Closing a UAE free zone company: the cost, zone by zone
By Malik, Founder · Prices checked
Nobody talks about the exit when they sell you the entry. Here is what each zone charges to cancel the licence and strike the company off, where it says so.
29 of the 51 zones publish what closing a company costs. ADGM charges nothing. Elsewhere, cancelling the licence costs from 1,000 AED (Dubai Humanitarian and Expo City Dubai) to 6,500 AED (Dubai Maritime City, Gold and Diamond Park and JAFZA), before visa and establishment card cancellations. The other 22 publish nothing: ask before you sign.
Closing cost, zone by zone
The fee the zone publishes to cancel the licence or strike the company off, and what it adds on top, as printed on its own documents or confirmed in writing.
ADGMFree, and published as such. Cancel Licence costs nothing and the strike off application costs nothing in the schedule of fees. Filing annual accounts is also free. ADGM is the only zone in this comparison that lets you close at no charge, and says so in writing.
0 USD
Dubai Humanitarian1,000 AED to close and deregister. The lowest published exit cost in dirhams in this comparison; only ADGM, which closes for free, publishes less.
1,000 AED
Expo City DubaiCancellation of the licence, plus 300 AED for the company card and 250 AED for a freelance permit. No formal liquidation procedure with an appointed liquidator is described or priced.
1,000 AED
Academic City1,500 AED to deregister a free zone limited liability company, reduced to 1,000 AED for companies incubated at in5. Published by the Dubai Development Authority, not by the zone.
1,500 AED
DHCCLicence cancellation and deregistration is priced at 1,500 AED, reinstatement at 2,000 AED. No liquidation or audit clearance cost is published.
1,500 AED
Dubai Internet City1,500 AED to deregister a free zone limited liability company, reduced to 1,000 AED for companies incubated at in5. Published by the Dubai Development Authority, not by the zone.
1,500 AED
Dubai Knowledge Park1,500 AED to deregister a free zone limited liability company, reduced to 1,000 AED for companies incubated at in5. Published by the Dubai Development Authority, not by the zone.
1,500 AED
Dubai Media City1,500 AED to deregister a free zone limited liability company, reduced to 1,000 AED for companies incubated at in5. Published by the Dubai Development Authority, not by the zone.
1,500 AED
Dubai Outsource City1,500 AED to deregister a free zone limited liability company, reduced to 1,000 AED for companies incubated at in5. Published by the Dubai Development Authority, not by the zone.
1,500 AED
Dubai Production City1,500 AED to deregister a free zone limited liability company, reduced to 1,000 AED for companies incubated at in5. Published by the Dubai Development Authority, not by the zone.
1,500 AED
Dubai Science Park1,500 AED to deregister a free zone limited liability company, reduced to 1,000 AED for companies incubated at in5. Published by the Dubai Development Authority, not by the zone.
1,500 AED
Dubai Studio City1,500 AED to deregister a free zone limited liability company, reduced to 1,000 AED for companies incubated at in5. Published by the Dubai Development Authority, not by the zone.
1,500 AED
RAK ICC1,500 AED to dissolve, published as item 7.1 of the 2026 fee schedule. A certificate of dissolution is charged 850 AED on top if you ask for one. We no longer show a combined total, because RAK ICC does not publish one.
1,500 AED
d31,500 AED to deregister a free zone limited liability company, reduced to 1,000 AED for companies incubated at in5. Published by the Dubai Development Authority, not by the zone.
1,500 AED
DSOThis figure appears only in an undated legacy price list whose other rates are demonstrably obsolete. No current closure or liquidation fee is published. Treat with caution.
2,000 AED
Fujairah Creative City Free Zone2,000 AED to cancel a licence with no visa. 3,000 AED with a visa package, immigration card cancellation included, and 750 AED per visa cancellation on top. If the licence has already expired, the penalty is 100 AED a month and has to be settled first. No refund claim is admissible more than three months after the licence was issued.
