Meydan Free Zone Company Formation in 2026

Meydan Free Zone gives you a Dubai company with 100% foreign ownership and a flexi desk included in the license. You choose from more than 2,500 business activities, packages start from AED 12,500 a year, and the Fawri license is issued in under 60 minutes. The whole application runs online, from any country.

The hard part is what the package price leaves out. Each visa adds an allocation fee, the visa itself, a medical test and an Emirates ID. Documents from abroad need legalisation, the 0% tax rate comes with conditions, and UAE banks look closely at new companies with owners abroad.

With us, the process stays simple. We form the company ourselves and run each step: choosing the right license, building your KYC pack once, filing with the zone, arranging the visas and registering for corporate tax. Our service starts from €1,899, and the zone's fees come on top, quoted with your setup. Once your file is complete, the company is ready in about a week.

Why Set Up a Company in Meydan Free Zone

Meydan Free Zone suits founders who want a Dubai license quickly and online. It publishes its prices, includes a workspace in every license and lets one person own the company outright. Qualifying income can also be taxed at 0% under the federal free zone rules.

100% Foreign Ownership With No Minimum Capital

You can hold all of the shares yourself, with no local partner or sponsor. The zone's regulations allow 1 to 100 shareholders and set no minimum share capital. A company can own the shares too, so Meydan works well when you set up a holding company.

A Meydan Freezone License in Under 60 Minutes

The Fawri license is issued in under 60 minutes once the application and payment are complete, or Meydan refunds the fee in full. The Regular license, which allows more than one owner, is listed at 3 to 5 days on the pricing page, while Meydan's homepage says a standard digital license can be ready within a day.

0% Corporate Tax on Qualifying Income

Profit up to AED 375,000 is taxed at 0% in the UAE, and profit above that at 9%. If your Meydan company counts as a Qualifying Free Zone Person, its qualifying income stays at 0% however large it grows. We check your activities against those conditions before you apply.

What Meydan Free Zone Is and Who Runs It

Meydan Free Zone is based at the Meydan Grandstand in Nad Al Sheba, Dubai. Its rulebook is the Meydan Free Zone Companies and Licensing Regulations 2022, which name the Authority as Meydan City Corporation, set up under Dubai Law No. 5 of 2009. Clause 2.3 says the federal Commercial Companies Law of 2021 does not apply inside the zone.

For how free zones work across the emirate, see our hub on business setup in Dubai free zone.

Legal Forms in Meydan Free Zone

The regulations allow three forms. A Company is a limited liability company, listed as an LLC-FZ in Meydan's cost guide. Under Clause 28.1 it needs one or more directors and one or more general managers. A Branch belongs to an existing Meydan company or a foreign company and has no separate legal personality. A Redomiciled Entity is a company that moves in from elsewhere.

Meydan License Types and Activity Rules

Meydan sells three main licenses: Regular, Fawri and Non-Resident, plus a manufacturing license from AED 12,500. Each covers up to three activity groups. The right Meydan license depends on how many owners you have and whether you will live in the UAE.

Activity Groups and Extra Activities

Up to three activity groups come with the license, chosen from more than 2,500 activities on the Regular license, and each additional activity costs AED 1,000. Your activities decide what the company may do, what a bank expects to see and whether the income can qualify for 0%. Our Meydan Free Zone activity list sorts them by sector, and online sellers should also plan how they will take international card payments.

Meydan Free Zone License Cost and Packages

The Meydan Free Zone license cost starts from AED 12,500 for a one-year Regular license with a flexi desk, and from AED 15,000 for Fawri. Licenses run from 1 to 6 years, and Meydan's cost guide, updated on 30 June 2026, offers up to 15% off multi-year setups.

For one owner with no rush, the Regular license costs AED 2,500 less and leaves room to add a partner later. Fawri is worth the extra when speed matters and you will stay the only owner.

Meydan Free Zone Visa Cost and Quota

Visas are priced on top. Meydan's cost guide lists a visa allocation at AED 1,850 per visa, up to six per license, plus AED 3,500 for an employment visa or about AED 4,000 for an investor visa. Its mResidency service for the medical test and Emirates ID costs AED 2,250 per person. The first visa also needs the one-time establishment card, from AED 2,000 on Meydan's homepage. Our guide to the UAE investor visa explains who qualifies.

