Umm Al Quwain Free Zone company setup: license from AED 5,500 a year
UAQ Free Trade Zone, the free zone of Umm Al Quwain, licenses a company for AED 5,500 a year, or AED 12,500 with a residence visa. Our price, from $7,000, includes the license.
Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone
- AED 5,500 UAQ LYTE: license a year, no visa
- AED 12,500 UAQ START: license and one visa
- 1–2 Working days to incorporate
The Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone: what it is, who owns it, where it is
45 kmFrom Dubai, on the west coast
Umm Al Quwain is one of the seven emirates, on the west coast between Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah, 45 km from Dubai. Its free zone carries the name UAQ Free Trade Zone, or UAQ FTZ. Dubai International Airport is 30 minutes away by road.
1987A government authority
The Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone Authority, a government body of the emirate, registers the companies, licenses them and sponsors their visas. The zone opened in 1987 as Ahmed Bin Rashid Port and Free Zone and took its present name in 2014.
2 sitesThe port and Umm Al Thoub
The zone works from 2 sites, Ahmed Bin Rashid Port and Umm Al Thoub, and the E311, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, links it with Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Hutchison Ports has operated the port, four berths on a quay of 845 metres, since 2018.
More than 11,000 businesses, owned by people of 150 nationalities, hold the zone's license.
Which founders UAQ Free Trade Zone fits
UAQ LYTE is a licensed UAE company with a desk lease for AED 5,500 a year and no visa to pay for. Consultants, traders and residents who already hold a visa take it.
UAQ START joins the license with one residence visa, the medical test, the Emirates ID and medical insurance for AED 12,500.
A freelance permit lets one person work under their own name, for AED 9,999 with a visa, the Emirates ID, insurance and a workspace.
A commercial license takes 10 similar product lines or 3 different ones. A general trading license takes any goods allowed in the UAE.
An industrial license comes with a warehouse, from 100 square metres, or with a plot of leased land.
A company that plans many visas on a desk alone fits SPC Free Zone, which puts no limit on them. For a Dubai address on the license, see free zones in the UAE.
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UAQ LYTE, UAQ START and the freelance permit side by side
| Package | UAQ LYTE | UAQ START | Freelance permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | AED 5,500 | AED 12,500 | AED 9,999 |
| Residence visa | None, added later by upgrade | 1 | 1 |
| Inside the fee | License, co-working desk with lease, help with the bank account | The same, with the medical test, Emirates ID, status change, medical insurance, establishment card and e-channel | License, visa, Emirates ID, insurance and workspace |
| Who registers | An FZE, an FZC or a branch | An FZE, an FZC or a branch | One person, under their own name |
| Activities | 3 different or 10 similar | Commercial, consultancy or service | Creative and digital services |
What an Umm Al Quwain free zone license costs
The company with its license, each further visa and the accounting are our prices, before VAT. The other lines are the zone's published packages and rents.
UAQ company with its license, through us
from $7,000Get a quote- UAQ LYTE: license and desk, each year
- AED 5,500
- UAQ START: license, desk and 1 visa
- AED 12,500
- Freelance permit with a visa
- AED 9,999
- Rent of an office or a warehouse
- in your quote
- Industrial land, per sq m a year
- from AED 18
- Staff accommodation, a person a month
- from AED 400
- Each further residence visa
- from AED 3,000
- Accounting, a month
- from $350
Desks, offices, warehouses and land in UAQ Free Trade Zone
Both packages carry a shared desk with its lease agreement, which is the company's registered address.
Ready offices and shell-and-core space, on lease terms agreed with you. An office carries 6 visas or more.
Ready units with eaves 7.2 metres high and a power load of 15 to 36 kW that can be raised.
Plots on renewable leases of 25 years at most, from AED 18 per square metre a year, with direct access to the E311.
Rooms of 6 beds inside the zone, from AED 400 a person a month.
Company rules, tax and bank account in UAQ Free Trade Zone
The zone registers three company forms, each with limited liability.
| Rule | What the zone sets |
|---|---|
| Company form | FZE for one shareholder, FZC for 2 to 50, or a branch |
| Share capital | AED 300,000 or more, in shares of AED 1,000, and the zone asks for no proof that it is paid in |
| Officers | A manager, a director and a secretary, each a natural person |
| License term | One year, or several years at once |
| Second license | A consultancy or service license can be added to a commercial one in the same company |
| Visa term | 2 years |
0% and 9%Corporate tax, with a return every year
Taxable income up to AED 375,000 is taxed at 0% and the amount over it at 9%, and every UAQ company files a return with the Federal Tax Authority. The Ministry of Finance grants free-zone companies 0% on qualifying income under conditions, and we check them for you.
