Meydan Free Zone company setup: license from AED 12,500 a year
Meydan Free Zone licenses a Dubai company for AED 12,500 a year, desk included, in 1 to 3 working days. With us the company and that license cost from $7,000.
Meydan Free Zone Dubai
- AED 12,500 Meydan's license fee a year, desk included
- 1–3 Working days to a standard license
- 6 Visa allocations on one license, at most
What Meydan Free Zone is and who owns it
100%Foreign-owned, licensed by the zone's authority
Meydan Free Zone is one of Dubai's free zones: an area where a foreigner owns 100% of a company and the zone's own authority issues the license. It works from the Meydan Hotel in Nad Al Sheba, about 15 minutes from Dubai International Airport, and has licensed companies since February 2009.
2009Owned by the Government of Dubai
The zone belongs to the Government of Dubai. Its authority is the Meydan City Corporation, a public corporation wholly owned by the government under Law No. 5 of 2009, last amended by Law No. 7 of 2024. The corporation decides which activities are allowed in Meydan and registers and licenses every company.
1 shareholderOr more in a free-zone LLC, no paid-up capital
A Meydan company is a free-zone LLC with 1 shareholder or more, people or companies, and no paid-up share capital. An existing company registers a branch instead. You send the documents through your account and sign everything online.
Who Meydan Free Zone suits, and who is better served elsewhere
You sell services to clients in Dubai or abroad and want a Dubai address with no office to rent. A professional license with one investor visa starts at AED 22,600 in Meydan's fees for the first year. An address in the Trade Centre comes with DWTC Free Zone: AED 15,725 in the first year with no visa, deposit included.
An e-commerce license covers a web shop or a marketplace seller. Meydan rents desks and offices and has no warehouses, so the stock stays with a logistics company or in a fulfilment centre at Dubai CommerCity.
A company that stores or makes goods takes RAKEZ, where the license, the warehouse and the plot come from one authority.
One license stops at 6 visa allocations. A larger team takes DMCC, where the office sets the number, and a fund or a payment firm takes DIFC, the financial centre.
What clients write about Legarithm
4.8 on Google from 26 reviews.
We had long been looking for someone to register a company in the UAE and help with the account. With Legarithm it went as it should: a clear process, help with the documents, no red tape.
Everything is well coordinated and clear. Half an hour of the first meeting was more useful than two weeks of trying to work it out myself.
Meydan Free Zone license types and the activity list
- Five license types
- Commercial for trade, import and export, professional for consulting and IT, media for advertising and production, e-commerce for online sales, and freelance for one person working under their own name.
- 2,500 activities, 3 groups a license
- The list holds more than 2,500 activities. One license takes activities from up to 3 groups, so the same company can trade, consult and publish, and each activity beyond that costs AED 1,000.
- What the list leaves to others
- Banks, funds and insurers are licensed in the financial centres, and a crypto exchange needs a license from VARA, Dubai's virtual assets regulator.
- A flexi-desk in the fee
- The license comes with a flexi-desk, a shared desk that counts as the company's office, and its lease agreement. A desk of your own costs about AED 3,500 a month, a shared office from AED 15,000 a year and a private office about AED 30,000 a year.
- Up to 6 residence visas
- You choose from 0 to 6 visa allocations with the license and pay AED 1,850 for each. An owner takes an investor visa, staff take employment visas, and a holder can sponsor a spouse and children.
What a Meydan Free Zone company costs
Our formation price is before VAT and covers the company and its license. Every dirham row is a fee that Meydan publishes.
Free-zone company and its license, with us
from $7,000Get a quote- Meydan license, 3 activity groups, flexi-desk, a year
- AED 12,500
- Fawri license in under 60 minutes
- from AED 15,000
- Visa allocation, each, up to 6
- AED 1,850
- Establishment card, the company's immigration file
- from AED 2,000
- Investor or partner visa, 2 years
- about AED 4,000
- Employment visa
- AED 3,500
- Medical test and Emirates ID, each person
- AED 2,250
- Accounting, a month
- from $350
First year and renewal of a Meydan company in figures
Three cases, counted in Meydan's own fees. Our formation fee and the monthly accounting are fixed in your quote before you pay anything.
