Dubai’s Chamber of Commerce added 2,709 new companies in March 2026 alone, and the UAE now has more than 1.45 million registered businesses nationwide as of February 2026. Behind every one of those registrations sits the same first question: “How much does it actually cost to set up a company in Dubai?”
There isn’t one number – there are three. Your total cost depends on which of Dubai’s three jurisdictions you register in: Mainland, Free Zone, or Offshore. Each has its own government fee schedule, its own visa maths, and its own timeline. In this guide, we’re skipping the vague estimates most articles give you and going straight to the numbers, the exact AED breakdown for each route, how many working days each step takes, and what’s happening in Dubai’s economy right now that makes 2026 a genuinely strong year to set up here.
Dubai & the UAE in Numbers: The 2026 Economic Snapshot
Before the cost breakdown, it helps to see the scale of the market you’re entering. These are the numbers that matter most for anyone weighing up a Dubai company formation in 2026.
Economy & Business Registrations
- AED 355 billion: Dubai’s GDP for the first nine months of 2025, up 4.7% year-on-year (5.3% in Q3 alone).
- 4.5% projected growth for Dubai’s economy in 2026, on a GDP base of roughly AED 937 billion, according to Emirates NBD.
- 1.45 million+ companies are now registered across the UAE (February 2026), with Dubai Chamber recording 2,709 new registrations in March 2026 alone.
- Dh6 trillion: UAE total foreign trade in 2025, a 15% increase, as the country entered the top 10 global merchandise exporters (ranked 9th by the WTO) for the first time.
- Dh4 trillion: The UAE’s non-oil trade target by 2031 under its expanding Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPA) programme.
Jebel Ali Port: The Trade Engine Behind the Numbers
A huge share of Dubai’s trade economy, and the free zone ecosystem this guide covers below, runs through one place: Jebel Ali Port, the largest man-made harbour in the world and the anchor of JAFZA.
- 15.5 million TEUs of containers were handled at Jebel Ali in 2024, its highest volume since 2015, and a rise of 1 million TEUs on 2023.
- 19.4 million TEUs annual capacity across 4 terminals, 100+ berths, and a 25-kilometre quay length, with a fourth terminal expansion planned to push capacity past 22 million TEUs.
- 5.4 million metric tonnes of breakbulk cargo moved through the port in 2024, up 23% year-on-year and a single-month record of 630,000 tonnes was set in October 2025.
- 9th globally-ranked container port (Lloyd’s List Top 100, 2025), and about 18% of DP World’s entire global container throughput (88.3 million TEUs) passes through this single port.
- Businesses registered in JAFZA generated a record USD 190 billion in trade in the 12 months to JAFZA’s 40th anniversary in 2025.
Free Zone Growth: The Future Trend
- 47,000+ new company registrations were processed across Dubai’s free zones in 2025 alone.
- 26,000+ companies now operate in DMCC, with over 4,000 in technology and 700+ in its crypto centre (up ~38% YoY).
- 9,500+ companies from 100+ countries operate in JAFZA.
- 8,844 active companies in DIFC (up 28% YoY), employing over 50,200 finance professionals.
- Dubai’s Economic Agenda D33 targets doubling the size of the economy to Dh32 trillion by the mid-2030s and placing Dubai among the world’s top three global cities, with Operation 300bn driving industrial and manufacturing growth in parallel.
Dubai isn’t just a place to register a company; it’s a market that added tens of thousands of new businesses last year alone, backed by trade and industrial growth that shows no sign of slowing. Now, let’s get into what it actually costs to be one of them.
What Determines Your Dubai Company Setup Cost?
Six variables move your final number up or down:
- Jurisdiction: Mainland, Free Zone, or Offshore (the single biggest cost driver).
- Business activity: Trading and industrial licenses cost more than professional license/consultancy licenses.
- Office requirement: Mainland generally requires roughly 50 sq. ft. of office space per employee visa; many free zones allow a flexi-desk instead.
- Number of visas: Each investor or employee visa adds AED 3,200–8,200 to your total.
- Approvals needed: Regulated activities (healthcare, food, education, finance) add extra government fees.