5%VAT, with no duty on goods inside the zone
VAT is 5%. VAT registration in the UAE is required above AED 375,000 of taxable turnover and allowed above AED 187,500. Goods pay no import or export duty inside the zone.
2 to 4 weeksThe usual wait for a bank account
The zone's banking partners are the National Bank of Umm Al Quwain, Emirates Development Bank and Wio Bank. We send the file for the business bank account in the UAE to one of them or to your own bank. The usual wait for an account is 2 to 4 weeks.
Our guide to corporate tax in the UAE names the conditions of the 0% rate, and the one on who pays 0% as a Qualifying Free Zone Person goes through each.
Umm Al Quwain compared with Ajman Free Zone, SPC and RAKEZ
| Compared | Umm Al Quwain | Ajman Free Zone | SPC Free Zone | RAKEZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emirate | Umm Al Quwain | Ajman | Sharjah | Ras Al Khaimah |
| License a year, no visa | AED 5,500 | from AED 5,555 | from AED 5,750 | AED 6,000 |
| License with one visa | AED 12,500 | from AED 14,000 | from AED 13,175 | AED 12,000 |
| Activities on the license | 3 different or 10 similar | By license type | Every activity in 5 groups | 1 in Basic, 5 in Lite |
| More visas | 6 or more with an office | 15 at most | No cap | 4 at most in All-Inclusive |
| Days to the license | 1 to 2 working days | 1 to 2 working days | 1 day | 1 to 5 working days |
Ajman Free Zone company formation SPC Free Zone company setup RAKEZ free zone company setup
Umm Al Quwain free zone company formation, step by step
- day 11
Entity, license and facility
The zone asks for three choices: FZE, FZC or branch, the license type and the desk, office or warehouse. We make them with you and settle on LYTE or START.
- 1 day2
Name and security check
We test the name against the zone's name policy, and the zone runs a security check on the passport of each shareholder and officer.
- 1–2 working days3
Incorporation
You sign the incorporation papers, the specimen signature and the beneficial owner (UBO) form. The license and the lease follow from the zone.
- 1–3 weeks4
Visa, with UAQ START
The zone opens the establishment card and the e-channel, then issues the visa. One trip to the UAE covers your medical test and Emirates ID fingerprints.
- usually 2–4 weeks5
Tax number and bank
We prepare the tax registration first, then the bank application.
Documents for a company in UAQ Free Trade Zone
Documents
Each shareholder, manager, director and secretary
- Passport copy
- Visa page or entry stamp
- Emirates ID copy, for UAE residents
- Proof of address
- Photo on a white background
- Signed specimen signature and beneficial owner form
Asked for in some cases
- Police clearance certificate
- Pre-approval from the residency directorate
You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.
See the platformQuestions about Umm Al Quwain Free Zone company setup
Is Umm Al Quwain a free zone?
Umm Al Quwain is an emirate. Its free zone is UAQ Free Trade Zone, run by a government authority since 1987, and companies there are wholly foreign-owned.
How much does a visa cost in the Umm Al Quwain free zone?
The zone sells the first visa inside UAQ START: AED 12,500 for the license with one residence visa, AED 7,000 more than the license alone. That includes the medical test, the Emirates ID, medical insurance and the establishment card, and the visa is valid for 2 years.
Is Umm Al Quwain the cheapest free zone in the UAE?
No. For a license with no visa Creative City in Fujairah charges AED 3,999 a year, Ajman NuVentures AED 4,888 and Ajman Media City AED 4,999. Umm Al Quwain follows at AED 5,500, ahead of Ajman Free Zone at AED 5,555 and SPC at AED 5,750. With one visa RAKEZ is lower, at AED 12,000: our guide UAE free zones compared by fee and first visa has all 22.
How much does it cost to renew a UAQ license?
UAQ LYTE renews at AED 5,500 a year, the price of the first year. UAQ START covers the residence visa at each yearly renewal as it does at setup.
Does a UAQ company need an office?
No. A co-working desk with its lease agreement is part of each package.
Can I add a visa to UAQ LYTE later?
Yes. The zone upgrades a LYTE company to a visa package at any time.
Get a quote for your UAE company
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- 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.
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Updated 13 October 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
