Ajman Free Zone (AFZ) Company Setup Cost
Ajman's government free zone — packages quoted, not published
In short
Ajman Free Zone (AFZ) is Ajman's government-run free zone, established in 1988 and operating under the Free Zones Authority of Ajman. Unlike most UAE zones it does not publish a general price list: its package matrix runs from a Kickstarter virtual-office licence up to ten-visa and Al Jurf office packages, all quoted individually, and its cost calculator emails you an estimate rather than showing one. The only price AFZ publishes openly is its E-Commerce Licence, from AED 5,555. Note that the widely repeated "Ajman free zone from AED 4,888" figure is not AFZ — it belongs to Ajman NuVentures Centre Free Zone, a separate entity.
Licence from
AED 5,555
from / published — the E-Commerce Licence package, the only price Ajman Free Zone publishes openly (stated in its own 2025 article, not in a fee schedule). Every other AFZ package is quoted individually; visas, government fees and facilities are added on top
Emirate
Ajman
Ajman Port / Al Jurf, Ajman
Visas
Package-based
Package-defined. AFZ's published package matrix scales one-to-one with visa count: Starter (1), Dual (2), Trinity (3), Quad (4), Penta (5), Hexa (6), Hepta (7), Octa (8), Nova (9) and Deca (10), with Al Jurf all-inclusive packages covering the same 1–10 range. The Kickstarter package is a virtual-office licence with no visa, and Freedom is a sole-professional licence noted as eligible for one investor visa. AFZ does not publish the price of any of these tiers, so confirm your allocation and its cost in a written quote.
Activities
Wide range
AFZ's mid-tier packages advertise up to five mix-and-match activities across commercial, service and e-commerce categories, rising to up to ten activities on the Hexa-and-above tiers. The Freedom package covers a single profession. AFZ does not publish a full activity list on its public pages, so confirm your specific activity is available before committing.
Why Ajman FZ?
- Government-run zone: established in 1988 and granted independent status by the Ruler of Ajman, operating under the Free Zones Authority of Ajman.
- E-Commerce Licence from a published AED 5,555, including the licence, company name, documentation, bank-account eligibility and unlimited coworking access.
- Package matrix scales by visa count: Starter (1 visa) through Deca (10 visas), plus Al Jurf office-as-a-service packages — but none of these carry a published price.
- A Sole Professional licence is available for freelancers across 40 categories, which AFZ markets as its most cost-effective route.
- Establishment card issued within three working days; visa cancellation completes in two to three working days.
- Four company types: Free Zone Establishment (FZE), Free Zone Company (FZC), and branches of local or foreign companies.
Best for
Online sellers and e-commerce founders who want the one AFZ package with a published price, freelancers using the 40-category Sole Professional licence, and cost-sensitive traders and light-industrial businesses already looking at the northern emirates who are willing to request a written quote rather than compare a published rate card.
Less ideal for
Anyone who needs to compare a published, itemised price before engaging — outside the E-Commerce Licence, AFZ's cost calculator emails an estimate rather than displaying one, so you cannot self-serve a budget. Also a poor fit if you need a Dubai address, a regulated financial licence, or certainty today about mainland selling rights, which AFZ does not spell out publicly.
Ajman FZ setup cost
Approximate budgeting figures — your final quote is confirmed in writing. Government fees are passed through at cost, never marked up.
E-Commerce Licence package
The only AFZ package with a publicly published price. Covers the registered company name, e-commerce licence, official documentation, eligibility to open a UAE bank account, unlimited coworking access and 100% foreign ownership.
from AED 5,555
All other packages (Kickstarter, Freedom, Starter–Deca, Al Jurf)
AFZ's package portal lists features but no prices, and its cost calculator emails an estimate rather than displaying one. Ask for the figure in writing.
Quote-based
E-channel registration renewal
Published in AFZ's own FAQ, which states it should be renewed five days before expiry.
AED 1,100 / year
Company licence cancellation
Published in AFZ's own FAQ.
AED 2,135
Visas, medical, Emirates ID and insurance
Not covered by the published E-Commerce Licence price, which is a zero-visa package. Budget per person.
Added on top
How we set you up
- 1
Pick the package that matches your visa count
AFZ's tiers are named by visa count, so start from how many people you need to sponsor: Kickstarter for none, Freedom for a sole professional, then Starter through Deca for one to ten.
- 2
Get the price in writing before anything else
Because only the E-Commerce Licence carries a published figure, request an itemised written quote for your chosen package and check what is licence, what is facility and what is government fee.
