IFZA the International Free Zone Authority is a Dubai free zone based in Dubai Silicon Oasis that licenses companies entirely through a network of authorised Professional Partners rather than selling directly. That single fact shapes everything about setting up there: you will not find a price list on IFZA’s own website, and the quote you receive comes from the partner you approach, not from the free zone.
This page explains what IFZA is, what it licenses, how registration actually works, and the questions worth asking before you commit.
What is IFZA?
IFZA Dubai operates from IFZA Business Park in Dubai Silicon Oasis, with its reception in Building A2. It positions itself as a free zone built to attract foreign direct investment into Dubai, and it serves a broad mix of entrepreneurs, small and mid-sized businesses, and international investors.
What distinguishes IFZA from most UAE free zones is its distribution model. Rather than running a direct sales operation, IFZA licenses through authorised Professional Partners who handle incorporation, documentation and the client relationship. IFZA itself describes its offering as “competitive License packages” without publishing figures — pricing is quoted by partners.
Alongside incorporation, IFZA’s ecosystem extends to banking assistance, health insurance, commercial real estate and office fit-out, which is unusual breadth for a free zone authority.
What licences does IFZA issue?
IFZA issues commercial and professional licences, and companies are typically incorporated as Free Zone Companies (FZCOs).
A commercial licence covers trading activities — buying, selling, importing and distributing goods. A professional licence covers services delivered on expertise: consultancy, marketing, IT services, design and similar. The distinction matters because it determines which activities you may legally perform and what the licence costs.
IFZA permits multiple activities to be combined under a single licence, which is one of its more practical features — a consultancy that also wants to resell software does not necessarily need two licences.
How do you register a company with IFZA?
The sequence IFZA sets out is straightforward:
- Choose your licence type and activities. Fees depend on which licence you select, so this decision drives the quote.
- Prepare and submit your documents (listed below).
- Pay the registration fees — a corporate set-up fee and a licence fee. Registered office costs apply separately if your company takes four or more visa allocations.
- Sign the agreement, which includes the Ultimate Beneficial Owner declaration.
- Pay by wire transfer. Once payment clears, IFZA issues the company registration certificate within a few days.
- After registration, open a corporate bank account and apply for residence visas under your company’s allocation.
IFZA states the process can be completed within a matter of days where documentation is complete and correct — and that qualifier does real work. Incomplete or inconsistent paperwork is the single most common cause of delay in any UAE free zone, not the authority’s processing time.
Physical presence is not required during incorporation, which makes IFZA workable for founders setting up before relocating.
What documents do you need?
Individual shareholders need a passport copy, a digital passport photograph, the IFZA application form including UBO information, and — for existing UAE residents — an Emirates ID and visa copy. Certain activities require third-party approvals.
Corporate shareholders need all of the above for each shareholder and the General Manager, plus a board resolution, the Memorandum and Articles of Association or equivalent, a valid trade licence, and the certificate of incorporation.
Additional regulatory requirements apply depending on the activity requested. Regulated activities — anything touching finance, healthcare, education or legal services — attract external approvals that sit outside IFZA’s control.
What does an IFZA licence cost?
IFZA does not publish prices. Its own website refers to competitive licence packages and directs enquiries to a Professional Partner or its call centre.
This is worth understanding rather than working around. Because pricing flows through partners, quotes vary, and published figures you find online are a partner’s offer at a point in time rather than an official rate card. Anyone quoting you an exact IFZA price without asking about your activities, shareholder structure and visa requirements is quoting a headline, not your cost.
What we can tell you is what drives the number: the licence type, how many activities you combine, how many visa allocations you take, and whether you cross the four-visa threshold that triggers registered office costs.
How does IFZA compare to other UAE free zones?
| Consideration | IFZA | Typical alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | Not published; quoted via partners | Many free zones publish package rates openly |
| Sales model | Professional Partner network only | Direct sales or mixed |
| Location | Dubai Silicon Oasis | Varies — mainland-adjacent, port, or airport zones |
| Activity combining | Multiple activities on one licence | Common, but limits differ by zone |
| Physical presence to incorporate | Not required | Usually not required |
| Office requirement | Registered office costs from four visa allocations | Thresholds vary; some include flexi-desk |
Whether IFZA is right for you depends far more on your activity and visa needs than on the free zone’s reputation. A solo consultant and a twelve-person trading company will reach very different conclusions.
Is an IFZA company subject to UAE corporate tax?
Being in a free zone does not automatically exempt a company from UAE corporate tax. A free zone company can access the 0% rate on qualifying income only if it meets the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions — which include maintaining adequate substance in the free zone, earning qualifying income, and not having elected to be taxed at the standard rate.
Non-qualifying income is taxed at 9%. This catches people out, and it is worth modelling before you choose a jurisdiction rather than after.
Common questions
Can I set up with IFZA without visiting the UAE?
Yes. IFZA states that physical presence is not required during incorporation. You will need to be in the UAE for the medical test and Emirates ID biometrics if you take a residence visa, but the company itself can be formed remotely.
Why can’t I find IFZA’s prices online?
Because IFZA does not publish them. It licenses exclusively through authorised Professional Partners, and pricing is quoted by those partners. Figures you see on consultancy websites are that firm’s offer, not an official IFZA rate card.
How many visas can an IFZA company have?
IFZA does not publish a fixed quota. What it does state is that registered office costs apply once a company takes four or more visa allocations, so the practical consideration is cost rather than a hard ceiling. Your allocation should be agreed before incorporation, not after.
How long does IFZA registration take?
IFZA says the process can be completed within days where documentation is complete and correct, with the registration certificate issued a few days after payment clears. Regulated activities requiring external approval take longer.
Can a company own shares in an IFZA company?
Yes. Corporate shareholders are permitted, but the documentation burden is heavier — board resolution, constitutional documents, valid trade licence and certificate of incorporation, in addition to the individual documents for each shareholder and the General Manager.
Talk to us before you choose a free zone
IFZA suits some businesses very well and is the wrong answer for others. Because its pricing runs through partners, the only way to know what it costs you is to specify your activities, structure and visa requirements first.
Tell us what you intend to do and how many people you need to sponsor, and we will tell you honestly whether IFZA is the right jurisdiction — including when it is not. Book a consultation with our formation team.
