FREE ZONE FILE
Industrial City of Abu Dhabi
What we think
Two arms of the Abu Dhabi government disagree about what ICAD is. The economic development department lists it as a free zone while KEZAD's own pages describe ICAD 1, 3 and 5 as mainland facilities, with only ICAD 2 offering both regimes. Confirm your regime in writing before you sign a lease.
Publishes its headline prices, but not everythingPackages
No package price is published. No licence package is published for ICAD. The KEZAD free zone tariff applies only to the free zone portion of ICAD 2.
Where each line was read: product page, a commercial commitment on the zone's own site. Official document, a downloadable schedule, regulation or terms. Blog only, an article on the zone's site, editorial and not contractual. Not published, the zone does not say.
Visas
Offices and desks
Year two, and closing down
The two figures nobody advertises. A cheap first year means nothing if year two doubles, and nothing at all if leaving costs a fortune.
Renewal, per year
KEZAD free zone renewal is AED 5,000 or AED 15,000 depending on the licence type. It applies only to entities in the free zone portion, not to the mainland facilities.
Closing the company
KEZAD free zone cancellation is AED 2,500 plus AED 500, so AED 3,000. Mainland facilities follow the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development procedure instead.
Other fees and penalties
Binding terms
- ICAD 1, 3 and 5 are described by KEZAD as mainland industrial facilities.
- Only ICAD 2 offers both a mainland and a free zone regime.
- The free zone tariff applies only to entities registered in the free zone portion.
Contradictions on the zone's own site
- The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development lists ICAD as a free zone while KEZAD's own pages describe ICAD 1, 3 and 5 as mainland facilities.
What this zone does not publish
- Initial licence price for ICAD.
- Employee visa cost and visa quota.
- Land and warehouse rents.
- Trade name reservation fee.
- Late renewal penalties.
- Minimum share capital and audit obligation.
- Any agent or referral commission terms.
Where every figure above comes from
- kezadgroup.com, ICAD pages
- added.gov.ae, free zone list
Read on the zone's official site on 13 aout 2026. We print the addresses rather than link them, so you can check any figure word for word, and so this page stays a comparison rather than a doorway.
AED 1,000 back on this zone
This zone pays us an introduction fee, and we hand AED 1,000 of it back to you once your trade licence has actually been issued. You pay the zone exactly what you would pay going direct, we never take a dirham from you, and the cashback is only due if you filled in the Free Zone Radar form first.
Figures quoted from the zone are left in the language the zone published them in, so you can check them word for word. This file is available in English and French. The comparator itself is in Arabic too.