- Documentation: MOA drafting, notarisation, and translation typically add AED 1,000–3,000.
Dubai Company Setup Cost at a Glance (Mainland vs Free Zone vs Offshore)
The UAE has over 80 free zones nationwide alongside its Mainland (DED/DET) and Offshore jurisdictions (RAK ICC, JAFZA Offshore, Ajman Offshore). Here’s how the three compare on cost before we break each one down in full:
| Jurisdiction | Typical First-Year Cost (AED) | Local Market Access | Visa Eligibility |
| Mainland (DET, previously known as DED) | AED 25,000–30,000+ (including 1 visa) | Full UAE market + government contracts | Yes – unlimited, tied to office size |
| Free Zone | AED 12,200–30,000+ (Depends on visa allotment) |
International + B2B UAE (with permit) | Yes – 1 to 6+ per package |
| Offshore (RAK ICC/JAFZA) | AED 15,000–20,000 | No local UAE trading | No – visas can’t be issued from an offshore license |
Mainland Company Setup Cost Breakdown & Timeline in Dubai (DED/DET)
A Mainland licence (issued via Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, DED/DET) lets you trade anywhere in the UAE and bid for government contracts, with no restriction on which emirate you operate in. Here’s the full 2026 cost and timeline breakdown, step by step:
| S. No. | Step/Component | Approx Cost (AED) | Timeline |
| 1 | Initial Approval (DET) | AED 670 | 1 day |
| 2 | Trade Licence (Payment Voucher) | AED 11,000–30,000 | 2 days (presence required in Dubai) |
| 3 | MOA Drafting & Notary Fees | AED 1,800 | 1 day |
| 4 | Ejari / Office / E-Office Registration | AED 3,500–5,500 | 1 day |
| 5 | Immigration / Establishment Card | AED 575 | 3 days (presence required in Dubai) |
| 6 | Medical Fitness Test | AED 410 | 1 day (reports within 24 hrs) |
| 7 | Biometrics (Emirates ID) | AED 470 | 2–3 days, subject to availability |
| 8 | Emirates ID Hard Copy | AED 350 | 4 working days (couriered to you) |
| 9 | Dubai Chamber of Commerce Registration | AED 1,200 | 2 days |
| 10 | Investor / Partner Visa (per visa, inside country) | AED 3,200 + AED 1,800 (status change) | 5 working days |
| 11 | Employment Visa (per employee) | AED 6,000–7,000 | 5 working days |
| 12 | Labour Card (per employee) | AED 1,200 | 4 working days |
| 13 | P.O. Box (if required) | AED 1,600 | 2 working days |
| 14 | IEC/Import-Export Code (if trading) | AED 750 | 4 working days |
Add up just the core licensing fees (rows 1–9, P.O. Box, and IEC) and a Mainland company setup lands between AED 25,000 and AED 30,000+ (One Visa) before you factor in staff. Each additional investor visa adds roughly AED 5,000 (inside the country) or AED 3,200 (outside the country, status change not applicable), and each employee costs a further AED 7,200 – 8,200 once you include the labour card.
An outside-the-country investor visa costs a flat AED 3,200 only (the AED 1,800 status-change fee doesn’t apply because there’s no in-country status to switch).