Company with no visa
- First year
- AED 12,500
- Fees that apply
- License
Founder with an investor visa
- First year
- from AED 22,600
- Fees that apply
- License, 1 allocation, establishment card, visa, medical test and Emirates ID
Founder and one employee
- First year
- from AED 30,200
- Fees that apply
- The same, with a second allocation, an employment visa, medical test and Emirates ID
AED 12,500The license again, each year after the first
From the second year the license costs AED 12,500 again. An investor visa runs for 2 years before it is renewed, and a dependant's visa costs about AED 6,000. How this bill compares across Dubai is in Dubai free zone license cost, with worked first years.
0%Instalments, and the renewal date
Meydan takes its fees in 3 to 12 monthly instalments at 0% on the cards of its partner banks. A multi-year license saves up to 15%. We watch the renewal date and renew the license for you.
Meydan Free Zone compared with IFZA, Shams and DMCC
| Compared | Meydan | IFZA | Shams | DMCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Nad Al Sheba, Dubai | Dubai Silicon Oasis | Sharjah | Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai |
| License fee a year | AED 12,500 | about AED 12,500 | AED 5,760 | AED 35,484 in the Basic Biz package |
| Activities on a license | 3 groups | 3 activities | 5 activities | By license type |
| Visas | 0 to 6 | Set by the package | Up to 50 | Set by the office |
| Desk | Flexi-desk in the fee | Flexi-desk in base packages | Flexi-desk in the fee | Desk or office required |
| Days to the license | 1 to 3 working days | 5 to 7 working days | 1 to 3 working days | 7 to 14 working days |
IFZA free zone company setup Shams free zone company setup DMCC free zone company setup
Corporate tax, VAT and the bank account of a Meydan company
0%On qualifying income in Meydan, a qualified zone
Meydan states that it is a qualified free zone. A company that meets the conditions of a Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) pays 0% corporate tax on qualifying income, such as sales to other free-zone companies, and 9% on the rest. Its other revenue stays under 5% of the total or AED 5 million, whichever is lower, and its accounts are audited every year.
9%A Meydan company that does not qualify
A company that does not qualify pays 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above. Either way it registers with the Federal Tax Authority and files a return each year, and we do both: see corporate tax registration in the UAE. VAT registration in the UAE is compulsory from AED 375,000 of turnover and voluntary from AED 187,500, at 5%.
26 banksBanks and fintech firms Meydan works with
For the business bank account in the UAE, Meydan works with more than 26 banks and fintech firms. We prepare the file with the license, the lease and your business profile, and an account is usually open 2 to 4 weeks after we send it.
Meydan Free Zone company setup, step by step
- day 11
Activities and trade name
You tell us what the company will invoice for. We pick the activity groups from Meydan's list, check the name against its rules and reserve it.
- 1–2 working days2
Application and signature
You upload the documents in your account and sign the incorporation papers online. We file the application on Meydan's portal and pay the fees.
- 1–3 working days3
License
Meydan issues the digital license and the lease for the flexi-desk. A Fawri license arrives within the hour.
- 1–3 weeks a person4
Establishment card and visas
We obtain the establishment card, then each visa: entry permit, medical test, Emirates ID and the visa itself. You come to Dubai once, for the test and the fingerprints.
- usually 2–4 weeks5
Tax registration and bank
We register the company for corporate tax and send the bank application.
Documents for a Meydan Free Zone company
Documents
Each owner and the manager
- Passport copy
- Passport-size photo
- Proof of home address
- UAE entry stamp or visa page, if any
- Two lines on what the company does
A company as shareholder
- Certificate of incorporation or license
- Memorandum and articles
- Certificate of good standing
- Board resolution naming the manager
- Passports of the beneficial owners (UBO)
You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.
See the platformQuestions about Meydan Free Zone company setup
Is Meydan a good free zone?
It is, for a service, consulting or online business that wants a Dubai address without an office. The license costs AED 12,500 a year with the desk, carries up to 6 visas and is issued in 1 to 3 working days. Companies with stock or a bigger team are on our page about free zones in the UAE.
