General trading
20 UAE free zones publish licence types that fit general trading (our assessment); the lowest published package without stated conditions is AED 3,999 at SRTIP.
Import, export and re-export of a broad range of goods under one licence. Examples: Import/export, Re-export hub, Multi-category wholesale. Confirm your exact activity on each zone's official activity list.
Compare the 3 lowest published packages: SRTIP vs ANCFZ vs AMCFZ →
20 zones · lowest package first
Narrow to 4 or fewer, or tick “Compare” on up to 4 zones
12 of 20 publish a price for this view; the rest say “Not published” and will quote on request.
| Free zone | Lowest package | Licence fee from | Max visa quota | Min. office | Incorporation | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SRTIP SharjahMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | AED 3,999 | AED 3,999 | 2 | Not published | 7 days | |
| ANCFZ AjmanMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | AED 4,888 | AED 4,888 | 0 | Flexi-desk | 1 day | |
| AMCFZ AjmanMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | AED 4,999 | AED 4,999 | 3 | Flexi-desk | Not published | |
| Jafza DubaiMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | Not published | AED 5,000 | Not published | Flexi-desk | 3 days | |
| SHAMS SharjahMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | AED 5,760 | AED 5,385 | Not published | Flexi-desk | 1 day | |
| ADAFZ Abu DhabiMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | AED 6,000 | AED 6,000 | 2 | Not published | 4 days | |
| RAKEZ Ras Al KhaimahMost facts confirmed on official sources. Checked 2026-10-24 | AED 6,000 | AED 6,000 | 1 | Flexi-desk | 1 day | |
| INC Ras Al KhaimahMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | AED 6,600 | AED 6,600 | 4 | Flexi-desk | 5 days | |
| KEZAD Abu DhabiMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | AED 9,450 | Not published | 4 | Flexi-desk | Not published | |
| DWTC Free Zone DubaiMost facts confirmed on official sources. Checked 2026-10-24 | Not published | AED 12,000 | 7 | Virtual office | 3 days | |
| Meydan Free Zone DubaiMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | AED 12,500 | AED 12,500 | 3 | Flexi-desk | 1 day | |
| UAQ FTZ Umm Al QuwainMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | AED 12,500 | AED 5,500 | 1 | Flexi-desk | 1 day | |
| SPC Free Zone SharjahMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | AED 13,175 | AED 5,750 | 1 | Not published | 1 day | |
| DMCC DubaiMost facts confirmed on official sources. Checked 2026-10-24 | AED 31,000 | AED 20,285 | 3 | Flexi-desk | 10 days | |
| AFZ AjmanMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Flexi-desk | Not published | |
| DAFZ DubaiMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | Not published | Not published | 6 | Flexi-desk | Not published | |
| DCC DubaiMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | |
| FCC FujairahMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | Not published | Not published | 15 | Flexi-desk | Not published | |
| FFZ FujairahMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | Not published | Not published | 1 | Virtual office | 5 days | |
| IFZA DubaiMany facts confirmed on official sources; some not published. Checked 2026-10-24 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park Free Zone
AED 3,999
Lowest package, year 1
General trading
Ajman NuVentures Centre Free Zone
AED 4,888
Lowest package, year 1
General trading
Ajman Media City Free Zone
AED 4,999
Lowest package, year 1
General trading · 3-visa package
Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza)
Not published
Lowest package, year 1
VAT Designated Zone · General trading
Sharjah Media City Free Zone (Shams)
AED 5,760
Lowest package, year 1
General trading
Abu Dhabi Airports Free Zone
AED 6,000
Lowest package, year 1
VAT Designated Zone · General trading
Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone
AED 6,000
Lowest package, year 1
VAT Designated Zone · General trading
Innovation City
AED 6,600
Lowest package, year 1
General trading · 4-visa package
Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD Group)
AED 9,450
Lowest package, year 1
VAT Designated Zone · General trading · 4-visa package
Dubai World Trade Centre Free Zone
Not published
Lowest package, year 1
General trading · 7-visa package
AED 12,500
Lowest package, year 1
General trading · 3-visa package
Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone
AED 12,500
Lowest package, year 1
VAT Designated Zone · General trading
Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone
AED 13,175
Lowest package, year 1
General trading
Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC)
AED 31,000
Lowest package, year 1
General trading · 3-visa package
Ajman Free Zone
Not published
Lowest package, year 1
VAT Designated Zone · General trading
Dubai Airport Freezone
Not published
Lowest package, year 1
VAT Designated Zone · General trading · 6-visa package
Dubai CommerCity
Not published
Lowest package, year 1
VAT Designated Zone · General trading
Fujairah Creative City - Media Free Zone
Not published
Lowest package, year 1
General trading · 15-visa package
Fujairah Free Zone
Not published
Lowest package, year 1
VAT Designated Zone · General trading
International Free Zone Authority (IFZA Dubai)
Not published
Lowest package, year 1
General trading
Verified on 2026-10-24 from ancfz.ae, dmcc.ae, dwtc.com and 17 more official sources.
Prices are year-1 figures as published by each zone: the lowest package of any size, or the package closest to the set-up you pick under “Price shown for”. “Not published” means no official source states it. How we verify
What we can compare: official activity list published by 29 of 43 zones; package price: solo, no visa published by 17 of 43 zones; package price: founder + 1 visa published by 13 of 43 zones; package price: team, 3 visas published by 6 of 43 zones; any package price published by 17 of 43 zones; licence fee published by 30 of 43 zones. Full coverage table
Among zones whose licence types fit general trading in our assessment, Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park Free Zone publishes the lowest package without stated conditions (AED 3,999, SPARK Starter – 0 visas (limited-time pricing)), followed by ANCFZ and AMCFZ. Packages include different things, so compare them line by line.
Approvals depend on your exact activity. Each zone's page lists the activities that zone says need another authority's approval.
Zones set how many activities a licence includes and whether trading and services can be combined; each zone page shows what the zone publishes on this. Ask the zone for its exact activity codes.