A 1988-vintage budget zone that modernised its e-channels — solid for trading and services when cost beats address prestige.
LAST VERIFIED: 21 JUL 2026 · Tariff verified against the official schedule.
Ajman Free Zone is one of the country's oldest zones (established 1988) and it has stayed deliberately cheap. That single fact shapes who it serves. It fits cost-led traders, e-commerce sellers, consultants and small service firms that need a valid UAE licence, a bank-ready entity and residence visas without paying Dubai-address premiums. Its position at Ajman Port also makes it genuinely workable for light industrial, warehousing and re-export operators who actually move goods.
It does not fit companies that sell on address prestige — a Dubai or DIFC letterhead — or regulated activities such as fintech, funds or insurance, which belong in specialised financial zones. Founders who expect a large visa allocation on the cheapest package will also be disappointed: quota follows the facility you rent, not the headline licence price.
The headline AED 5,555 is a licence-and-registration figure for an entry package — typically zero- or single-visa on a flexi arrangement. It is a real number, but it is not the landed cost of a working company. Budget the items below before you set it against a Dubai quote.
| Item | In the AED 5,555? | Typical extra |
|---|---|---|
| Trade licence + registration | Yes | — |
| Establishment / immigration card | Usually no | ~AED 1,000–2,000 |
| Each residence visa (medical, Emirates ID, stamping) | No | ~AED 3,000–5,000 per person |
| Physical office or warehouse | No | rent on top |
| Corporate Tax registration | No (mandatory anyway) | see below |
The biggest swing is visas and physical space. A pure licence stays near the headline; the moment you add two or three visas and a desk, the real first-year figure moves well above it. Model it honestly with our setup-cost calculator.
Ajman Free Zone does not require a physical office, so entry founders usually take a flexi-desk or smart-office package. Visa quota then scales with the facility: a flexi arrangement carries a small allocation, while a leased office or warehouse unlocks more. Each residence visa runs its own track — entry permit, medical, Emirates ID and stamping — so per-head cost, not the licence, is what compounds as the team grows.
Two comparisons matter. Against Ajman Media City (from AED 4,999), Ajman Free Zone is slightly dearer but broader — 1,500+ activities and real port-side warehousing versus a leaner media-and-services catalogue. If you move goods, AFZ wins; if you are a virtual consultancy chasing the lowest sticker, Media City can undercut it.
Against RAKEZ (from AED 6,500), the trade-off is visas and industry. RAKEZ costs more at entry but bundles up to six visas on starter tiers and runs full industrial parks; Ajman is cheaper to open and faster (2–4 days) but leaner on quota. Choose AFZ when the priority is a low, fast, no-office start near a port; choose RAKEZ when you need people or a factory. Compare the full field on our free-zone index.
Pick licensed activities and reserve a trade name. Activity choice drives approvals, banking and whether your income can be QFZP-qualifying.
Passports, application forms and a clean source-of-funds story. No local sponsor is needed — free zone companies are 100% foreign-owned.
The zone issues your licence (typically 2–4 business days), then the immigration establishment card that unlocks visa processing.
Entry permit, medical, Emirates ID for each visa holder; corporate account opening runs in parallel — this is usually the slowest step.
We reply with numbers — a line-by-line setup estimate for your case. Not a call script, not a brochure.