- 3
Choose your company type and reserve the name
AFZ offers a Free Zone Establishment (FZE), a Free Zone Company (FZC), or a branch of a local or foreign company. Your choice follows your shareholder structure.
- 4
Submit shareholder documents and pay
Passport copies and the zone's KYC set are submitted through AFZ's customer portal, with payment settled before the licence is released.
- 5
Establishment card, then visas
AFZ states the establishment card is issued within three working days. Residence visas follow it — each needs a medical test, Emirates ID and health insurance, none of which sit inside the published licence price.
Pros
- A genuine government free zone with a long operating history — established in 1988, under the Free Zones Authority of Ajman.
- The published E-Commerce Licence at AED 5,555 is competitive and bundles coworking access and bank-account eligibility.
- Visa tiers run all the way to ten on a single package structure, so scaling headcount does not mean changing zone.
- Fast administrative turnarounds where AFZ does publish them: three working days for an establishment card, two to three for a visa cancellation.
Things to weigh
- No published rate card. Sixteen packages are listed with features and no prices, and the cost calculator emails an estimate instead of showing one — you cannot budget without contacting them.
- The one published price is scoped to e-commerce and appears in a 2025 article rather than an official fee schedule, so it is a weaker source than the PDF rate cards other zones publish.
- AFZ does not state publicly whether its licences permit direct mainland selling, so treat mainland access as unconfirmed until you have it in writing.
- An Ajman address carries less weight than a Dubai one with some banks and clients, and the zone is not a financial-services jurisdiction.
Ajman FZ or mainland?
An AFZ licence gives you 100% foreign ownership and a low entry price on the e-commerce route, but like any free zone it does not by itself let you invoice UAE mainland customers directly — and AFZ, unusually, does not publish wording clarifying how its licences treat mainland trade. If selling to mainland customers is core to your model, get that answer in writing from the zone before you pay, or compare a Dubai mainland (DET) licence, which permits it outright.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an Ajman Free Zone licence cost in 2026?+
The only price Ajman Free Zone publishes openly is its E-Commerce Licence, from AED 5,555, which covers the licence, company name, documentation, bank-account eligibility and unlimited coworking access. Every other package — Kickstarter, Freedom, Starter through Deca and the Al Jurf office packages — is listed with features but no price, and AFZ's cost calculator emails you an estimate rather than displaying one. For anything other than the e-commerce route, the honest answer is that you have to request a written quote.
Is Ajman Free Zone the cheapest UAE free zone at AED 4,888?+
No — and this is one of the most repeated errors in UAE free-zone content. The AED 4,888 figure comes from Ajman NuVentures Centre Free Zone (ANCFZ), which advertises "Get UAE licenses in 2 hours from AED 4,888" on its own site. ANCFZ is a separate entity from Ajman Free Zone: it sits on a different domain, has different contact details, and is not listed among the business parks of the Free Zones Authority of Ajman, which names only Ajman Free Zone and Ajman Media City. Ajman Free Zone's own lowest published figure is AED 5,555. If you are comparing zones on price, make sure you know which Ajman zone a quote refers to.
How many visas can an Ajman Free Zone company get?+
The package sets the allocation, and AFZ names its tiers after it: Starter is one visa, then Dual, Trinity, Quad and Penta take you to five, and Hexa through Deca take you to ten. Al Jurf all-inclusive packages cover the same one-to-ten range with office space included. Kickstarter is a virtual-office licence with no visa, and Freedom is a sole-professional licence noted as eligible for one investor visa. None of these tiers has a published price, so confirm both the allocation and its cost in writing.
How long does an Ajman Free Zone setup take?+
AFZ publishes two concrete timings in its own FAQ: an establishment card is issued within three working days, and a visa cancellation completes within two to three working days. It does not publish a stated turnaround for issuing a new licence itself, so treat any "same day" or "24 hour" claim you see on a third-party site as unverified until the zone confirms it for your case.
Can an Ajman Free Zone company sell to the UAE mainland?+
Not directly on the strength of the free-zone licence alone, which is the standard position across UAE free zones — mainland sales normally run through a mainland distributor or a separate mainland licence. Unusually, AFZ does not publish wording on its public pages clarifying how its licences treat mainland trade, so we will not state a position it has not stated itself. If mainland selling matters to your model, get the answer in writing from the zone before paying, or compare a Dubai mainland (DET) licence.
