UAE Free Zone: IFZA
International Free Zone Authority: Dubai's most popular zone for foreign-owned tech, e-commerce, and consulting companies. Zero-visa entry tier; visa packages add on top. 100% foreign ownership. Banking acceptance is moderate; Virtuzone available as a banking-introduction upgrade.
What's included
- IFZA Free Zone Authority license fee: we file and pay it on your behalf
- Memorandum of Association (UAE Free Zone variant)
- Establishment Card
- Share Certificate and Register of Members
- Initial Resolution appointing director and manager
- First-year corporate-services support from our licensed UAE partner
- Sanctions screen + Tier 1 KYC
What's NOT included
- UAE residence visa packages (zero-visa entry tier is the default; visa add-ons start at $1,499 per visa and are sold separately)
- Office or flexi-desk lease (IFZA zero-visa tier requires no office; if you want a visa, lease costs are pass-through)
- Year-2+ license renewal (~$2,499/yr)
- UAE corporate-tax registration with the FTA (the 9% UAE CT applies above AED 375K taxable profit; separate compliance SKU)
- Local bank account opening (separate post-formation flow; UAE banking is 4-12 weeks)
- Mail forwarding
We list what's not included on every product page so there are no checkout surprises.
Timeline & terms
- Formation
- 14 business days
- KYC tier
- Tier 1
Operator-grade use case
The default Dubai pick for foreign-owned tech, consulting, e-commerce, and media businesses that want a credible Middle East presence with 100% foreign ownership and no local sponsor required. IFZA is Dubai's most popular free zone by volume, with established banking relationships at Emirates NBD, Mashreq Neo, and Wio Business.
Best fit when: you want a reputable UAE entity for invoicing GCC clients, you're planning to relocate to Dubai over the next 12-24 months and want a visa-ready vehicle, or your business model benefits from the UAE's 0% personal income tax and 9% corporate-tax regime (above AED 375K profit threshold).
Less appropriate for: regulated activities (banking, insurance, financial advisory; those need DIFC or ADGM, not IFZA), pure holding companies with no operating activity (a Cayman or BVI structure is cheaper and cleaner), or operators whose counterparties prefer non-FATF jurisdictions.
What you'll need to hand us
- Email address
- Country of residence
- Intended use statement (free-text)
- Government-issued photo ID (passport or national ID)
- Proof of address (utility bill, bank statement, or government letter, dated within 90 days)
- Source-of-funds attestation (drop-down + free text)
- Optional: PEP and adverse-media screening consent
- Everything in Tier 1
- Beneficial owner declaration for every party with 25%+ ownership
- Source-of-wealth documentation (tax return, employment letter, salary, asset proof)
- Manual enhanced-due-diligence reviewer notes from our KYC partner