Free zone visa in the UAE: cost, visa allocation and process

A UAE free zone residence visa costs roughly AED 5,000–5,500 per person with standard processing (market estimate), takes 2–3 weeks, and is usually valid for 2 years, renewable. How many visas you can sponsor depends on the zone and package: some entry packages include none, while, for example, Meydan allows up to 6 allocations per licence and SHAMS up to 50. Office-based packages often link the allocation to office size. No visa can start until the company’s establishment card (about AED 2,000) is issued.

Visa allocation: how many visas a package allows

The visa allocation is a limit built into your package. Some entry and zero-visa packages allow no visas at all. Others set a number per licence: Meydan allows up to 6 visa allocations per licence, SHAMS up to 50, and SPC offers visas on a flexi‑desk. In many zones a private office raises the limit in line with its size, and zones such as DMCC link the allocation to the office you lease. Each zone publishes its own rules, so check the current figure on the zone’s card in the Free Zone Index.

An allocation is capacity; each visa is still a separate application with its own fees. A common problem is buying the cheapest package for a two-person team and then paying to upgrade the office or package when hiring starts. Plan the allocation for the team you expect in two years.

The establishment card: the company’s immigration file

Before any individual visa, the company needs its own immigration file. The establishment card (also called the immigration card, ~AED 2,000) registers your entity with the federal immigration authority and is what legally lets the company sponsor anyone. It is issued once the licence exists, renewed alongside the licence, and every entry permit, medical booking and Emirates ID downstream references it.

Without the card the company cannot sponsor anyone, so the order is: licence, establishment card, the founder’s visa, then team and family visas in parallel.

The visa process, step by step

Each person goes through the same sequence. 1. Entry permit: an electronic permit that authorises entry or an in-country status change, usually valid for about 60 days. 2. Status change: if the person is already in the UAE on a visit visa, their status is changed without leaving; if they enter on the permit, this step is skipped. 3. Medical fitness test at an approved centre. 4. Emirates ID biometrics: fingerprints and photo for the ID card. 5. Residence visa: issued electronically once the earlier steps are complete.

The order rarely changes. What varies is the speed at each step: medical results, ID printing and visa issuance are where standard and urgent processing differ.

Free zone visa cost, itemised

Standard processing comes to about AED 5,000–5,500 per person. The table breaks a typical in-country application into its parts. The figures are our market estimates; government fees are published separately by each authority and vary by zone, nationality and whether the person is already in the UAE.

Model different headcounts and standard or urgent processing in the visa cost calculator before choosing a package, because the allocation is harder to change than the number of visas you actually use.

Processing times and urgent options

Standard processing takes 2–3 weeks per person from entry permit to residence visa, assuming a clear medical and no name-spelling issues. Urgent options shorten most steps to days for roughly AED 1,000–1,500 extra per person, which helps when a bank appointment or school enrolment is waiting on the Emirates ID.

What the visa gives the employee and what it requires of the employer

The residence visa is usually valid for 2 years, renewable, and tied to the sponsoring company. It gives the holder an Emirates ID and the right to rent a home, open a personal bank account, get a driving licence and, with enough income, sponsor a spouse and children.

The employer has obligations from the start: salaries paid through the Wages Protection System (WPS) and end-of-service gratuity for eligible staff. When someone leaves or the company closes, their visa is cancelled, and no visa can be renewed while the licence has lapsed. Contracts, WPS and gratuity are covered on our employment visa page.

Family visas, renewal and planning the allocation

A visa holder who meets the minimum salary can sponsor a spouse, children and in some cases parents. Each dependant goes through the same steps at a similar cost per person; the conditions are on our family visa page. Renewal every two years repeats the medical and Emirates ID steps at a similar price, so budget it as a recurring cost.

The decision that shapes all of this is the allocation you buy at set-up. If you expect to hire soon, choose the office and package for that team now rather than upgrading under pressure. For the application itself, see our visa services.

This is general information on UAE rules. It is not legal, tax or immigration advice for your situation. Rules and government fees change; we confirm the position for your facts in writing before you act.