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Company Formation in Meydan Free Zone company setup in 2026

A Meydan Free Zone license starts at AED 12,500 a year — the cheapest entry into a Dubai jurisdiction. It includes general trading at no extra cost, which IFZA charges AED 10,000 for, and it is the only affordable free zone that can also issue you a permit to trade on the Dubai mainland.

AED 12,500License from
6Shareholders included
6Visas, no office needed
Gen. tradingIncluded free
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"General trading was free here and ten thousand somewhere else. Nobody had told me that."

★★★★★  Ahmed R. · Verified Google review

"They explained I could get a mainland permit on top of the free zone license. That solved my whole problem."

★★★★★  Nour H. · Verified Google review

"I asked four consultants. Business Link was the only one who told me which zone would cost me less."

★★★★★  Priya S. · Verified Google review

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The short answer

What is Meydan Free Zone?

Meydan Free Zone is a Dubai Government free zone based at the Meydan Grandstand, the Dubai World Cup racecourse building. Its license carries the Dubai government seal, which banks and corporate counterparties read the same way they read a DED license. Entry is AED 12,500 a year including the mandatory shared desk, it includes three activity groups and six shareholders at no extra cost, and it supports up to six visas without you renting a physical office.

Full name
Meydan Free Zone (MFZ)
Jurisdiction
Dubai
Location
Meydan Grandstand, Dubai
License fee
AED 12,125 / year
Minimum setup
AED 12,500 including desk
Activities included
3 groups, +AED 1,000 each
General trading
Included, no surcharge
Shareholders
6 included, +AED 2,000 each
Visas without an office
Up to 6
Paid-up capital
None required
Mainland permit
Available, AED 9,500
Multi-year discount
15% on license + allocations

Figures are the Meydan authority and UAE government fees current at the time of writing. Reviewed August 2026 by Business Link. Your consultant confirms the exact figure for your activity and visa count in writing before you commit.

Transparent pricing

Meydan Free Zone license cost in 2026

Meydan prices the license and the visa components separately rather than as a bundled package, so the honest way to quote it is line by line. Whether the applicant is already inside the UAE changes the total, because a status change is charged per person.

1. Where is the applicant?

2. How many visas?

What that figure is made of

License, shared desk and knowledge feeAED 12,500
Immigration card, one-off on the first visaNot applicable
Visa allocations, visas and status changesNot applicable
First-year total
AED 12,500
Recurring each year: AED 12,500
Get this quoted in writing

Meydan authority and UAE government fees, based on investor visas at AED 4,000. An employment visa is AED 3,500. The recurring figure covers the license, desk, immigration card renewal and visa allocations; the residence visa itself is a two-year document and renews at AED 4,000 per person. Health insurance is mandatory and arranged separately. Optional extras include medical and Emirates ID assistance at AED 2,250 and physical visa stamping at AED 1,000.

Every Meydan fee, line by line
ItemAmountNotes
License, new or renewalAED 12,125Includes 3 MOFA activity groups
Shared desk, mandatoryAED 3754 hours a month of co-working; required on every license
Corporate formationAED 0Free
Visa allocationAED 1,850Per visa slot, recurring annually
Immigration card, newAED 2,000Per company, on the first visa. Renewal AED 2,200
Investor or partner visaAED 4,000Entry permit, medical, Emirates ID and stamping
Employment visaAED 3,500Same process, employee designation
Status changeAED 1,500Per person, only if already inside the UAE
Extra activity beyond 3AED 1,000Per activity, new or at renewal
Extra shareholder beyond 6AED 2,000Per shareholder
License amendmentAED 2,000Free at renewal, or pay once for several changes together
License cancellationAED 2,000Covers license and formation
Name reservationAED 500Valid 30 days
NOC to lease outside the free zoneAED 2,500Rent an office anywhere in Dubai under the license
Mainland DED / DET permitAED 9,500Trade legally on the Dubai mainland

On many free-zone setups Business Link is paid a commission by the free zone rather than by you, so in a lot of cases the authority fee above is the whole cost. Your consultant tells you exactly where that applies to your file, in writing, before you pay anything.

Want this priced for your exact activity?

Send us the activities you plan to run and how many visas you need. You get an itemised figure back, not a bundled headline number.

