Emirates Business Lounge
Free zones

Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority company setup

DAFZA sits directly beside Dubai International Airport, which makes it the natural home for businesses moving high-value, time-sensitive goods: pharmaceuticals, electronics, aviation parts and luxury items. It is a premium zone with premium infrastructure, and the customs advantages of being airside are real.
From AED 30,000 (typical)

Indicative first-year licence

By office size

Residence visa allocation

Dubai International Airport

Location in Dubai

DAFZA at a glance

Beside the DXB runway, built for high-value air freight

Who DAFZA suits:

What DAFZA does well

What to watch

Activities

Commonly licensed in DAFZA

Not seeing your activity? The catalogue is far longer than this. Describe what you do in one sentence and we will find the code — or tell you honestly that another zone licenses it better.
Process

How a DAFZA setup runs

01

Activity and package selection

We match your activities to the DAFZA catalogue and pick the package tier that carries the visa quota you will need in eighteen months, not today.
02

Name reservation and application

Three ranked name options are screened and submitted with your incorporation application and shareholder documents.
03

Licence issuance

The authority issues the licence, share certificate and incorporation documents. Standard activities typically clear within three to ten working days.
04

Establishment card and visas

We open the immigration file, apply for entry permits, and run medicals, Emirates ID and stamping for each applicant.
05

Banking and tax registration

Corporate bank introduction with a prepared KYC pack, then Federal Tax Authority corporate tax registration and VAT where thresholds apply.
Questions

DAFZA questions

Because of what sits outside the door. If your goods move by air, are high in value per kilo, or need controlled storage and rapid customs clearance, being inside the airport perimeter saves time and handling cost on every shipment. If your business is a laptop and a client list, you are paying for infrastructure you will never touch.

It is one of the strongest options in the UAE for it, with temperature-controlled facilities and an established regulatory track record. Note that pharmaceutical trading also requires Ministry of Health and Prevention approvals in addition to the free zone licence.

For standard, non-regulated activities with complete documents, expect the licence within three to ten working days. Residence visas add a further two to four weeks after issuance, and corporate bank account opening runs three to eight weeks in parallel. Regulated activities requiring external approval take longer, and we tell you how much longer before you commit.

Yes. We handle the activity selection, name reservation, application, licence issuance, establishment and immigration cards, residence visas, corporate bank introduction, and the corporate tax and VAT registrations that follow. You get one point of contact and one itemised quote covering all of it.

Free consultation

Thinking about DAFZA?

We will price it properly — licence, visas, office format and the renewal figure for year two — and tell you if another zone would serve you better for less.

Call an advisor

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B1 Mall, Shop 3, Opposite Mall of the Emirates