Meydan Free Zone Business Setup in Dubai (2026): Licences, Real Costs, Visas and Tax

Want a Dubai company without renting an office, and without paying for visas you don't need yet? Meydan Free Zone has built its business around exactly that buyer. This guide is for freelancers, consultants, e-commerce sellers and overseas founders weighing up a Meydan Free Zone business setup in Dubai. It covers what the free zone itself publishes — the licence prices, what they include, the add-on fees — then the visa route, setup steps and timelines, the corporate tax reality for service businesses, mainland access, and the honest pros and cons.

Quick answer

Meydan Free Zone, in Meydan City, Dubai, issues LLC-FZ trade licences fully online. Its published prices (read 7 October 2026) are AED 12,500 a year for the standard licence and AED 15,000 for Fawri, the instant licence for solo founders. Both include the licence, company documents and a flexi-desk lease; visas, Emirates ID and extra activities are paid separately as you need them.

• Up to 3 activity groups from 2,500+ activities included; extra activities AED 1,000 each

• No paid-up capital or physical office needed to start

• Fawri licence in under 60 minutes, with a refund if late

• Investor visa needs AED 50,000+ share capital

• Corporate tax registration within 3 months; 0% only on qualifying income

What Meydan Free Zone is and who it suits

Meydan Free Zone sits in Meydan City, next to Meydan Racecourse — home of the Dubai World Cup — and about 15 minutes from Dubai International Airport. It markets itself as a fully digital free zone: you apply, pay, sign and receive documents online, with walk-in support if you want it.

It suits:

• Solo consultants and freelancers who need a Dubai company to invoice clients and open a bank account.
• Overseas founders who want a UAE entity without relocating.
• Small e-commerce and trading businesses that don't hold large stock in the UAE.
• Professionals starting a side business — Meydan says employed founders don't need an NOC from their employer to open a company.

It suits less: anyone who needs a warehouse, factory or port — an industrial zone like Hamriyah Free Zone fits better — or businesses whose income will be mostly from selling to individuals and who want 0% corporate tax (more on that below).

Licence types: regular licence vs Fawri

Meydan issues a limited liability company licence (LLC-FZ) in two main flavours. Both let you pick up to three activity groups, with multiple activities inside each group, from Meydan's activity list.

Meydan regular licence vs Fawri (published 7 October 2026)

	Regular licence	Fawri instant licence
Published price	From AED 12,500 a year	From AED 15,000
Who it's for	1 to 50 shareholders (6 included, then AED 2,000 each)	One person as shareholder, manager, director and UBO
Activities	2,500+ to choose from, 3 groups included	1,800+ to choose from, 3 groups included
Issue time	As little as 24 hours	Under 60 minutes, or a full refund
Included	Licence, company registration, digital application, portal, flexi-desk lease	Licence, certificate of formation, share register, MoA/AoA, facility lease, one free amendment in year 1
Not included	Visas, medicals, Emirates ID, office upgrades, extra activities	Visas, medicals, Emirates ID, office upgrades, extra activities

Published price

Regular licence

From AED 12,500 a year

Fawri instant licence

From AED 15,000

Who it's for

Regular licence

1 to 50 shareholders (6 included, then AED 2,000 each)

Fawri instant licence

One person as shareholder, manager, director and UBO

Activities

Regular licence

2,500+ to choose from, 3 groups included

Fawri instant licence

1,800+ to choose from, 3 groups included

Issue time

Regular licence

As little as 24 hours

Fawri instant licence

Under 60 minutes, or a full refund

Included

Regular licence

Licence, company registration, digital application, portal, flexi-desk lease

Fawri instant licence

Licence, certificate of formation, share register, MoA/AoA, facility lease, one free amendment in year 1

Not included

Regular licence

Visas, medicals, Emirates ID, office upgrades, extra activities

Fawri instant licence

Visas, medicals, Emirates ID, office upgrades, extra activities

A few structural limits from Meydan's FAQs: up to 50 shareholders, up to 4 directors and one manager on the licence (you can still hire sales or marketing managers). Licences can be issued for up to 10 years, and Meydan advertises up to 15% off multi-year licences.