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The thing that makes Meydan different

Meydan can bridge you onto the Dubai mainland

The standard trade-off with any free zone company is that you cannot sell directly and repeatedly into the UAE mainland without a distributor or agent. It is the reason plenty of businesses pay more for a mainland license they did not otherwise need. Meydan is the only affordable free zone that offers a route around it.

Mainland trading permit — AED 9,500

Meydan can issue a DED/DET permit that lets your free zone company operate legally on the Dubai mainland. For a business that mostly serves international clients but has a handful of mainland contracts, this is dramatically cheaper than holding a second mainland license, and it keeps everything under one entity.

NOC to lease anywhere in Dubai — AED 2,500

Most free zone licenses tie your registered premises to the zone. Meydan will issue a no-objection certificate letting you rent an office anywhere in Dubai under your Meydan license, so you can sit where your clients or your staff are rather than where your license was issued.

Whether the mainland permit is the right structure depends on how much of your revenue comes from mainland clients and what your activity is. If most of it does, a mainland license is usually still the better answer and we will tell you so. If it is a minority of your work, this permit often replaces a second license entirely. Ask us to run both numbers before you decide.

Why Meydan

What Meydan includes that the other Dubai zone charges for

Meydan and IFZA sit within AED 380 of each other on the headline license, so the decision is almost never about the sticker price. It is about what is bundled.

General trading at no extra cost

A general trading activity lets you trade almost anything rather than named categories. Meydan includes it. IFZA charges AED 10,000 for it. For a trading business that single line is worth more than the entire license price difference between the two zones.

The Dubai government seal

The license carries the Dubai government logo, which banks and corporate counterparties read much the way they read a DED license. On a page where you are choosing between emirates, this is the practical reason a Dubai zone costs more than Ajman.

Six shareholders, no charge

Six included before any per-shareholder fee, against three at IFZA and a hard cap of five at Ajman Free Zone. For a partnership or a multi-founder business this quietly removes a cost most comparisons never surface.

Six visas without renting an office

Up to six visas on a shared-desk setup. Most zones tie visa quota to floor space, so this matters for a small team that works remotely but needs residence visas.

Amendments are free at renewal

Changing an activity or a shareholder costs AED 2,000 mid-year, but nothing if you bundle it into your renewal — and multiple changes in one request are charged once. Waiting a few months to make a change can save the fee outright.

Mix activity types on one license

Commercial, professional and general trading can sit together under one Meydan license. IFZA allows the same combination but charges AED 2,000 for it as a cross-business activity.

Compare zones

Meydan against the zones it competes with

Entry price, zero-visa license, authority fee only. Meydan is the cheapest Dubai jurisdiction, and roughly double the Ajman and Sharjah zones:

Ajman NuVentures4,888
SHAMS5,750
RAKEZ6,000
Meydan12,500
IFZA12,900

Figures in AED. Entry prices are the authority fee for a zero-visa license and change from time to time. The Ajman and Sharjah zones are less than half Meydan's price — if you do not specifically need a Dubai jurisdiction, they are the honest recommendation.

The comparison that decides it: Meydan vs IFZA
MeydanIFZA
EmirateDubai (Meydan)Dubai (Silicon Oasis)
Entry, zero visaAED 12,500AED 12,900
General tradingIncluded freeAED 10,000 extra
Activities included3 groups, +AED 1,000 each3, up to 7 max, +AED 1,000 each
Activity ceilingNo published cap7 maximum
Shareholders included6, then AED 2,0003, then AED 350
Mix commercial + professionalIncludedAED 2,000
AmendmentsAED 2,000, free at renewalAED 2,000, 50% off if bundled
Multi-year discount15% at 2+ yearsUp to 30% at 5 years
Mainland trading permitYes, AED 9,500Not offered
Lease outside the zoneYes, NOC AED 2,500Not offered

The short version: Meydan if you need general trading, several shareholders, or any route to the mainland. IFZA if you want the deepest multi-year discount and your activity list is settled. We register in both and will run the numbers for your case rather than steer you.

Quick verdict

Should you choose Meydan Free Zone?

We would rather tell you now than after you have paid. If Meydan is the wrong zone for you, we will say so and point you at the right one.

