Car trading, parts and re-export — the licensing arm of the used-vehicle trade flowing through Dubai to Africa and CIS markets.
LAST VERIFIED: 21 JUL 2026 · The authority publishes no public tariff — figure is a market-indicative estimate, confirmed in writing on application.
Dubai Auto Zone is a single-purpose free zone. Its licence covers automotive activity — new and used vehicle trading, spare parts, accessories and re-export — and little else. That narrowness is the point: the zone sits inside the Ras Al Khor motor cluster, so a plate here puts your showroom or parts counter next to the buyers, shippers and inspection agents who already move stock through Dubai toward Africa and CIS markets.
It fits a dealer or parts trader who needs a physical shopfront and a customs-registered entity in the right postcode. It does not fit a consultancy, a holding company or an online-only seller — those would pay for a showroom or warehouse they never use. If what you want is a cheap flexi-desk licence with no physical space, a general-trade zone such as IFZA or Meydan is the cheaper answer and this zone is not for you.
The AED 15,000 in the spec table is the licence fee alone. In a real automotive setup it is the smallest line. On top sit the showroom or warehouse lease — mandatory here, there is no paperless option — plus fit-out, the immigration establishment card, and per-visa costs for you and any staff. An entity that actually imports and re-exports also needs a customs client code and, in practice, working capital tied up in stock and shipping.
Substance here is literal. You lease real showroom or warehouse space, so the economic-substance and tax-residency story is easy to defend — there is no thin flexi-desk to explain. Visa allocation is not a fixed desk quota; it scales with the size of the facility you lease, which is why the spec table shows no set number. A small parts unit supports a handful of visas, a large showroom supports more.
Import and re-export run on a customs code linked to the entity. Whether your sales count as qualifying free-zone income or fall to the standard rate depends on where the cars actually go — re-export abroad and sales into the UAE mainland are treated differently, so map the flow against corporate tax and VAT rules before you price your first shipment.
The obvious alternatives are wider industrial zones. JAFZA is the heavyweight — cheaper headline licence, port-adjacent, built for scale — but you take on a much larger facility and a less automotive-specific address. Dubai Industrial City is for manufacturing plots, not trading showrooms. Choose Dubai Auto Zone only when the motor-cluster location and showroom format are the actual value.
| Zone | Best for | Headline licence | Physical space |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Auto Zone | Car / parts trade, re-export | AED 15,000 | Showroom or warehouse required |
| JAFZA | Large-scale trading, logistics | AED 5,000 (licence only) | Per facility |
| Dubai Industrial City | Actual manufacturing | AED 15,000 | Plot / warehouse |
Pick licensed activities and reserve a trade name. Activity choice drives approvals, banking and whether your income can be QFZP-qualifying.
Passports, application forms and a clean source-of-funds story. No local sponsor is needed — free zone companies are 100% foreign-owned.
The zone issues your licence (typically 10–14 business days), then the immigration establishment card that unlocks visa processing.
Entry permit, medical, Emirates ID for each visa holder; corporate account opening runs in parallel — this is usually the slowest step.
We reply with numbers — a line-by-line setup estimate for your case. Not a call script, not a brochure.