Why set up with ZETUP PRO
Ajman Free Zone is the clearest test of what published pricing actually means. Most of its packages are quote-only, and the cheapest "Ajman" number circulating online belongs to a different zone entirely — so the comparison you are shown depends heavily on who is showing it. We list AFZ's one published figure, label the rest quote-based rather than guessing, and tell you when a number in the market is attached to the wrong entity. No zone pays us more than another, so we have no reason to make Ajman look cheaper or dearer than it is.
Compare with other free zones
Ajman FZ vs IFZA
from AED 12,900
Consultants, freelancers, service firms, marketing/IT agencies, holding companies and traders who want an affordable Dubai free zone with flexible visa numbers and a wide activity list. Ideal for solo founders and small teams who do not need a physical mainland storefront.
Ajman FZ vs Meydan
from AED 12,500
E-commerce sellers, freelancers, consultants, agencies, small service businesses and holding companies that want a credible Dubai address, a low starting cost and a quick online setup, while keeping their visa needs modest (up to three on a flexi-desk).
Ajman FZ vs DMCC
from AED 35,484
Commodities and trading houses (gold, diamonds, metals, energy, agri), crypto/Web3 and blockchain founders, fintech, established SMEs and serious entrepreneurs who want a prestige Dubai address, a credible ecosystem and smoother banking. Ideal when reputation, sector clustering and a physical presence in central Dubai matter more than the lowest possible licence price.
Ajman FZ vs RAKEZ
from AED 6,000
Cost-conscious SMEs, traders, freelancers and consultants, e-commerce sellers, and especially industrial or manufacturing businesses needing warehouses or land. A common pick for Dubai-based founders who want a cheaper free zone licence and don't need a Dubai address on the trade licence.
Ajman FZ vs Shams
from AED 5,750
Budget-conscious founders, freelancers, media and creative professionals, consultants, and online or service businesses who want a cheap, credible UAE licence and don't need a Dubai address or to trade directly on the mainland.
Ajman FZ vs DAFZA
from AED 15,020
Aviation, freight forwarding, logistics, electronics, pharma, luxury goods and trading companies that need physical airport proximity, a prestige Dubai address, and an office or warehouse on-site. Suits funded businesses that value reputation over the lowest possible cost.
Ajman FZ vs JAFZA
from AED 15,000
Import-export and trading houses, distribution and re-export businesses, logistics and freight-forwarding firms, manufacturers and light-industrial operations, and regional headquarters serving Asia, Africa and Europe. Ideal for companies that physically move, store or process goods and want to sit on top of Jebel Ali Port with bonded warehousing and on-site customs.
Ajman FZ vs DIFC
from AED 5,500
Financial-services firms, fintech and Web3 startups, investment managers, funds, family offices, holding companies, and international law, advisory and insurance firms that need a credible common-law jurisdiction, DFSA standing and access to capital. The DIFC Innovation Hub specifically suits early-stage, non-regulated tech and fintech founders who want the DIFC address and ecosystem at a subsidised price.
Ajman FZ vs ADGM
from AED 5,509
Financial-services firms, asset and fund managers, VCs and fintechs regulated by the FSRA; holding companies, SPVs, family offices and foundations; and Hub71-eligible tech start-ups. The right pick when a common-law jurisdiction, a credible financial-centre address and Abu Dhabi's capital ecosystem matter more than the lowest possible licence price.
Ajman FZ vs Dubai South
from AED 12,500
Logistics, freight and e-commerce fulfilment operations, aviation and aerospace businesses, and traders who want airport-side operations in the corridor Dubai is building around Al Maktoum International. Also a practical government-run package option (Business Hub) for SMEs and startups that want a published-price Dubai licence with same-day issuance.
Ajman FZ vs SPC
from AED 5,750
Startups, solo founders and consultants who want one of the cheapest published entry prices in the UAE with fast, fully online licensing; e-commerce and trading businesses choosing from the 2,000+ activity list; and publishers and media businesses, given the zone's publishing heritage and Publishers Hub.
Ajman FZ vs UAQ FTZ
from AED 5,500
Online sellers, dropshippers and solo founders who want the cheapest credible published package in the UAE (UAQ LYTE at AED 5,500); founders who need licence-plus-visa in one transparent bundle (UAQ START at AED 12,500); and light-industrial, trading and logistics businesses using its warehouses, land and UAQ Port.
Ajman FZ vs Innovation City
from AED 6,600
AI, Web3/blockchain, gaming, robotics and healthtech founders who want a specialist tech free zone with published package pricing; DAOs and token projects needing the UAE's dedicated DAO Association Regulations; and digital-asset businesses that value an ecosystem with crypto-experienced banking and infrastructure partners.