Meydan fits if

  • You need general trading, where Meydan includes what IFZA charges AED 10,000 for
  • You want a Dubai government license at the lowest available price
  • You have four to six shareholders, all included at no extra cost
  • You need up to six visas without renting a physical office
  • Some of your revenue will come from mainland clients and you want the AED 9,500 permit rather than a second license
  • You want to rent an office elsewhere in Dubai under a free zone license

Look at another zone if

  • Cost is the deciding factor and Dubai is not essential — Ajman, SHAMS and RAKEZ are less than half the price
  • You want the deepest long-term discount, where IFZA's five-year term goes further
  • Media production is your core business, which points to SHAMS and its on-site facilities
  • You need heavy manufacturing or warehousing, which points to a RAKEZ designated zone
  • Nearly all your revenue will come from UAE mainland clients, where a mainland license is usually the better structure outright
  • Your activity is regulated, such as finance, insurance or healthcare, where separate approvals apply
The process

How to set up a company in Meydan Free Zone

Meydan runs onboarding entirely through its own portal, with no in-person visit required to incorporate. You do need to be in the UAE for the medical, biometrics and bank account if you are taking a visa.

1

Names, activities and visa count

Three proposed names minimum, your activity groups, shareholding split and how many visas you need. Three activity groups are included and each further one is AED 1,000, so this is where the real cost is set.

2

Documents and source of funds

Passport spread in colour valid six months, passport photo, visa or Emirates ID copy if you are in the UAE, address proof, and source of funds — six months of bank statements, three months of salary slips, or six months of company statements.

3

Portal verification, per shareholder

Each shareholder gets a portal invitation and completes three tasks: approve the company details, verify ID by uploading the passport and recording a live camera capture of it, and complete a compliance questionnaire if the risk rating calls for one.

4

License issued

You receive the trade license carrying the Dubai government seal, the formation documents and the shared-desk lease agreement. Meydan confirms current processing time when you apply.

Steps 5 to 7: immigration card, visa, and the bank account

5. Immigration card. AED 2,000 on the first visa, renewing at AED 2,200. This opens the company's immigration file and is what allows visas to be issued against the license.

6. Entry permit, medical, biometrics and Emirates ID. The AED 4,000 investor visa fee covers entry permit, medical, Emirates ID and stamping as one process. Add AED 1,500 for a status change if the applicant is already inside the UAE. Meydan offers an optional VIP medical and Emirates ID service with home pickup at AED 2,250. Physical passport stamping is AED 1,000 and immigration does not require it.

7. Corporate bank account. The Dubai government seal on a Meydan license generally reads well with banks, which is a genuine part of what the Dubai premium buys. Approval is still the bank's decision and no consultant can guarantee it. Meydan asks for source of funds at onboarding, so that file is usually already in good shape by the time you approach a bank.

Meydan or the cheaper emirates?

Tell us the activities, the visa count and whether you will sell to mainland clients. We will price Meydan against IFZA and against the Ajman and Sharjah zones side by side.

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Tax, compliance and banking

What a Meydan company owes, and what banks will ask

Corporate tax

UAE corporate tax applies to free zone companies. The standard rate is 9% on taxable income above AED 375,000. A company meeting the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions set by the Federal Tax Authority may be taxed at 0% on its qualifying income, with 9% on the rest. Registration with the FTA is mandatory regardless of the rate. Note that mainland-sourced income under a DED permit is generally not qualifying income, so take advice before relying on the 0% rate.

VAT

VAT is 5% on taxable supplies made in the UAE. Registration becomes mandatory once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 in a twelve-month period, with voluntary registration available from AED 187,500. If you take the mainland permit and sell locally, you are more likely to cross that threshold than a purely export business.

Accounting and records

You must keep proper accounting records for corporate tax purposes regardless of your rate, and businesses carrying out DNFBP activities have goAML registration obligations. Confirm the current audit position for your license at renewal, since it varies by zone and activity.

Bank account opening

Banks assess your activity, shareholder profile, source of funds, expected transaction flow and supporting contracts. Meydan collects source of funds at onboarding, so that part of the file is usually ready. Approval remains the bank's decision and no consultant can guarantee it.