Business activities

Activities are grouped by sector — trading, professional services, ICT, education, real estate, healthcare, F&B rentals, manufacturing, transportation and more. Meydan's example: you could combine a manufacturing group, an automotive trading group and an F&B rentals group on one licence, with several activities in each. Anything outside your three groups costs AED 1,000 per activity. Some activities need approval from another authority, such as virtual assets activities, which fall under VARA.

What a Meydan Free Zone setup really costs

Meydan publishes the licence price and several add-on fees, but not a single all-in package price — visas and services are billed "pay as you go". So build your budget from the published pieces.

Worked examples (AED)

1. Solo consultant, no visa yet. Fawri at AED 15,000, or the regular licence at AED 12,500. If she needs one activity outside her three groups, add AED 1,000: AED 13,500 on the regular licence. Her residence visa can wait until the business is earning.

2. Same consultant, three-year licence. Three years at AED 12,500 is AED 37,500 before discount. At the maximum advertised 15% saving, that's about AED 31,875 — check the exact discount for your term in the calculator.

3. Two partners who both want residence visas. Regular licence AED 12,500, plus an immigration card and two partner visas with medicals and Emirates IDs from the calculator. Their share capital must be at least AED 50,000 for partner visas. If one of them later sponsors a spouse, budget the AED 3,000 deposit.

Use Meydan's own cost calculator for the visa lines on the day you apply, and our startup cost calculator to add living costs and runway.

Visas through Meydan Free Zone

Visas are optional and added when you need them. The sequence is:

1. Immigration (establishment) card and e-channel — opened after incorporation; Meydan puts this at 1 to 2 business days for Fawri.
2. Visa application — investor (sole shareholder), partner (one of several shareholders) or employee. Investor and partner visas need AED 50,000 or more of share capital.
3. Change of status if the person is already in the UAE, so they don't have to leave and re-enter.
4. Medical test, Emirates ID biometrics and visa stamping — Meydan quotes 3 to 7 business days for the visa stage.
5. Dependent visas for a spouse, children or parents once your own residence is issued.

You don't need a UAE visa to own the company: international founders can hold a Meydan licence while living abroad. A residence visa matters if you want to live in the UAE or sponsor family members.

How to set up: step by step and timelines

Meydan Free Zone business setup (2026)

1. 1

   Choose licence type and activities

   Regular licence for one or more shareholders; Fawri if you're a solo founder. Pick up to three activity groups.

   Meydan activity list
2. 2

   Check and reserve your trade name

   Meydan says name checks come back in as little as 20 minutes. Avoid names that imply a regulated activity you haven't licensed.

3. 3

   Upload documents and pay

   Individuals: a passport copy (UAE residents can verify with UAE Pass). Corporate shareholders: certificate of incorporation, incumbency, MoA/AoA and a signed board resolution. Pay online; UAE residents can split payments on eligible credit cards.

4. 4

   Receive your licence and company documents

   Fawri: under 60 minutes. Regular licence: as little as 24 hours. You get the business licence, certificate of formation, share register, MoA and lease agreement.

5. 5

   Activate immigration and apply for visas

   Immigration card and e-channel in about 1–2 business days, then visas in about 3–7 business days including medical and Emirates ID.

6. 6

   Open a bank account and register for tax

   Meydan's MPlus team starts the bank account process with partner banks. Register for corporate tax within 3 months; register for VAT once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000.

   Tip: Create your UBO register within 60 days of incorporation and update it within 15 days of any change.

A realistic end-to-end timeline for a founder who needs a visa and a bank account is two to four weeks; bank approval depends on each bank's compliance checks, which Meydan doesn't control.

Corporate tax and VAT for Meydan companies

Meydan advertises "0% corporate tax on qualifying income". That's accurate — but the word qualifying does a lot of work.