Who is the owner of Meydan Free Zone?
The Government of Dubai, through the Meydan City Corporation, a public corporation it owns in full. The corporation was established by Law No. 5 of 2009 and registers and licenses the companies in Meydan.
What is a Meydan Free Zone visa?
A UAE residence visa that your Meydan company sponsors: an investor visa for an owner, an employment visa for a member of staff. The investor visa runs for 2 years, and one license carries up to 6 visas.
What are the benefits of Meydan Free Zone?
Full foreign ownership with no paid-up capital, a Dubai address with the desk inside the fee, more than 2,500 activities and fees published line by line. Qualifying income is taxed at 0%.
How much does it cost to renew a Meydan Free Zone license?
AED 12,500 a year at Meydan's current tariff, the same as the first license.
Can a Meydan company do business on the Dubai mainland?
It invoices mainland businesses from Meydan. For regular work on the mainland, Dubai issues a Free Zone Mainland Operating Permit for AED 5,000 per six months, with 9% corporate tax on that revenue, and we apply for it.
Get a quote for your UAE company
Book a 30-minute call about your company
Your consultant Vladyslav Babaiev Opens in a new tab Business Setup Specialist
- We email you the Google Meet link.
- 30 minutes, free, no obligation to order.
- After the call we email you the checklist of documents for your country.
We reply by the end of the next working day with the cost and the dates for your case. The first call is free and confidential.
Other free zones and emirates
Dubai
from $7,000 Company formation in Dubai
Business setup in Abu Dhabi
from AED 1,200 ADDED license with 6 activities
ADGM company formation
$1,900 ADGM's fees to register a holding SPV
Ajman Media City
AED 4,999 Business Club license for a year
Ajman NuVentures
AED 4,888 Zero-visa package for a year
Ajman Free Zone
from AED 5,555 E-commerce license package a year
Dubai CommerCity
In your quote Company with its license
Fujairah Creative City
AED 3,999 Media package for a year, no visa
Dubai Airport Free Zone
from AED 15,000 Trade or service license a year
DIFC company setup
$12,000 Commercial license a year, non-retail
DMCC Free Zone
AED 35,484 Basic Biz package: license and flexi-desk
Dubai South Free Zone
AED 12,500 License with a flexi-desk, a year
DWTC Free Zone
from AED 12,000 DWTC license, valid one year
Fujairah Free Zone
from $7,000 Company with its license, through us
Hamriyah Free Zone
AED 11,000 Basic cost of a license, as the zone states
IFZA Free Zone
about AED 12,500 License a year with a flexi-desk
JAFZA offshore company
AED 10,000 JAFZA fee to register, paid once
JAFZA Free Zone
from AED 5,000 JAFZA license fee a year
KEZAD Free Zone
from AED 9,450 Start-up package a year, VAT included
Masdar City Free Zone
AED 7,000 Startup package: license, 2 activities
RAK ICC offshore company
AED 3,250 Registry fee to incorporate, first year
RAKEZ Free Zone
AED 6,000 Basic license a year: 1 activity, no visa
SAIF Zone
In your quote Company with its license
Shams Free Zone
AED 5,760 Media license a year, VAT included
Sharjah free zones
from AED 5,750 Free-zone license a year
SPC Free Zone
from AED 5,750 SPC license fee a year
Umm Al Quwain Free Zone
AED 5,500 UAQ LYTE: license a year, no visa
Compare the free zones
Cost, visas and office, side by sideAlso for a company in the UAE
Investor visa in Dubai and the UAE
A 2-year residence visa through your company, from AED 3,000, 1 to 3 weeks after the license
OpenBusiness bank account in the UAE
Six accounts compared by balance and fee, 2 to 4 weeks from a complete application
OpenAccounting services in Dubai and the UAE
IFRS books, VAT and corporate tax returns from $350 a month
OpenCompany formation in the UAE
Free zone from $7,000, mainland from $8,000, offshore from $3,000
OpenGuides to a company in the UAE
All guides to a company in the UAE
Updated 13 October 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