Common questions

Meydan Free Zone FAQs

How much does a Meydan Free Zone license cost?

AED 12,500 a year for a license with no visas, made up of the AED 12,125 license, the mandatory AED 375 shared desk and a AED 20 knowledge and innovation fee. A one-visa setup for an applicant outside the UAE comes to roughly AED 20,370, adding the AED 2,000 immigration card, AED 1,850 visa allocation and AED 4,000 investor visa. If the applicant is already inside the UAE, add AED 1,500 for a status change.

Does Meydan include general trading?

Yes, at no extra cost, and this is Meydan's single strongest commercial advantage. IFZA, the other affordable Dubai free zone, charges AED 10,000 for a general trading activity. For any trading business that difference dwarfs the AED 380 gap in license price between the two zones.

Can a Meydan company trade on the Dubai mainland?

Meydan can issue a DED/DET mainland permit for AED 9,500, which allows the free zone company to operate legally on the Dubai mainland. That is unusual among affordable free zones. Whether it is right for you depends on how much of your revenue is mainland-sourced — if it is most of it, a mainland license is usually the better structure, and there are corporate tax consequences to mainland income that are worth taking advice on.

How many visas can a Meydan company have?

Up to six on a shared-desk setup with no physical office, which is more generous than most zones where visa quota is tied to floor space. Beyond six you would take a physical office at the Meydan Grandstand, where the visa allocation scales with the size of the unit up to fourteen.

How many shareholders and activities does Meydan include?

Six shareholders and three MOFA activity groups are included in the license price. Each additional shareholder is AED 2,000 and each additional activity is AED 1,000, charged both at setup and at renewal. Commercial, professional and general trading activities can be mixed under one license.

Is Meydan cheaper than IFZA?

On the headline license, marginally — AED 12,500 against AED 12,900. In practice it depends entirely on your activity. If you need general trading, Meydan is roughly AED 10,000 cheaper. If you have more than three shareholders, Meydan is cheaper again. If your activity list is settled and you want the deepest multi-year discount, IFZA's five-year term at around 30% off goes further.

Do I need to visit the UAE to set up in Meydan?

Not to incorporate. Onboarding runs entirely through the Meydan portal, including ID verification, which requires uploading your passport and recording a live camera capture of it. If you are taking a residence visa you have to be physically present in the UAE for the medical, the biometrics and the Emirates ID, and normally for the bank account meeting.

Can I rent an office outside the free zone with a Meydan license?

Yes. Meydan issues a no-objection certificate for AED 2,500 that lets you lease premises anywhere in Dubai under your Meydan license. Most free zones tie your registered address to the zone, so this is a genuine flexibility if you want to sit near your clients or your team.

What is the mandatory shared desk?

Every Meydan license includes a shared desk at AED 375 a year giving four hours a month of co-working access. It is not optional — it is what provides the license's registered premises. Upgrades are available: a dedicated desk at AED 3,500 a month, a shared office at AED 15,000 a year, or a dedicated office at AED 30,000 a year.

What does it cost to change or cancel a Meydan license?

An amendment is AED 2,000, but it is free if you make the change at renewal, and several changes bundled into one request are charged once. Cancellation is AED 2,000 covering both the license and the formation. Late license renewal after the 30-day grace period is a one-off AED 500, and a late establishment card renewal is AED 250 per month.

Who you are dealing with

Why bring us into a Meydan setup at all

Meydan's pricing is componential rather than packaged, which makes it easy to under-quote by accident and easy to overpay by choosing the wrong combination. What you are paying us for is the part that is expensive to get wrong: fitting your activities into the three included groups, working out whether the mainland permit replaces a second license or whether you genuinely need mainland, and putting the immigration card and status change into the quote rather than the final invoice.

On many free-zone setups we are paid a commission by the free zone rather than by you, so in a lot of cases the authority fee is the whole cost either way. We tell you exactly where that applies to your file before you pay anything.

40,000+
Companies established
15+
Years in the UAE
4.8 / 5
Google rating

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Tell us your activities, visa count and whether you will sell to mainland clients. You get the itemised authority fees for your case, plus an honest comparison against IFZA and the cheaper emirates.

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