2,000 AED
IFZABusiness licence cancellation 2,000 AED, plus 500 AED for the establishment card, 500 AED for an entry permit, 500 AED for a work permit, and 750 AED for each visa cancelled from inside the country, 1,500 AED from outside. Cancelling late costs 1,000 AED, then 1,000 AED for every further month.
2,000 AED
Innovation CityVoluntary winding up 2,000 AED, additional business licence termination 2,000 AED, strike-off confirmation letter 200 AED, establishment card cancellation 750 AED if applicable, residence visa cancellation 650 AED if applicable. The paperwork takes about 3 working days, followed by a 30-day notice period.
2,000 AED
SPC Free ZoneLicence cancellation fee.
2,100 AED
SHAMS2,200 AED to cancel the licence, and the terms are what to plan for around it: cancellation requests after payment are not accepted, except where the immigration card is rejected. The 2,100 AED deposit on the last visa holder is settled at cancellation. Reopening after a cancellation means waiting one year if immigration visas were issued, six months for a zero visa company.
2,200 AED
Ajman Free ZoneLicence cancellation costs 2,500 AED. A company with visas also pays 780 AED per visa cancellation and 350 AED to cancel its establishment card. The procedure itself does not change: cancel every employee visa and the establishment card, run a press announcement for fourteen days, then obtain clearance from the port, from customs, from Etisalat, from the federal electricity and water authority and from sanitation.
2,500 AED
Industrial City of Abu Dhabi2,500 AED, published on the KEZAD tariff page as licence cancellation. An additional charge of 500 AED applies to certain transactions.
2,500 AED
KEZAD2,500 AED, published on the KEZAD tariff page as licence cancellation. An additional charge of 500 AED applies to certain transactions. A liquidation is required to terminate an existing licence. Its cost is still not published.
2,500 AED
DWTC Free ZoneDeregistration is priced in the official tariff, appendix 1 of the free zone rules. Winding-up procedures are in the company regulations, but liquidator, clearance and deposit refund costs are unpublished.
3,000 AED
RAKEZ3,000 AED plus any third party fees to cancel a licence held on a coworking desk, 4,500 AED with a physical facility, published on the de-registration service cards. Allow 5 working days plus 14 days of newspaper notice, and 45 days for a full liquidation. Cancelling an employee visa costs 385 AED.
3,000 AED
DMCCLiquidation is priced at 4,015 AED in the schedule of charges. The strike off application itself is free. Voluntary suspension, if you want to pause rather than close, is 5,000 AED for twelve months, 10,000 AED for twenty four and 15,000 AED for thirty six. Abandoning a package after the first step costs 10,000 AED.
4,015 AED
Dubai Maritime City5,000 AED JAFZA deregistration plus 1,500 AED for the compulsory newspaper advertisement, so 6,500 AED in practice.
6,500 AED
Gold and Diamond ParkThe JAFZA tariff applies: 5,000 AED to terminate a free zone establishment or company, plus 1,500 AED for the compulsory newspaper advertisement. A branch pays 1,500 AED.
6,500 AED
JAFZA5,000 AED to fully terminate a free zone establishment or company plus 1,500 AED for the compulsory advertisement. A branch or a foreign company pays 1,500 AED, and a partial licence cancellation 1,500 AED. An expired licence adds 1,000 AED per month of delay.
6,500 AED
Zones that do not publish a closing cost
22 zones print nothing on closing. Ask the free zone before you commit: fill in the questionnaire and we get it from the zone for you.
This figure is not published by every free zone. Ask them: fill in the questionnaire once, and we come back to you with the figure of the free zone you pick.
Questions
How much does it cost to close a UAE free zone company?
It depends on the zone. 29 of the 51 zones publish a cancellation or deregistration fee, starting at 1,000 AED at Dubai Humanitarian. Visa and establishment card cancellations come on top, and some zones require a liquidator.
Why does the closing cost matter before I choose a zone?
Because it is the one cost nobody mentions at sale time, and because an unpaid renewal keeps accruing penalties until the company is properly closed.
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.