Free Zone Company Setup Cost Breakdown
Free zones remain the most popular route for foreign founders because they offer 100% ownership, 0% personal tax, and full profit repatriation, often without a mandatory physical office. Using IFZA, one of Dubai’s most cost-efficient and fastest-growing free zones, as a worked example:
| Cost Component | Amount (AED) |
| Licence (1 Visa Allocation) | AED 14,900 |
| Establishment Card | AED 2,000 |
| Visa Fee | AED 3,750 |
| Medical Test / Biometrics | AED 1,500 |
| Total — 1 Visa Package | ≈ AED 22,150 |
| Additional Visa Allocation (2-Visa Package) | + AED 2,000 |
| Additional Visa Cost (Fee + Medical/Biometrics) | + AED 5,250 |
| Total — 2 Visa Package | ≈ AED 29,400 |
Costs vary significantly by free zone. Here’s how the major players compare on price and scale:
| Free Zone | Starting Licence Price (AED) | Companies Registered | Best For |
| IFZA | AED 12,200–14,900 | 15,000+ licences issued to date | Startups, consultants, and remote founders |
| Meydan Free Zone | AED 12,500 | — | Budget setups (up to 6 bundled visas) |
| RAKEZ / Ajman FZ | AED 5,750–9,500 | — | Lowest-cost licences in the UAE |
| DMCC | AED 15,000–50,000+ | 26,000+ companies | Trading, commodities, crypto, and tech |
| JAFZA | AED 25,000+ | 9,500+ companies | Logistics, manufacturing, and import/export |
| DIC / Dubai South | AED 10,500–18,000 | — | Tech, e-commerce, and aviation-linked trade |
Note: Prices above are starting government/licence fees for 2026 and can shift based on business activity, office category, and visa quota. Get a personalised quote before budgeting your full setup.
Offshore Company Setup Cost in Dubai (RAK ICC & JAFZA Offshore)
An offshore company doesn’t let you trade inside the UAE or sponsor visas, it exists for international trade, holding assets, or asset protection, with full foreign ownership, no physical office requirement, and strong privacy. The two most-used jurisdictions are RAK ICC and JAFZA Offshore.
| Cost Component | Amount (AED) |
| Company Registration & Government Fees | AED 10,000–20,000 |
| Legal & Documentation Charges | AED 2,000–5,000 |
| Annual Renewal & Registered Agent Fees | AED 7,000–15,000 |
| Total First-Year Cost | AED 10,000–35,000 |
Holding Company & Family Office Setup Cost in Dubai
Dubai has quietly become one of the world’s fastest-growing centres for private wealth structuring. UAE foundation registrations have grown roughly 5.5x since 2020, from around 128 a year to an estimated 700 by the end of 2025, and DIFC alone now hosts 1,289 family-related entities (up 61% year-on-year) and 1,115 foundations (up 66%). Dubai is now estimated to host around 75% of the region’s family offices, giving founders access to a pool of roughly USD 3 trillion in regional private wealth.
A typical Holding Entity / Family Office setup in Dubai (inclusive of office space) costs approximately AED 37,000, with the licence cost itself (inclusive) sitting at roughly AED 20,000. These structures are commonly set up in DIFC or ADGM, and used to hold shares, real estate, or intellectual property under a single, tax-efficient entity, separate from an operating business.
Let AE Setup Turn These Numbers Into Your Business
Every figure in this guide moves depending on your activity, visa count, and jurisdiction which is exactly why a personalised quote matters more than a generic estimate. At AE Setup, we handle the entire process – Mainland, Free Zone, Offshore, or a holding/family office structure, with transparent, itemised costing from day one.
Talk to our team today for a free, numbers-first breakdown of exactly what your Dubai company will cost and how fast we can get it licensed.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the cheapest way to set up a company in Dubai?
A Free Zone licence is usually the cheapest route, with entry-level packages at zones like RAKEZ (from AED 5,750) and IFZA (from AED 12,200), both significantly below the AED 20,000+ starting point for a Mainland licence.
2. Is Mainland or Free Zone cheaper in Dubai?
Free Zone is typically cheaper to start (from ~AED 12,000) versus Mainland (from ~AED 20,000). Mainland costs more upfront but removes restrictions on trading directly with UAE customers and government entities.
3. How much does an investor visa cost in Dubai in 2026?
An investor visa costs approximately AED 3,200 for processing, plus an AED 1,800 status-change fee if you’re applying from inside the country. Outside-country applications cost a flat AED 3,200 with no status-change fee.
4. How long does it take to set up a company in Dubai?
A Free Zone licence can be issued in as little as 3–5 working days. A Mainland licence typically takes 7–10 working days end-to-end once you include initial approval, MOA drafting, Ejari, and the establishment card, longer if additional government approvals apply.
5. Do I need a physical office to set up a company in Dubai?
Only Mainland companies strictly require a registered office (via Ejari). Many Free Zones allow a flexi-desk or shared workspace instead, and Offshore companies don’t require any UAE office at all.