A Qualifying Free Zone Person pays 0% on qualifying income and 9% on everything else. Qualifying income broadly means income from qualifying activities listed in Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025 — such as manufacturing, processing, logistics, distribution from a designated zone, fund and wealth management, headquarters and treasury services to related parties — and certain income from transactions with other free zone persons. General consulting, marketing, IT services or e-commerce sales to customers outside the free zones aren't on that list, and transactions with individuals are an excluded activity.

If non-qualifying revenue exceeds 5% of total revenue or AED 5 million, the company loses QFZP status for 5 tax periods and is taxed under the standard regime: 0% on the first AED 375,000 of taxable income and 9% above it.

Worked example: Omar's Meydan consultancy bills mainland and overseas companies AED 900,000 a year and makes AED 500,000 taxable profit. His income is non-qualifying, so the standard regime applies: (AED 500,000 − AED 375,000) × 9% = AED 11,250. Because his revenue is under AED 3 million, he may instead elect Small Business Relief — available for tax periods ending by 31 December 2029 — and pay nothing, at the cost of not being treated as a QFZP. Run your own numbers in the UAE corporate tax calculator.

Register for corporate tax within 3 months of incorporation; late registration carries a AED 10,000 penalty (the FTA offers a waiver if your first return is filed within seven months of your first tax period's end). VAT is separate: register once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 (voluntary from AED 187,500) and charge 5% — our UAE VAT calculator handles the maths.

Working with mainland clients

A free zone licence traditionally limited you to clients outside the UAE or inside free zones. Meydan says its licensees can now apply for a mainland permit (NOC) with Department of Economy and Tourism approval to work with and invoice mainland companies and even lease mainland office space, without a separate mainland licence. Confirm your activity is eligible, budget for the permit and keep it renewed. If you plan to open a shop or serve walk-in consumers, compare a full mainland licence — see our UAE business licence guide.

Meydan vs other free zones

Meydan Free Zone vs DAFZA, Ajman and Hamriyah

	Meydan Free Zone	DAFZA (Dubai)	Ajman Free Zone	Hamriyah (Sharjah)
Published entry price	AED 12,500	Quoted by package	AED 5,555 (no visa)	Basic licence AED 11,000
Best for	Digital, service and light trading start-ups	Airport-linked trading and corporates	Low-cost trading and services	Industry, port and logistics
Physical space	Flexi-desk included	Offices and warehouses at DXB	Desks, offices, warehouses	Offices, warehouses, land
Setup	Fully online, 60 min to 24 h	Online and in person	Online	Licence in about 1 hour

Published entry price

Meydan Free Zone

AED 12,500

DAFZA (Dubai)

Quoted by package

Ajman Free Zone

AED 5,555 (no visa)

Hamriyah (Sharjah)

Basic licence AED 11,000

Best for

Meydan Free Zone

Digital, service and light trading start-ups

DAFZA (Dubai)

Airport-linked trading and corporates

Ajman Free Zone

Low-cost trading and services

Hamriyah (Sharjah)

Industry, port and logistics

Physical space

Meydan Free Zone

Flexi-desk included

DAFZA (Dubai)

Offices and warehouses at DXB

Ajman Free Zone

Desks, offices, warehouses

Hamriyah (Sharjah)

Offices, warehouses, land

Setup

Meydan Free Zone

Fully online, 60 min to 24 h

DAFZA (Dubai)

Online and in person

Ajman Free Zone

Online

Hamriyah (Sharjah)

Licence in about 1 hour

Read the full guides: DAFZA, Ajman Free Zone and Hamriyah Free Zone.

Pros and cons of Meydan Free Zone

Pros

• Low published entry price for a Dubai company, with no paid-up capital or office required.
• Fully online process and very fast licensing — 60 minutes with Fawri.
• Three activity groups across different industries on one licence.
• Pay-as-you-go visas and services; up to 15% off multi-year licences.
• Mainland permit route for working with Dubai mainland companies.

Cons

• The headline price excludes visas, Emirates ID and medicals, which often double the first-year budget for a founder who relocates.
• Flexi-desk only by default — not suitable for stock-heavy or industrial businesses.
• Service businesses rarely get the 0% QFZP rate; plan for the standard corporate tax regime or Small Business Relief.
• Bank account approval is supported but ultimately the bank's decision.

