The FreezoneGuide guides
UAE free zone guides: costs, comparisons and setup, explained
Featured · 5 min read
Cheapest free zone in the UAE: how to compare first-year costs
Compare the lowest packages free zones publish, what each includes, visa costs and renewal before you choose.
Read the guide →
Running a company
Running a company · 6 min read
Closing or moving a free zone company: the official steps
How free zones describe winding up and deregistration, cancelling visas and the establishment card, FTA deregistration, and transferring a company elsewhere.
27 October 2026
Running a company · 6 min read
The annual compliance calendar for a free zone company
What falls due every year for a UAE free zone company, from licence renewal and audits to beneficial owner records and FTA tax returns, and who sets each rule.
27 October 2026
Running a company · 6 min read
Hiring staff from a free zone: employment law and payroll rules
Which employment law applies in UAE free zones, plus work permits, the Wage Protection System, gratuity, unemployment insurance and leave.
27 October 2026
By industry
By industry · 6 min read
Free zones for consultants, agencies and professional services
Licence types, freelance permits, mainland clients, regulated professions and corporate tax on service income, from official UAE sources.
27 October 2026
By industry · 6 min read
Free zones for tech and software startups
Licences for software and IT, hiring a team, office space, IP registration and the free zone corporate tax rules on software income.
27 October 2026
By industry · 5 min read
Free zones for import, export and re-export trading
General and specialised trading licences, warehouses, customs duty in a free zone and on the mainland, and customs registration, from official sources.
27 October 2026
By industry · 5 min read
Licences for content creators and influencers in the UAE, and the advertiser permit
Free zone media and freelance licences for creators, the National Media Authority's advertiser permit, and the media law's rules and penalties.
27 October 2026
By industry · 3 min read
Free zones for e-commerce in the UAE: how to choose
Which free zones publish an e-commerce licence, which list warehouses, and what to confirm about selling to UAE customers. From zones' own published information.
24 September 2026
Basics
Basics · 6 min read
Setting up a company in the UAE as a foreigner, step by step
The setup path in order, from choosing an activity and a free zone to the licence, establishment card, residence visa, bank account and tax registration.
27 October 2026
Basics · 6 min read
Is a UAE company right for your business? A suitability check by business model
The questions official UAE sources make decisive for each business model: customers, substance, visas, tax and licensing.
27 October 2026
Basics · 6 min read
Running a UAE company while living abroad
Whether a non-resident can own a free zone company, what needs a UAE resident or presence, and how UAE tax residence is decided for people and companies.
27 October 2026
Basics · 4 min read
How long does free zone company setup take?
Licence issuance can be quick, but a working company also needs an establishment card, visas and a bank account. Plan for each stage, not just the licence.
2 October 2026
Basics · 3 min read
Free zone vs mainland company in the UAE: what the official sources say
Where a free zone company can trade, how it can reach mainland customers, and which rules are federal, from UAE Government and Dubai sources.
2 September 2026
Visas
Visas · 6 min read
Getting a UAE residence visa through your own company, and the Golden Visa
How owners get UAE residence through their company, sponsor family and use visa quotas, and the official Golden Visa criteria for investors.
27 October 2026
Visas · 3 min read
Freelance permits in UAE free zones: which zones offer them
Which free zones publish a freelancer permit or sole-practitioner licence, how it differs from a company licence, and how to compare packages with a visa.
13 October 2026
Tax
Tax · 5 min read
VAT and corporate tax registration for new UAE companies
When a new UAE or free zone company must register for corporate tax and VAT, the rates and thresholds, and the late-registration penalties, from FTA sources.
27 October 2026
Tax · 4 min read
Free zone corporate tax: the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions
What the FTA and Ministry of Finance publish about the Qualifying Free Zone Person regime: the conditions, qualifying and excluded activities, the de minimis limit and what happens if a condition is missed.
8 September 2026
Tax · 3 min read
VAT Designated Zones: which free zones are on the FTA list
A VAT Designated Zone is a free zone listed by Cabinet Decision that meets conditions in the VAT Executive Regulation. Here is the FTA's list and what it means when comparing zones.
29 August 2026
Costs
Costs · 5 min read
Cheapest free zone in the UAE: how to compare first-year costs
Compare the lowest packages free zones publish, what each includes, visa costs and renewal before you choose.
20 October 2026
Costs · 2 min read
Free zones with a flexi-desk or virtual office option
Which UAE free zones list a flexi-desk or virtual office as their minimum facility, what that means for visas, and what to confirm with the zone.
14 October 2026
Costs · 4 min read
Free zone renewal costs: why year two can differ from year one
Year-two free zone costs often differ from year one as discounts end and licence, lease, visa and audit costs recur. Budget for renewal before choosing.
19 September 2026
Comparisons
Comparisons · 3 min read
RAKEZ vs SHAMS: comparing two northern emirate free zones
RAKEZ and SHAMS side by side from their own published information: licence types, facilities, visas, packages and setup.
15 September 2026
Comparisons · 3 min read
DMCC vs IFZA: how the two Dubai free zones compare
DMCC and IFZA side by side from their own published information: who licenses each, packages, activities, visas, office options and setup.
8 September 2026