IFZA Business Setup n Dubai: Current Cost Breakdown 2026

IFZA Dubai business setup starts at 12,900 AED (1-year, Zero Visa license). Multi-year packages save 15–30%. Visa packages from 14,900 AED include 1 free-for-life residence visa. Prices inclusive of VAT, per IFZA’s official July 2026 price list. 

If you are planning to open a company in Dubai, IFZA (International Free Zone Authority) is one of the most popular free zones to choose. It’s affordable, fast, and flexible. But before you sign anything, you need to know the real numbers.

This guide breaks down the full IFZA business setup cost for 2026, based on IFZA’s official price list. You’ll find license prices, visa costs, hidden fees, renewal costs, and a simple calculator to work out your own budget.

What Is IFZA and Why Do People Choose It?

IFZA is a free zone based in Dubai Digital Park. It lets you set up a Commercial (Trading) license or a Professional (Service & Consultancy) license, with 100% foreign ownership and no local sponsor needed.

Business owners like IFZA because the pricing is transparent, the packages are flexible, and you can pick a license with zero visas or up to four visas and above, depending on how many staff or partners you plan to sponsor.

IFZA License Packages: What’s on Offer

IFZA sells its licenses in five package types, based on visa allocation:

• Zero Visa License – no residence visas included
• 1 Visa License – includes 1 residence visa
• 2 Visa License – includes 2 residence visas
• 3 Visa License – includes 3 residence visas
• 4 Visa License and above – includes 4 or more residence visas

Every package (except Zero Visa) also comes with 1 Residence Visa FREE for Life, as long as you keep renewing your business license. More on what “free” actually covers below.

You can also choose how long you want your license for: 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, or 5 years. Longer terms come with bigger discounts.

IFZA Business Setup Cost 2026: Full Price Breakdown

All prices below are the official IFZA standard prices, inclusive of VAT, as published in IFZA’s July 2026 price list.

1-Year License Cost

License Package	Standard Price (incl. VAT)
Zero Visa License	12,900 AED
1 Visa License	14,900 AED
2 Visa License	16,900 AED
3 Visa License	18,900 AED
4 Visa License and above	20,900 AED

 

2-Year License Cost (15% Discount)

License Package	Standard 2-Year Price	Discounted 2-Year Price
Zero Visa License	25,800 AED	19,400 AED
1 Visa License	29,800 AED	25,300 AED
2 Visa License	33,800 AED	28,700 AED
3 Visa License	37,800 AED	32,100 AED
4 Visa License and above	41,800 AED	35,500 AED

 

The Zero Visa 2-year package actually gets a bigger cut than the rest, closer to a 25% discount, which brings it down to 19,400 AED.

3-Year License Cost (20% Discount)

License Package	Standard 3-Year Price	Discounted 3-Year Price
Zero Visa License	38,700 AED	31,000 AED
1 Visa License	44,700 AED	35,800 AED
2 Visa License	50,700 AED	40,600 AED
3 Visa License	56,700 AED	45,400 AED
4 Visa License and above	62,700 AED	50,200 AED

 

5-Year License Cost (30% Discount)

License Package	Standard 5-Year Price	Discounted 5-Year Price
Zero Visa License	64,500 AED	45,200 AED
1 Visa License	74,500 AED	52,200 AED
2 Visa License	84,500 AED	59,200 AED
3 Visa License	94,500 AED	66,200 AED
4 Visa License and above	104,500 AED	73,200 AED

 

The longer you commit, the cheaper your license works out per year. A 5-year Zero Visa license costs 45,200 AED total, which comes to about 9,040 AED per year, well below the 12,900 AED 1-year rate.

Visa Package Costs: What You Actually Get

Every license above Zero Visa includes 1 Residence Visa FREE for Life. But “free” here has a specific meaning, so don’t skip this part.

The free visa covers:

• The standard DNRD visa issuance charge (3,750 AED)
• The standard visa renewal charge
• This applies at current government rates, for as long as your business license stays active

The free visa does not cover:

• Any future increase in government visa fees above 3,750 AED
• A shorter or longer visa term than the standard two years (you pay the difference)
• Transferring the free visa to another person once an application is already submitted

If your visa applicant is rejected, you can nominate someone else, but you’ll need to pay the standard issuance charge again for that person’s first term. If the visa expires while the holder is outside the UAE, or gets cancelled at re-entry within the last six months before expiry, the holder can reapply for the free visa, but any cancellation fees still fall on you.

