IFZA Free Zone Company Setup
International Free Zone Authority - based at Dubai Silicon Oasis, and one of the fastest, most cost-competitive routes into the UAE for general trading and consulting.
IFZA (International Free Zone Authority) operates from Dubai Silicon Oasis and has become one of the highest-volume registration free zones in the UAE, largely on the back of competitive package pricing and fast turnaround. It's not built around one specialist sector the way DMCC or DIFC are - its strength is being a broad, affordable, low-friction entry point for general trading and consulting businesses.
Who IFZA suits best
- First-time founders who want the fastest, lowest-cost route to a UAE trade licence
- General trading businesses without a narrow sector requirement
- Consultants and service businesses that don't need sector-specific infrastructure
- Businesses comparing package cost closely across multiple free zones
Licensed activities
- General trading
- Consulting and professional services
- E-commerce
- Media and marketing services
Cost profile
IFZA is consistently positioned at the lower end of UAE free zone pricing, with package structures built around visa count. It's a common first comparison point for founders price-shopping across zones - see our free zone comparison for how it stacks up against RAKEZ and other cost-competitive options.
What sets IFZA apart
Speed and simplicity. IFZA has processed a large volume of company registrations and built its packages around fast turnaround rather than sector specialism - if your business doesn't need DMCC's commodities infrastructure or DIFC's financial services framework, IFZA often gets you licensed faster and cheaper for the same general trading or consulting activity.
Setup process
Activity & licence match
We confirm your activity fits IFZA's broad permitted activity list - most general trading and consulting activities are pre-approved, which is part of why the process moves quickly.
Trade name reservation
Reserved directly with International Free Zone Authority.
Application & documentation
Application form, passport copies, and Memorandum of Association submitted - largely digital, without the additional sector-specific paperwork some specialist zones require.
Licence issuance
The IFZA trade licence is typically issued digitally within days of documents and fees being finalised, ahead of physical documentation following by courier - one of the reasons IFZA is used when speed matters more than an in-person process.
Facility & visa allocation
IFZA is one of the few zones offering a genuine zero-visa, flexi-desk package with no physical office commitment, alongside standard office packages for higher visa quotas.
IFZA questions, answered.
Often, yes - it's built around fast, straightforward registration for general trading and consulting activities, which covers a large share of first-time founder use cases.
Yes, visa allocation is tied to your licence package tier, similar to most UAE free zones - we confirm the right tier against your actual hiring plan.
Not particularly - for regulated financial services, DIFC is the more appropriate jurisdiction. IFZA is strongest for general trading and consulting.
Not necessarily - IFZA is one of the few zones offering a genuine zero-visa, flexi-desk package with no physical office requirement, alongside standard office packages once you need a larger visa quota.
Once documentation is complete, IFZA licences are typically issued within days rather than weeks - it's one of the faster routes among UAE free zones, particularly for general trading and consulting activities that don't need additional external approvals.
Start your IFZA company setup.
Tell us your activity and we'll confirm the right licence category, cost, and timeline for IFZA.