Official links

• Meydan Free ZoneLicence options and online application
• Meydan — cost calculator
• Meydan — Fawri instant licence
• Meydan — FAQs
• Federal Tax Authority — corporate tax registration
• Ministry of Finance — qualifying activities decision (2025)

What to do next

Write down the activities you'll actually perform, how many visas you need in year one, and who your customers are. Then price it in Meydan's calculator and compare the total — not the headline — with one other free zone. Once licensed, register for corporate tax inside 3 months, decide early whether Small Business Relief or QFZP treatment suits you, and send your first invoice with our free invoice generator.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice — confirm on the official source or with a professional.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Meydan Free Zone licence cost in 2026?

Meydan Free Zone publishes its standard trade licence from AED 12,500 a year and its Fawri instant licence from AED 15,000, both read on its website on 7 October 2026. Both include the licence, company registration and a flexi-desk lease agreement. Visas, medicals, Emirates ID, extra activities (AED 1,000 each) and office upgrades cost extra.

Can I get a visa with a Meydan Free Zone licence?

Yes, but visas are add-ons, not part of the base price. After incorporation you get an immigration (establishment) card, then apply for investor, partner, employee or dependent visas with medicals and Emirates ID. An investor or partner visa needs share capital of AED 50,000 or more. A dependent visa sponsored by the investor needs a AED 3,000 deposit.

What is the Meydan Fawri licence?

Fawri is Meydan Free Zone's instant licence for solo founders: one person is shareholder, manager, director and UBO. It's issued online in under 60 minutes with a full refund if it isn't, covers up to three activity groups from 1,800+ activities, and costs from AED 15,000. Businesses with two or more shareholders use the regular licence instead.

Do Meydan Free Zone companies pay corporate tax?

They must register for corporate tax within 3 months of incorporation. A Qualifying Free Zone Person pays 0% only on qualifying income; other income is taxed at 9%. Many Meydan businesses — consultancies or agencies serving mainland or overseas clients — earn mostly non-qualifying income and fall under the standard regime: 0% up to AED 375,000, then 9%.

Can a Meydan Free Zone company work on the Dubai mainland?

Meydan says its licensees can apply for a mainland permit or NOC, with Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism approval, to work with and invoice mainland companies and lease mainland office space without a separate mainland licence. Check that your specific activity is eligible before signing mainland contracts, and keep the permit renewed.

Is Meydan Free Zone the cheapest free zone in Dubai?

It's among the lowest published entry prices for a Dubai address, at AED 12,500. Free zones in other emirates can be cheaper — Ajman Free Zone's calculator lists a no-visa package at AED 5,555. Compare total cost with the visas and activities you actually need, not the headline licence price.

Sources & verification

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below when it was last reviewed on 7 October 2026. Each rate and limit is stored once with its own official source and review date, and official update channels are monitored daily so changes are picked up. How we verify

1. 1.Meydan Free Zone — home — Meydan Free Zone · accessed 7 October 2026
2. 2.Start your Dubai business from AED 12,500 per year — Meydan Free Zone · accessed 7 October 2026
3. 3.Fawri — Dubai trade licence in 60 minutes — Meydan Free Zone · accessed 7 October 2026
4. 4.Meydan Free Zone — FAQs — Meydan Free Zone · accessed 7 October 2026
5. 5.Meydan Free Zone — cost calculator — Meydan Free Zone · accessed 7 October 2026
6. 6.Meydan Free Zone — about us — Meydan Free Zone · accessed 7 October 2026
7. 7.Corporate Tax registration — Federal Tax Authority (UAE) · accessed 7 October 2026
8. 8.Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025 regarding Qualifying Activities and Excluded Activities — UAE Ministry of Finance · accessed 7 October 2026
9. 9.Ministry of Finance announces extension of Small Business Relief until 31 December 2029 — UAE Ministry of Finance · accessed 7 October 2026