A free zone visa is a UAE residence visa issued through the free zone where your company is licensed. What it costs depends on the zone and on how the zone prices it: some sell packages with visas included, some charge per visa on top of the license, and some charge separately for the visa allocation and the visa itself. The figures below are the zones' own published prices, read in October 2026. The cheapest published per-visa price we found is SHAMS, from AED 2,500; the cheapest license that includes a visa is Ajman Media City's one-visa package at AED 12,999.
Free Zone Visa Cost by Zone
| Free zone | How the visa is priced | Published price |
|---|---|---|
| Ajman Media City | Packages with visas included | 1 visa AED 12,999, 2 visas AED 17,999, 3 visas AED 22,999 a year; zero-visa AED 4,999 |
| SPC Free Zone (Sharjah) | One-visa license package | From AED 13,175; zero-visa from AED 5,750 |
| Meydan Free Zone (Dubai) | Allocation plus visa, on a license from AED 12,500 | Allocation AED 1,850; employment visa AED 3,500; investor or partner visa around AED 4,000; dependant around AED 6,000 |
| RAKEZ (Ras Al Khaimah) | Additional visas on the all-inclusive package | AED 4,000 per additional visa, up to three |
| SHAMS (Sharjah) | Per visa, on top of the license | AED 2,500 to AED 5,500 per visa, depending on requirements |
| GoFreelance (Dubai, freelancers) | Visa on a freelance license | AED 4,600 for one year, AED 5,042 for two; establishment card AED 2,000 |
The prices are not like for like, which is why a single "cheapest free zone visa" headline is misleading. A package price includes the license; a per-visa price comes on top of one. Compare the total for the number of visas you need in the first year, and the renewal.
Ajman Media City: Visas Inside the Package
Ajman Media City sells four packages a year, with up to 10 activities and 10 shareholders each and a co-working space. The step from one to two and from two to three visas is AED 5,000 each, and the renewal is lower than the first year:
| Package | Visas | First year | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Club | 0 | AED 4,999 | Same price |
| Visionary | 1 | AED 12,999 | AED 8,999 |
| Pioneer | 2 | AED 17,999 | AED 10,999 |
| Innovator | 3 | AED 22,999 | AED 14,999 |
Larger packages go up to 10 visas for shareholders.
Meydan: the Allocation and the Visa Are Separate
Meydan Free Zone separates two costs that most quotes merge. The license, from AED 12,500, can carry up to six visa allocations, each at AED 1,850. The visa itself is then AED 3,500 for an employee, around AED 4,000 for an investor or partner, and around AED 6,000 per dependant. An allocation is capacity, not an obligation: you can hold it and issue the visa later.
SPC, RAKEZ and SHAMS
- SPC Free Zone: its 2026 cost guide gives one-visa license packages from AED 13,175 for owners who want to live in the UAE, and zero-visa licenses from AED 5,750.
- RAKEZ: each additional residence visa on its all-inclusive package is AED 4,000, up to three.
- SHAMS: its cost guide puts a residence visa at AED 2,500 to AED 5,500 per visa, depending on requirements.
Freelancers: GoFreelance
If you work in tech, media, education or design, GoFreelance sells a freelance license with a visa: AED 4,600 for one year or AED 5,042 for two, plus the AED 2,000 establishment card and the license itself. The freelance visa guide covers who qualifies.
What a Free Zone Visa Lets You Do
A free zone visa makes you a UAE resident, with an Emirates ID, a bank account, a tenancy in your name and the right to sponsor family once you meet the income rules. It ties your work to the free zone company: DMCC's guide notes that a free zone visa does not permit onshore (mainland) employment. For other ways to hold a residence without an employer, see the own visa guide. A mainland company's employees go through MOHRE and GDRFA instead, at the fees set out in UAE employment visa cost.
Which Zone Fits You
- One visa for yourself, lowest first-year total: compare Ajman Media City's one-visa package with SPC's one-visa package and a SHAMS license plus one visa.
- A Dubai address: Meydan, with the allocation and the visa priced separately.
- A team of two or three: RAKEZ's additional visas or Ajman Media City's two- and three-visa packages.
- Freelance in tech, media, education or design: GoFreelance.
Licenses alone are compared in the cheapest free zone licenses, and Ajman Free Zone has its own visa cost guide.
Getting Your Free Zone Visa
Our free zone packages start at AED 4,499 for a zero-visa license. Tell us how many visas you need (yourself, family, staff), where you want to live and what the company will do, and we price the license and the visas together, then handle the entry permit, medical, Emirates ID and stamping through our PRO services. Compare every zone we work with on the free zone hub.
Free zone visa questions
It depends on the zone. From the zones' own prices: SHAMS charges AED 2,500 to AED 5,500 per visa, RAKEZ AED 4,000 per additional visa, Meydan AED 1,850 for the allocation plus AED 3,500 to around AED 4,000 for the visa, and Ajman Media City sells a one-visa package at AED 12,999.
Per visa, SHAMS publishes the lowest starting price, AED 2,500, on top of its license. As a license with a visa included, Ajman Media City's one-visa package is AED 12,999 a year and SPC's starts at AED 13,175. Compare the total for your number of visas, including renewal.
It is usually cheaper and faster to start, and it gives full residence. Its limit is work: a free zone visa ties you to the free zone company and does not permit mainland employment. If most of your clients will be mainland businesses, a mainland setup is usually the better fit.
It depends on the zone and package: Meydan licenses carry up to six allocations, Ajman Media City's packages go up to 10 visas for shareholders, and RAKEZ adds up to three visas on its all-inclusive package. The visa quota guide explains how quotas grow.
Yes, once you meet the income rules, and the dependants count against the company's allocation in zones that include them. Meydan prices a dependant visa at around AED 6,000 per person.
Sources
- Packages, Ajman Media City Free Zone: package prices, visas, renewals. Read 26 October 2026.
- Dubai free zone license cost, SPC Free Zone: one-visa and zero-visa package prices. Read 26 October 2026.
- Meydan Free Zone company setup cost breakdown, Meydan Free Zone, updated 30 June 2026: license, allocations, visa prices. Read 26 October 2026.
- SME business setup, RAKEZ: additional visa price. Cost guide, SHAMS: visa price range. GoFreelance: freelance visa prices.
- Dubai free zone visas, DMCC: free zone visas and mainland employment.