Hidden Fees You Need to Budget For

This is where a lot of business owners get caught out. The advertised license price does not cover everything. Based on IFZA’s own terms, here’s what sits outside the headline price:

1. Company establishment card and its renewal – not included in the license fee
2. Visa status changes – charged separately
3. Investor or partner title fees – not included
4. VIP services – extra cost if you want fast-track processing
5. Visa-for-Life license transfers – separate fee
6. Medical exams for visa applicants – paid separately, standard government cost
7. Emirates ID registration – not included in the license price

There are also two fees that are normally charged but are being waived as part of the current 2026 promotion:

• General Trading Additional Fee – usually applies if you run a General Trading license, but it’s waived for new applications and the next three renewals (4 years total)
• Cross Business Activity Fee – usually applies if your license covers activities across more than one category, waived for the same 4-year period
• License Upgrade “Amendment Fee” – waived for life, but only for new related license applications made in June 2026

If you set up outside this promotion window, expect these fees to come back into play.

FlexiDesk: Included, But With Limits

New IFZA licenses with Zero, 1, 2, or 3 visa allocations come with a free FlexiDesk for one year:

• Zero or 1 Visa License → 1 FlexiDesk
• 2 Visa License → 2 FlexiDesks
• 3 Visa License → 3 FlexiDesks

FlexiDesks are only available during business hours, and you need to book in advance. After the first free year, expect a renewal charge if you want to keep using it.

IFZA Renewal Costs: What to Expect

IFZA’s promotional price list applies to new licenses paid and set up in July 2026, plus the next three renewals, which covers a four-year window in total.

A few renewal rules matter here:

• Multi-year packages are issued with 1-year validity on paper, along with a multiyear letter and auto-renewal, even though you’ve paid for the full term upfront
• The free residence visa stays free only if you keep renewing the business package continuously. If you let the license lapse, the free visa promotion is lost
• If you took the Lock-In Downpayment option on a 1-year or multi-year application, that payment is non-refundable and non-transferable if you decide not to go ahead with company formation
• Single-year renewals do not qualify for the special two-year zero-visa Eid promotion (see below); you need to keep renewing on a 2-year cycle to hold onto that benefit

6-Month Free Eid Promotion (Limited Window)

IFZA is also running a separate promotion for new 2-year Zero Visa licenses only, submitted between 1 July 2026 and 31 July 2026.

• The discount works out to 6,400 AED off the 2-year zero-visa license price
• To keep the benefit, you must renew for another 2-year zero-visa term when the first one ends
• The promotion can run for a maximum of four years total, as long as you keep meeting the renewal conditions
• Clients under this promotion can also join the Visa for Life program, though upgrading your license later will trigger standard upgrade fees

IFZA Business Setup Cost Calculator

Here’s a simple way to estimate your total IFZA business setup cost for 2026.

Step 1: Pick your license term and visa package, and take the standard price from the tables above.

Step 2: Business cost Calculator IFZA
Add on the extras that apply to you, using rough government-rate figures:

Extra Cost	Typical Amount
Medical exam (per visa holder)	~700–900 AED
Emirates ID registration (per person)	~370–1,070 AED
Establishment card	~2,000 AED (varies)
VIP/fast-track service (optional)	~1,500–3,000 AED
Extra Cost	Typical Amount

Example calculation:

You want a 2-Visa License for 2 years.

• Discounted 2-year license price: 28,700 AED
• 2 medical exams (2 x 800 AED): 1,600 AED
• 2 Emirates ID registrations (2 x 700 AED): 1,400 AED
• Establishment card: 2,000 AED

Estimated total: around 33,700 AED, before any optional VIP or amendment services.

Use this same formula with any package from the tables above: license price + visa-linked extras (medical, Emirates ID) + establishment card + any optional services you choose.

Conclusion

IFZA’s 2026 pricing is straightforward on paper, but the real cost of setting up depends on how many visas you need, how long a term you commit to, and which extra services you add on. Use the tables and calculator above to work out a number close to what you’ll actually pay, and always ask your IFZA partner to confirm current government fee rates before you commit, since those can change without notice.

Frequently Asked Questions