Almost nobody publishes what a UAE free zone licence costs to renew. Setup prices are everywhere; renewal prices are quoted on request, a year after you have committed and at a point where moving is expensive.
Of the five zones we work with, exactly one publishes both. Ajman Media City advertises four tiers with setup and renewal side by side, and the gap between the two columns is the most useful number in UAE free zone pricing.
The one published example
| AMC tier | Visas | Setup | Renewal | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Club | 0 | AED 4,999 | AED 4,999 | None |
| Visionary | 1 | AED 12,999 | AED 8,999 | AED 4,000 |
| Pioneer | 2 | AED 17,999 | AED 10,999 | AED 7,000 |
| Innovator | 3 | AED 22,999 | AED 14,999 | AED 8,000 |
Read the difference column rather than the renewal column. On a zero-visa licence there is no gap at all: setup and renewal are the same, because there is no one-off immigration infrastructure to build. Add visas and the gap opens, because the first year carries the establishment card and the initial visa issuance and the renewal year does not.
That shape is normal across the industry. AMC is unusual only in letting you see it.
What renews, and on what clock
- The trade licence, annually.
- Residence visas, typically every two years, per person, on their own cycle.
- The establishment card, on its own schedule.
- Your lease or facility, if the package includes one.
- Health insurance, annually, per person.
Why zones do not publish it
Partly because it genuinely varies with visa count and facility, which is a fair answer. And partly because a low setup price is a marketing asset and a renewal price is not. A zone or consultancy that advertises a cheap first year and stays quiet about the second is not lying to you, but it is choosing what to tell you.
How to get the number before you commit
- Ask in writing, before year one. Not "roughly what is renewal" but "what is the renewal invoice for this exact package with this exact visa count".
- Ask what is excluded. Establishment card renewal and per-person visa renewals are frequently outside the quoted figure.
- Ask what happens if you add a person. The answer tells you whether visa allocation is tied to your facility.
- Compare year two, not year one. Two zones AED 3,000 apart on setup can be AED 6,000 apart on renewal in the other direction.
If a consultancy will not put a renewal figure in writing, that is the answer to a different question you were also asking. Our own renewal handling is priced with everything else on the packages page.
What the zones in our range publish
| Zone | Setup published | Renewal published |
|---|---|---|
| Ajman Media City | Yes, four tiers | Yes |
| SHAMS | Yes, three prices | No |
| SPC Free Zone | Yes, from one figure | No |
| RAKEZ | Yes, two packages | No |
| IFZA | No | No |
Each of those has its own cost guide: AMC, SHAMS, SPC, RAKEZ and IFZA. The free zone comparison puts them side by side.
The obligation that renews whether or not you do
Corporate tax registration does not lapse with a licence, and the return is due nine months after each tax period regardless of whether you renewed. A company that lets its licence expire without deregistering still accrues filing obligations. The Federal Tax Authority publishes the position, and the corporate tax filing deadline covers the mechanics.
Free zone renewal questions
Usually, and by more the more visas you hold. AMC's published tiers show a zero-visa licence renewing at the same price and a three-visa licence renewing about AED 8,000 lower, because the first year carries one-off immigration costs.
It genuinely varies with visa count and facility. It is also true that a cheap first year sells better than an honest second one. Ask in writing and judge the answer.
No. Residence visas run on their own cycle, typically two years, per person. A company with staff has several renewal dates that have nothing to do with the licence date.
Zones apply their own late fees and, past a point, the licence lapses and visas tied to it become invalid. It escalates faster than most people expect, which is why we track client renewal dates rather than waiting to be asked.
You can, and it is a new company rather than a transfer in most cases: new licence, new establishment card, new visas. That cost is exactly why the renewal question belongs before year one.
Prices last reviewed 29 August 2026. AMC's published tiers were checked at amc.gov.ae and are attributed to AMC. Where a zone publishes nothing, this page says so rather than filling the gap with an estimate.
