 2026. "—" means the zone does not bill that line item separately (it is either bundled into another fee or not charged) — e.g. Meydan FZ publishes a single bundled per-visa total of AED 5,750. Run your own numbers in the cost calculator.

Quick Stats

The cheapest visa is SPC at AED 2,895; the most expensive is Fujairah Free Zone at AED 7,284. The median all-in cost per visa across all 42 zones is AED 4,340.

5 cheapest visas

  1. SPC — AED 2,895 (Sharjah)
  2. KIZAD — AED 3,480 (Abu Dhabi)
  3. Dubai South — AED 3,500 (Dubai)
  4. JAFZA — AED 3,523 (Dubai)
  5. DFC — AED 3,840 (Dubai)

5 most expensive visas

  1. Fujairah Free Zone — AED 7,284 (Fujairah)
  2. Dubai Studio City — AED 6,400 (Dubai)
  3. Dubai Production City — AED 6,400 (Dubai)
  4. DKP — AED 6,400 (Dubai)
  5. d3 — AED 6,400 (Dubai)

Cheapest visa per emirate

Methodology

The "all-in per visa" figure on this page is the cost to put one residency visa on a free-zone licence in Year 1. It is built from three line items: the government visa fee (entry permit, status change and visa stamping), the standard medical fitness test, and Emirates ID typing/issuance. Where a zone publishes a single bundled per-visa total instead of itemised fees, we use that bundled figure.

What's excluded: annual mandatory health insurance (roughly AED 700–1,500 per person per year), refundable deposits (roughly AED 2,500–5,000 held by the zone or immigration), and the establishment/immigration card, which is a one-time per-company cost rather than a per-visa cost. We exclude these so the number is a clean, comparable per-visa figure rather than a full setup quote.

A few zones need a note. DMCC uses the inside-country renewal-tier government fee, which is the rate that applies to most active companies. Meydan FZ publishes a single bundled per-visa total rather than itemised fees, so its medical and Emirates ID columns show "—" and its all-in figure (AED 5,750) is that bundled total. Every other zone is itemised.

Each figure is verified against the free zone's official fee schedule and cross-referenced with licensed setup consultants. FreeZoneCompare is independent: no free zone pays for placement, ranking, or inclusion in this index — the order is determined purely by all-in cost per visa. We earn referral fees only when readers choose to request a quote from a setup partner, and that has no effect on the rankings above.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a UAE free zone visa cost in 2026?

A UAE free-zone residency visa costs between AED 2,895 and AED 7,284 all-in (Year 1), with a median of AED 4,340 across all 42 zones we track. "All-in per visa" means the government visa fee plus the standard medical fitness test plus Emirates ID issuance. It excludes annual health insurance (roughly AED 700–1,500) and refundable deposits. The cheapest is SPC at AED 2,895; the most expensive is Fujairah Free Zone at AED 7,284.

Which free zone has the cheapest visa?

SPC (Sharjah) has the cheapest UAE free-zone visa in 2026 at AED 2,895 all-in per visa (Year 1), followed by KIZAD at AED 3,480 and Dubai South at AED 3,500. That all-in figure covers the government visa fee, standard medical test and Emirates ID — annual health insurance and refundable deposits are billed separately.

How much is a dependent or family visa for a UAE free zone?

A dependent (family) visa for a UAE free zone typically costs around AED 3,500 — the median across the zones that publish a sponsored-dependent fee. Costs range widely because dependent visas add a refundable deposit and salary/accommodation requirements on top of the standard government fee, medical test and Emirates ID. Each zone's exact dependent fee is listed in the "Dependent visa" column above.

How long does a free zone visa take to process?

Most UAE free-zone residency visas process in about 1–30 working days once your licence and establishment card are in place. The fastest in our index is ANCFZ at 1 working day; Creative City is the slowest at 30 working days. Processing time covers entry permit, status change, medical test, Emirates ID biometrics and visa stamping — it does not include licence issuance.

How much does it cost to renew a free zone visa?

Renewing a UAE free-zone residency visa costs around AED 3,500 on the typical two- or three-year cycle, with RAK Maritime City the lowest published renewal fee at AED 1,000. Renewal usually repeats the medical fitness test and Emirates ID alongside the government renewal fee, but skips one-time establishment costs — so it is generally cheaper than the first issuance. Each zone's renewal figure is in the "Renewal" column above.

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