
Airport adjacency
The zone borders Dubai International, which shortens the distance between the warehouse door and the aircraft.
Off-hours — we reply first thing at 9:00 local. Vy is always on.
Dubai Airport Free Zone sits alongside Dubai International, which makes it the route for businesses whose goods move by air — aviation supply, high-value trade and re-export. We file the licence, run KYC and handle the visa, with a written scope up front.
DAFZA's advantage is location: an address on the edge of the airport, for businesses where hours matter more than square metres.

The zone borders Dubai International, which shortens the distance between the warehouse door and the aircraft.

Free-zone customs treatment is built into how goods enter, are held and leave the zone.

Electronics, pharmaceuticals and precision products are a familiar profile here, both for premises and for handling.

Air connectivity out of Dubai makes the zone a practical base for serving the wider Gulf and beyond.

Full foreign ownership with no local partner requirement, as across the UAE free zones.

Qualifying Free Zone Person status keeps corporate tax at 0% on qualifying income when the structure and activity support it.
DAFZA issues trading and service licences from premises beside Dubai International. The premises decision drives the licence category and the visa allocation, so we scope the space with the licence rather than after it.
DAFZA suits trade businesses whose economics depend on speed and on air freight — where being minutes from the terminal is worth more than the lowest licence price.

Import, export and re-export where the goods move by air rather than by sea.

Aviation supply, parts, MRO support services and related trade.

Electronics, pharmaceuticals, precision goods and other time-sensitive product lines.

Regional sales and distribution offices for international manufacturers.



Day 1–5
Diagnostic, KYC, activity scoping, DAFZA name reservation.
Week 2–4
Filing, MOA, initial approval.
Week 5–6
Licence issuance, establishment card, eSignature.
Week 7–9
Investor visa: entry permit, medical, Emirates ID.
Week 8–12
Corporate bank account (varies by bank).
Final cost depends on the zone, activity and visa count.
| Feature | Jebel Ali Free Zone | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal framework | UAE Civil Law | UAE Civil Law | UAE Civil Law |
| 100% foreign ownership | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 0% on qualifying income | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 100% profit repatriation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Emirate | Dubai | Dubai | Dubai |
| Adjacent to | Dubai International airport | Jebel Ali port | Al Maktoum airport |
| Best for | Air freight, high-value goods, aviation supply | Sea freight, warehousing and industrial operations | Air logistics, e-commerce fulfilment, light industrial |
Bank suitability depends on your activity, ownership, documents and transaction profile.
See our banking partnersTell us the activity and headcount. We shortlist the zones that actually accept it.
No obligation. We tell you if it is not the right route.
Sonsoto quoted us a line-item budget for the licence, visas and the bank pack up front. Nothing crept in later. That alone was worth the fee.
I’d already been rejected by two banks. Sonsoto told me why, changed the pack, and we opened with WIO in three weeks. Straight answers, no theatre.
They caught a corporate-tax filing we were about to miss and re-scoped the renewals so we stopped paying twice for the same work. Now they run everything.
We’d spoken to four firms and got four different price sheets. Sonsoto was the only one that showed us where the extras came from — and we didn’t need them.
Golden Visa done, family visas done, licence renewed. Same team, same WhatsApp thread. I don’t chase PRO agents anymore.
They told me RAK was a better fit than Dubai for our margin. I’d already paid a deposit somewhere else. They still refunded my Sonsoto retainer and helped me exit.
More clients onboarded, higher payout.
Straight to the account.
More referrals unlocks higher payouts.