Moving your company to another UAE free zone

By Malik, Founder · Prices checked September 2026

The real obstacle is almost never the money. It is the bank account, and the seniority your company loses on the way.

Moving to another free zone usually means closing the company in the old zone and opening a new one: Creative City, for example, told us in writing it only takes new set-ups. Count the closing cost, published by 29 zones from 1,000 AED, on top of the new licence.

There is no transfer between UAE free zones. You cancel the existing licence and open a new company, which loses the seniority, gives a new registration number and forces a new bank account. The bank account is usually the real obstacle, not the fees.

Two figures to ask your zone

The total cost of cancelling, and how long it takes from request to final certificate. Neither is published anywhere. Ask in writing.

What closing costs, where it is published

29 of the 51 zones on this site publish a cancellation or deregistration fee. The other 22 do not, and for them the closing cost is a question to put in writing before you sign. Each amount below is the published line itself, read on the zone's official site, before any newspaper notice, visa cancellation or deposit that the procedure may add.

ADGMUSD 0

Dubai Humanitarian1,000 AED

Expo City Dubai1,000 AED

Academic City1,500 AED

DHCC1,500 AED

Dubai Internet City1,500 AED

Dubai Knowledge Park1,500 AED

Dubai Media City1,500 AED

Dubai Outsource City1,500 AED

Dubai Production City1,500 AED

Dubai Science Park1,500 AED

Dubai Studio City1,500 AED

RAK ICC1,500 AED

d31,500 AED

DSO2,000 AED

Fujairah Creative City Free Zone2,000 AED

IFZA2,000 AED

Innovation City2,000 AED

SPC Free Zone2,100 AED

SHAMS2,200 AED

Ajman Free Zone2,500 AED

Industrial City of Abu Dhabi2,500 AED

KEZAD2,500 AED

DWTC Free Zone3,000 AED

RAKEZ3,000 AED

DMCC4,015 AED

Dubai Maritime City6,500 AED

Gold and Diamond Park6,500 AED

JAFZA6,500 AED

Before you cancel anything

Open the new company first, and only then cancel the old one. The visa of a founder is cancelled with the licence, and a cancelled visa with no new one behind it means leaving the country within the grace period. The order of operations is the whole method: new licence, new visa, then the closure of the old zone, its clearances and its refund of deposits.

Questions

Can I transfer my company from one UAE free zone to another?

Not as a transfer. In practice the free zones we deal with do not do it. The real path is cancelling your existing licence and opening a new one, which loses your company's seniority and gives you a new registration number.

What is the real obstacle to changing free zone?

The bank account, more often than the money. Closing a corporate account and opening another elsewhere takes time, and it is usually what makes the operation painful rather than the licence fees themselves.

How do I know if moving is worth it?

Get two figures in writing from your current zone first: the total cost of cancelling or liquidating, and how long it takes from request to final certificate. Neither is published anywhere. With both, the arithmetic is simple, and sometimes it says stay.

All prices and terms come from the free zones and may change at any time without prior notice. Free Zone Radar cannot be held responsible for any change, error or omission. Always confirm the final price and terms in writing before you sign or pay.

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