# FreezoneGuide guides

- [Closing or moving a free zone company: the official steps](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/close-or-move-free-zone-company.md) — How free zones describe winding up and deregistration, cancelling visas and the establishment card, FTA deregistration, and transferring a company elsewhere. (6 min)
- [The annual compliance calendar for a free zone company](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/free-zone-annual-compliance.md) — 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. (6 min)
- [Free zones for consultants, agencies and professional services](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/free-zone-for-consultants-and-agencies.md) — Licence types, freelance permits, mainland clients, regulated professions and corporate tax on service income, from official UAE sources. (6 min)
- [Free zones for tech and software startups](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/free-zone-for-tech-startups.md) — Licences for software and IT, hiring a team, office space, IP registration and the free zone corporate tax rules on software income. (6 min)
- [Free zones for import, export and re-export trading](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/free-zone-for-trading-companies.md) — General and specialised trading licences, warehouses, customs duty in a free zone and on the mainland, and customs registration, from official sources. (5 min)
- [Hiring staff from a free zone: employment law and payroll rules](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/hiring-staff-in-a-free-zone.md) — Which employment law applies in UAE free zones, plus work permits, the Wage Protection System, gratuity, unemployment insurance and leave. (6 min)
- [Setting up a company in the UAE as a foreigner, step by step](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/how-to-set-up-a-company-in-uae.md) — 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. (6 min)
- [Is a UAE company right for your business? A suitability check by business model](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/is-uae-company-right-for-your-business.md) — The questions official UAE sources make decisive for each business model: customers, substance, visas, tax and licensing. (6 min)
- [Running a UAE company while living abroad](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/run-uae-company-from-abroad.md) — 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. (6 min)
- [Licences for content creators and influencers in the UAE, and the advertiser permit](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/uae-licence-for-content-creators.md) — Free zone media and freelance licences for creators, the National Media Authority's advertiser permit, and the media law's rules and penalties. (5 min)
- [Getting a UAE residence visa through your own company, and the Golden Visa](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/uae-residence-visa-through-your-company.md) — How owners get UAE residence through their company, sponsor family and use visa quotas, and the official Golden Visa criteria for investors. (6 min)
- [VAT and corporate tax registration for new UAE companies](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/uae-vat-corporate-tax-registration.md) — 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. (5 min)
- [Cheapest free zone in the UAE: how to compare first-year costs](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/cheapest-free-zone-uae.md) — Compare the lowest packages free zones publish, what each includes, visa costs and renewal before you choose. (5 min)
- [Free zones with a flexi-desk or virtual office option](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/free-zones-no-office-requirement.md) — 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. (2 min)
- [Freelance permits in UAE free zones: which zones offer them](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/freelance-visa-cheapest-free-zone.md) — 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. (3 min)
- [How long does free zone company setup take?](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/free-zone-setup-time.md) — 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. (4 min)
- [Free zones for e-commerce in the UAE: how to choose](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/best-free-zone-for-ecommerce.md) — 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. (3 min)
- [Free zone renewal costs: why year two can differ from year one](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/free-zone-renewal-costs.md) — 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. (4 min)
- [RAKEZ vs SHAMS: comparing two northern emirate free zones](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/rakez-vs-shams.md) — RAKEZ and SHAMS side by side from their own published information: licence types, facilities, visas, packages and setup. (3 min)
- [DMCC vs IFZA: how the two Dubai free zones compare](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/dmcc-vs-ifza.md) — DMCC and IFZA side by side from their own published information: who licenses each, packages, activities, visas, office options and setup. (3 min)
- [Free zone corporate tax: the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/qualifying-free-zone-person-corporate-tax.md) — 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. (4 min)
- [Free zone vs mainland company in the UAE: what the official sources say](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/free-zone-vs-mainland.md) — Where a free zone company can trade, how it can reach mainland customers, and which rules are federal, from UAE Government and Dubai sources. (3 min)
- [VAT Designated Zones: which free zones are on the FTA list](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/vat-designated-zones.md) — 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. (3 min)
- [Bank accounts for free zone companies: what zones publish and what to ask](https://freezoneguide.com/guides/free-zone-bank-account.md) — Banks set their own onboarding requirements. Here is what free zones publish about bank-account help, and the questions to put to the bank and the zone. (2 min)

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Source: FreezoneGuide (https://freezoneguide.com/). AED, as published by each zone on its official channels. Information collected from free-zone authorities and UAE government sources on the dates shown. Fees and rules change; the zone's current schedule prevails. Not legal, tax or financial advice.