JAFZA Company Formation in Dubai — Jebel Ali Free Zone

The licence fee alone starts from roughly AED 15,000/year for a trading or logistics licence (about AED 20,000 for general trading). But JAFZA requires a physical facility, so once you add a mandatory office or warehouse, cards, visas and insurance, a realistic first-year total for a trading company with a small warehouse and a few visas is AED 90,000–150,000+. Industrial and large warehousing setups are quote-based and can run considerably higher.

Yes — this is exactly what JAFZA is built for. It sits on top of Jebel Ali Port with on-site customs clearance, bonded warehousing and duty suspension on re-exported goods. You can lease warehouses from about AED 48,000/year (200–300 sqm), temperature-controlled units, or large industrial plots. For import-store-distribute-re-export models, few jurisdictions in the region compete.

It depends on your market. JAFZA is better for international import-export, re-export and warehousing: you keep 100% ownership and get port-side customs and bonded storage. A Dubai mainland licence is better if you sell goods directly to UAE customers and retailers or want shops across the city, since a free-zone company needs a distributor, branch or dual licence to trade inside the mainland. Many trading groups use JAFZA for import and re-export and add a mainland route for local sales.

Your visa quota is tied to the space you lease, not a fixed package. As a rough guide: a flexi/smart office supports around 1–3 visas, a private office 5–10+, a 500 sqm warehouse 15–20+, and large industrial plots 50 or more. To grow your team, you generally lease more space. We can size the right facility to match your headcount plan.

Yes. Unlike low-cost zones, JAFZA requires a real physical presence for operational companies — a smart/flexi office, a private office, a warehouse or an industrial plot. There is no genuine virtual-only route, and your facility also determines your visa quota. This is why JAFZA is excellent for goods-based businesses but overkill for a solo consultant.

The main licences are trading, general trading, service, industrial (manufacturing) and logistics. A standard trading or industrial licence covers up to 7 activities in one group, expandable to about 12 across two groups; general trading allows unlimited trading activities. Logistics, freight and warehousing have dedicated licensing. Extra activities beyond a package usually cost around AED 500 each.

After initial approval and payment, the licence is typically issued within about 3 to 14 business days. Leasing and fitting out a warehouse or plot can add time, and residence visas (entry permit, medical, biometrics, Emirates ID and stamping) add roughly one to three weeks per person.

Yes — that is its core advantage. JAFZA is integrated with Jebel Ali Port, the region's largest container port, and is close to Al Maktoum International Airport. You get on-site customs clearance, bonded warehouse storage and duty suspension on goods that are re-exported rather than entering the UAE market. This makes import, consolidation and re-export materially faster and cheaper than running them through a non-port location.

Usually not. JAFZA is built for goods, logistics and scale, and its mandatory facility and higher fees make it expensive for a solo consultant or online service firm. If you do not move or store physical goods, a low-cost zone like IFZA is almost always a better fit. As an independent advisor we will tell you honestly when JAFZA is overkill for your case.