JAFZA Jebel Ali Free Zone Setup Guide
A current guide to company formation, trading and logistics licences, warehouses and Light Industrial Units, facility-based visa quotas, customs treatment and the UAE tax framework in Jebel Ali Free Zone.
Important: JAFZA does not have one universal first-year warehouse setup cost or visa fee. Licence fees depend on the licence type, while facility leases and visa quotas depend on the selected premises.
JAFZA Licence & Facility Planning Tool
Select a licence and facility to see the current published licence fee and the applicable visa/facility rule. Warehouse and office leases are intentionally not fabricated into an exact total.
Facility quota must be confirmed
Visa quota depends on the area of the leased warehouse or LIU.
Published licence fee: AED 15,000
Current standard logistics licence fee listed by JAFZA.
Current JAFZA licence fees
| Licence | Current listed fee | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| Trading | AED 5,000 | One activity group; higher group counts use the applicable published charges. |
| Industrial | AED 5,000 | Higher activity-group levels carry higher fees. |
| National Industrial | AED 5,500 | Two/three-group pricing is higher. |
| Service | AED 5,000 | Current standard service-licence fee. |
| General Trading | AED 15,000 | Current standard fee. |
| Logistics | AED 15,000 | Current standard fee. |
| Holding | AED 30,000 | Current standard fee. |
JAFZA also lists AED 500 for each additional activity for the relevant licence types. Registration, facility, immigration and other charges are separate.
Warehouse and Light Industrial Unit planning
JAFZA offers warehouses, Light Industrial Units, plots, offices, workstations, showrooms and other commercial facilities. The exact lease price is facility-specific and should be obtained from JAFZA for the selected unit.
Warehouse and LIU leasing also triggers facility-specific requirements. JAFZA states that an Environment, Health and Safety declaration is required for leasing warehouses, LIUs, showrooms, plots, retail units and subleased facilities.
Visa quotas depend on the premises
| Facility | JAFZA visa rule |
|---|---|
| Warehouse / LIU | Quota depends on the area of the leased property. |
| Office | Quota depends on the size of the office. |
| Workstation | Maximum of 2 visa applications per workstation. |
| Showroom | Maximum of 5 visas regardless of showroom size. |
| Plot | JAFZA states that an initial quota of 20 visas is provided, with the possibility of increasing it after approval. |
FZE and FZCO structures
FZE
A Free Zone Establishment is a single-shareholder limited-liability company. The shareholder may be an individual or a non-individual company.
FZCO
A Free Zone Company is a multi-shareholder limited-liability company. JAFZA currently states a minimum of two and maximum of 50 shareholders.
JAFZA states that there are no foreign ownership restrictions for its free-zone company structures.
Customs, import/export and mainland sales
JAFZA describes itself as a large customs-bonded free zone and promotes 0% import or re-export duties. This is a central advantage for international trade, warehousing and re-export businesses.
| Scenario | Practical treatment |
|---|---|
| Import into JAFZA / bonded environment | Subject to the JAFZA/Dubai Customs bonded framework and applicable customs rules. |
| Re-export | JAFZA promotes 0% import or re-export duties. |
| Goods entering mainland UAE | Applicable UAE mainland customs and tax rules must be checked; free-zone treatment should not be assumed to continue automatically. |
| Regulated goods | Additional approvals/certifications can be required, including for categories such as food and agriculture. |
UAE Corporate Tax and JAFZA
JAFZA's promotional material refers to a 0% corporate-tax concession. The current federal Corporate Tax framework, however, requires analysing whether the company qualifies for the Free Zone 0% regime and whether its income is Qualifying Income.
A Qualifying Free Zone Person can obtain a 0% rate on Qualifying Income. Income that is taxable but not Qualifying Income can be subject to the 9% Corporate Tax rate.
Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025 replaced the former qualifying/excluded-activity decision and forms part of the current framework. A JAFZA company should therefore assess its activities and income streams before publishing a blanket “0% tax” claim.
Dubai Unified Licence (DUL)
From May 31, 2026, Dubai introduced the Dubai Unified Licence (DUL) as the official recognition of business identity for companies operating in Dubai free zones and on the mainland.
JAFZA states that the DUL is the authoritative reference for business identity and authorisation in Dubai and must be read together with the active trade licence.
Digital JAFZA setup
JAFZA currently states that its company-formation process is 100% digital and can be completed through its digital channels. Investors can also submit an application through the JAFZA sales centre.
Digital incorporation does not remove facility-specific leasing, customs, EHS, immigration or regulatory requirements.
Practical JAFZA setup workflow
Select company type
Choose FZE, FZCO, branch, PLC or another permitted formation type.
Select licence/activity
Choose the correct activity and licence type, including Trading, Industrial, Service, Logistics, General Trading or Holding where appropriate.
Reserve facility
Select warehouse, LIU, office, workstation, showroom or plot and determine the associated visa quota.
Complete approvals
Complete registration, lease, EHS, immigration, customs and any external-regulator approvals relevant to the business.
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JAFZA licence snapshot
Visa planning reminder
JAFZA does not use one universal visa quota for warehouses, offices and workstations.
Workstation: 2 visas.
Showroom: maximum 5 visas.
Warehouse / office: area-dependent.
Official JAFZA portals
This page uses current JAFZA licence, company-formation, facility, visa-quota and regulatory material, together with the current Dubai Unified Licence and UAE Corporate Tax framework. Facility rents and visa entitlements are intentionally treated as quotation/area dependent where JAFZA does not publish a universal fixed amount.