There isn’t one price, because a licence is priced off the choices you make. Five things move the number:

• Jurisdiction. Which free zone, or mainland. Every authority sets its own fee schedule, and they are not close to each other.
• Activity. How many activities sit on the licence, and whether any of them need approval from an outside regulator before it can be issued.
• Structure. Individual or corporate shareholders. A corporate shareholder means documents to attest and legalise, which adds both cost and weeks.
• Visas. Each residence visa carries an entry permit, medical, Emirates ID and stamping, and your quota is tied to the facility you take.
• Facility. Flexi-desk, private office, warehouse or retail. This is usually the single biggest swing in the total.

Working those variables out by hand takes time. Setup Builder is being built to do it live. Change the activity, the visa count or the facility, and the total moves with every line itemised.

Four answers decide it, and changing any one of them changes the shortlist:

• What the business does. Not every zone licenses every activity, and some specialise.
• Who you sell to. Mainland customers, international customers, or both. This narrows the field faster than anything else.
• How many visas you need. Quota is capped by zone and by the facility you take.
• Whether you need physical space. A desk, an office, a warehouse or nothing at all.

That is why there is no zone shortlist on this page. A recommendation made before those answers is a guess.

Matching those four against the zones is what Founder’s Copilot is being built to do. Answer once and see which structures actually fit, with the reasoning shown rather than assumed.

We work across the UAE free zones and mainland. Where we hold a channel partner arrangement with an authority, we will tell you during the consultation.

Authority fees and our service fee are quoted on separate lines either way, so you can see exactly what sits where before you decide.

For most free zone setups, no. Formation can be completed remotely, and documents can be signed and submitted from anywhere.

You will normally need to be in the country for two things: the medical and Emirates ID biometrics if you are taking a residence visa, and account opening at most banks. We tell you exactly which dates need you here before you book anything.

Usually faster than people expect. With a clean file and a straightforward activity, a free zone licence can be issued in a matter of days.

What stretches it is rarely the zone. It is one of these:

• Outside approvals. Some activities need sign-off from a regulator before the licence can be issued.
• Document readiness. Corporate shareholders need attestation and legalisation, and that happens before anything is submitted.
• Banking. The least predictable stage, and it depends on the activity and the shareholders more than the jurisdiction.

Visas run after the establishment card, one process per person, but you are not waiting on them to begin. The licence is the gate: you can invoice from the day it is issued, and visas and banking proceed alongside the business rather than in front of it.

Knowing exactly where a file stands on any given day is what Company Hub is being built for. Each stage, document and date stays visible as it moves.

Registration is mandatory for every company, free zone included. Whether you actually pay is a separate question.

• The standard position. 0% on the first AED 375,000 of taxable profit, 9% on everything above it.
• The free zone position. A Qualifying Free Zone Person pays 0% on qualifying income, but that status is not automatic. It depends on real substance in the zone, the type of income, arm’s-length pricing, and keeping non-qualifying revenue below a de minimis limit.
• The catch worth knowing. Fail any one of those conditions and the 0% goes entirely, not partially. Income that is not qualifying is also taxed at 9% without the AED 375,000 band.

Which of these you land in is decided by your activity and where your income comes from. That is why it belongs in the structure conversation at setup, not at the first filing.

Nothing. Thirty minutes, no obligation, and you leave with the options in writing whether or not you go ahead with us.