Meydan Free Zone Office and Flexi Desk

Clause 16.1 requires every company to keep a registered address in the zone, and the flexi desk in the Regular license meets that rule. For more space, Meydan's cost guide lists a shared office at AED 15,000 a year and a dedicated office at AED 30,000. Our page on the flexi desk in Dubai explains how a desk works.

Meydan Free Zone Regulations for Companies

The Meydan Free Zone regulations are practical: keep a registered address in the zone, renew before the license expires, report changes on time and keep proper records. Federal rules add a beneficial owner register and, for a company claiming 0%, audited accounts.

License Renewal and Reporting Changes

Clause 13.1 says a licensee must renew before the license term ends. Clauses 17.1 and 17.2 give a company 15 business days to report changes to its details, and a branch 30. The Authority can suspend services while invoices are overdue under Clause 20.3, so we track the renewal date with you.

Registers, UBO and Records

The company keeps registers of shareholders and directors under Clauses 26.1 and 30.1, and keeps records for at least 7 years under Clause 18.1. Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023 adds a beneficial owner register in commercial free zones: anyone with 25% or more of the shares counts, and changes are updated within 15 days. We file the first UBO declaration with the setup.

Accounts and Audit

Clause 42.1 requires audited financial statements within 30 days when the Authority asks, and Clause 43 lets the first financial year run up to 18 months. Claiming 0% adds a yearly audit under Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025.

Meydan Free Zone Company Setup for Non-Residents

You can form and own a Meydan company without living in the UAE. Meydan states that every process and payment runs remotely, and its Non-Resident license costs AED 12,500 for founders who are not relocating. You travel only if you want a residence visa.

Legalising Documents From Abroad

Starting a Fawri application needs only a passport copy, but papers from a corporate owner take longer. The UAE has not joined the Apostille Convention, according to the Hague Conference's status table. So a parent company's certificate of incorporation goes first to the UAE embassy in the country that issued it, then to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs for attestation. This chain sets the pace, so we start it in week one. Our guide on how to set up a company as a non-resident covers the wider rules.

Tax Where You Live

Your home country may still tax the company if you manage it from there, and many countries apply controlled foreign corporation rules to low-tax companies their residents own. We flag this before you sign.

Read more: setting up a company remotely.

How We Handle Your Meydan Free Zone Company Setup

Your setup follows one fixed order, from the license to the tax registration. We run each step and deal with the zone for you.

Before You Start

Decide three things first: who will own the shares, what you will sell and to whom, and how many visas you need in year one.

We Choose the License and File the Application

We pick the license and up to three activity groups with you, and check each activity against the qualifying list for 0%. Then we build your KYC pack once, submit the application, answer the zone's questions and pay its fees at the published rates.

We Set Up the Immigration File and Visas

After the license, Meydan activates the immigration profile, with the establishment card and e-channel, within 1 to 2 business days. Each visa then takes 3 to 7 business days, and we arrange the medical test and biometrics in order.

We Register the Company for Corporate Tax

Federal Tax Authority Decision No. 3 of 2024 gives a company formed from 1 March 2024 three months to register for corporate tax, and we file it within the setup. Our page on corporate tax registration in the UAE has the detail.

Documents Needed for Meydan Free Zone Company Formation

Meydan says a passport copy is enough to start a Fawri application. For our KYC pack and the bank, each owner and manager sends:

• Passport copy: A clear copy for each owner, director and manager.
• Photo: A recent passport-size photo.
• Proof of address: A recent utility bill or bank statement.
• UAE visa or UAE Pass: Only if you already live in the UAE.
• Short business plan: Your activity, your clients and where the capital comes from.

When a company holds the shares, it also sends its certificate of incorporation, a board resolution approving the setup and a power of attorney, each legalised and attested. We reuse this pack for the bank later, and our list of documents needed to open a business bank account shows why it fits.

Meydan Free Zone Company Setup Cost in 2026

The Meydan free zone company setup cost starts from €1,899 for our service plus AED 12,500 for the zone's Regular license. With one investor visa and the establishment card, the first year is about €1,899 plus AED 22,600, before accounting.

For that price we advise on the license and activities, build the KYC pack, file the application and company documents, prepare the visa paperwork, register the company for corporate tax, make the first UBO filing and prepare the bank file. Meydan's fees are added at its published rates, and anything it does not publish is quoted with your setup. Trusts, foundations, funds and regulated or high-risk structures are priced separately.

Visas move the total most: each person you sponsor adds about AED 7,600 to AED 8,100 in year one on Meydan's figures. Our guide to the Dubai free zone company setup cost sets zone prices side by side.

First-Year Cost by Company Profile

All figures except ours are Meydan's published rates, before e-channel registration, accounting and any audit.

Read more: company formation costs by country.

How Long Company Formation in Meydan Free Zone Takes

With us, a Meydan Free Zone company is ready in about a week, counted from a complete file. The license itself is quick: under 60 minutes on Fawri and up to 5 days on the Regular license. Visas and foreign documents add the rest.

What Adds Time

Corporate documents from abroad need embassy legalisation and MOFA attestation before the application. After the license, no visa work can start until the immigration profile is active, and each visa then needs 3 to 7 business days plus your trip for the medical test. We line these steps up from day one, so each starts as soon as it can.

Tax and Compliance for a Meydan Free Zone Company

When a Meydan company is a Qualifying Free Zone Person, its qualifying income is taxed at 0%. Any other profit falls under the standard bands in Cabinet Decision No. 116 of 2022, which are 0% up to AED 375,000 and 9% on the rest. Whatever the rate, every company registers, files a return each year and keeps its records.

Qualifying Free Zone Person Conditions

The conditions are in Article 18 of Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022. The company needs adequate staff, assets and spending in the zone, must earn qualifying income, must follow the transfer pricing rules and must not elect for the standard rates. Its non-qualifying revenue has to stay under 5% of total revenue or AED 5 million, whichever is lower. Miss one condition and the 0% rate is lost for that tax period and the four after it.

Qualifying Activities and the Designated Zone Rule

The qualifying activities are listed in Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025, published on 28 August 2025. For a Meydan company, the useful ones include holding shares, headquarter services, treasury and financing for related parties, and logistics. Distribution qualifies only in or from a Designated Zone, and Cabinet Decision No. 59 of 2017 does not name Meydan as one. Income from transactions with individuals is an Excluded Activity. See our guide to free zone corporate tax in the UAE.

Deadlines, VAT and Substance

Registering late for corporate tax brings an AED 10,000 penalty. The return, and any tax due, must be filed within 9 months of the end of the tax period. VAT is charged at 5%, with registration mandatory once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 and optional from AED 187,500. The Economic Substance Regulations were repealed by Cabinet Decision No. 98 of 2024, yet the 0% regime still expects real activity in the zone.

Read more: is Dubai tax free.

Business Banking for Meydan Free Zone Companies

Meydan companies can bank in the UAE, and a new Central Bank regulation now gives banks a deadline for small business files. Most founders still begin with our banking partners, which open multi-currency accounts online in a few days, and add a UAE bank once the company is trading.

UAE Banks for a Meydan Company

Regulation C 2/2026, the Central Bank's SME Customer Protection Regulation, has applied since September 2026. Under it, a bank has 3 business days to open an account for a low-risk SME and must document and explain any delay or refusal. Emirates NBD wants at least one signatory who lives in the UAE, Mashreq NeoBiz charges AED 99 or AED 199 a month with no minimum balance, and Wio Business says accounts open in 3 working days. Banks most often decline a file that shows no real tie to the UAE, so we add your contracts and invoices, as our guides to opening a free zone company bank account and why banks reject business account applications explain.

Faster Accounts Through Our Banking Partners

Our partners are not banks. They are regulated payment institutions and EMIs that open multi-currency business accounts remotely in a few days, without a resident signatory or a minimum balance, and their published plans cost about €30 to €100 a month. We use your KYC pack for their file and introduce you, and our guide to a business bank account vs an EMI account explains the difference.

Opening both works well: the partner account lets the company invoice in week one, and the same file then goes to a UAE bank. Our guide to working capital helps you plan the cash you keep.

Meydan Free Zone vs IFZA, DMCC and JAFZA

All four zones follow the same federal tax rules, so price, speed and goods decide it. Meydan publishes a low entry price with a flexi desk and the fastest published license time, while JAFZA suits physical goods as a Designated Zone.

Meydan Free Zone vs IFZA

IFZA is based in Dubai Silicon Oasis and publishes no price list on its site, so its fees come as a quote on request. Meydan publishes its packages and visa fees. Our guide to IFZA company formation covers its licenses and visas.

Meydan Free Zone vs DMCC

DMCC, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, is based in Jumeirah Lakes Towers. Its Basic Biz package with a flexi desk costs AED 35,484, almost three times Meydan's, and its smaller Nook package with co-working costs AED 10,345. DMCC suits commodity traders who want a JLT address. Read our guide to DMCC company formation.

Meydan Free Zone vs JAFZA

JAFZA publishes business licenses from AED 5,000 and registration in 3 to 14 business days once documents are in. Jebel Ali Free Zone (North-South) is a Designated Zone, so distribution from it can qualify for 0%. Choose JAFZA for goods and Meydan for services, and see our guide to Jebel Ali Free Zone company formation.

Who a Meydan Free Zone Company Is Wrong For

A Meydan company fits service businesses, consultants and holding companies. Three kinds of business need a different plan: goods distributors, companies that sell mainly to mainland customers and teams that need more than six visas. Each one has a clear route.

If you import and distribute goods, that income will not qualify for 0% from Meydan, because the zone is not a Designated Zone. If most of your customers are on the UAE mainland, a mainland company in Dubai is usually simpler. If you plan to sponsor more than six people, check this early, because Meydan's cost guide sets up to six visa allocations per license.

Common Mistakes When Setting Up a Company in Meydan Free Zone

The costly mistakes at Meydan come from early choices about the activity, the license and the tax plan, and each one is fixed before you apply.

Distributing Goods From Meydan Free Zone

Some founders license a trading company at Meydan because it is quick and clearly priced. Distribution counts as qualifying only in or from a Designated Zone, which Meydan is not. Once that income passes the de minimis limit, the whole company moves to the standard rates. On AED 3 million of taxable profit, that means 9% on everything above AED 375,000, or AED 236,250 a year. If you import and resell, check the Designated Zones in the UAE first.

Starting on Fawri When a Partner Will Join

Fawri is built for one person who is the sole shareholder, manager, director and UBO. Founders who later add a partner or a holding company as a shareholder then need the Regular license anyway. The Regular license costs AED 2,500 less, includes 6 shareholders and takes up to 5 days, so start there if the ownership may change.

Claiming 0% Without Audited Accounts

Some founders run a small company on a flexi desk, claim the 0% rate and skip the audit to save money. Audited accounts are one of the conditions for Qualifying Free Zone Person status, and Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025 requires them at any revenue. A company that fails a condition loses the 0% rate for that period and the next 4. On AED 1 million of profit, that is AED 56,250 a year for 5 years. Budget for the audit from year one, and we build it into your quote.

Bottom Line

Meydan is a fast, clearly priced way into the UAE. The Regular license starts from AED 12,500 with a flexi desk, Fawri from AED 15,000 in under 60 minutes, and each visa adds about AED 7,600 to AED 8,100 in year one on Meydan's own figures. It suits service companies, consultants and holding structures that do not distribute goods.

Once the owners, activities and visa count are settled, check the 0% conditions. We form the company from €1,899, Meydan's fees come on top, and the license is ready in about a week. If you are moving your whole operation, our guide on how to move your business to Dubai helps. For the wider picture, read our guide to free zone company formation in the UAE, or start your UAE company with us.

Sources

• Meydan Free Zone, Pricing and cost calculator (2026)
• Meydan Free Zone, Company setup cost breakdown (updated 30 June 2026)
• Meydan Free Zone, Fawri instant license (2026)
• Meydan Free Zone, Homepage and license overview (2026)
• Meydan Free Zone, Contact and office address (2026)
• Meydan City Corporation, Meydan Free Zone Companies and Licensing Regulations 2022
• Dubai Development Authority, Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023 on beneficial owner procedures
• EY, UAE Designated Zones listed in Cabinet Decision No. 59 of 2017 (January 2018)
• HCCH, Apostille Convention status table (2026)
• UAE Ministry of Finance, Cabinet Decision No. 116 of 2022 on taxable income subject to corporate tax
• PwC, Ministerial Decisions No. 229 and No. 230 of 2025 on Qualifying Free Zone Persons (August 2025)
• CMS, What constitutes qualifying income for free zone persons
• UAE Ministry of Finance, Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025 on audited financial statements (April 2025)
• PwC, FTA Decision No. 3 of 2024 on corporate tax registration timelines (February 2024)
• Federal Tax Authority, VAT registration thresholds (2026)
• Pinsent Masons, UAE Central Bank SME customer protection framework (April 2026)
• Emirates NBD, Business banking account opening FAQ
• Mashreq, NEO BIZ business account plans (2026)
• Wio, Business accounts for trade and services (2026)
• JAFZA, Business license types and fees (2026)
• DMCC, Business setup packages (2026)