Skip to main content
Skip to footer
Setting up a free zone company almost always comes with a visa route attached. Knowing how it works before you apply saves confusion later.
How much is a free zone visa in Dubai?
Visa cost isn’t one fixed number. It moves with the free zone, the visa package attached to your licence, and how many visas you take. Every free zone company links its visa quota to its licence package, so your UAE free zone setup and visa planning happen at the same time, not separately.
How to Get a Dubai Free Zone Visa
The process follows your company formation, not the other way around.
- Set up your free zone company. Your visa quota is set as part of your licence package. Once you’ve settled on your free zone licence in Dubai, the visa route becomes available.
- Apply for an entry permit. This lets you enter or remain in the UAE while your residence process completes. Most zones process this stage within a few working days once your company file is complete.
- Complete a medical test and Emirates ID registration. These are standard steps for any UAE residence visa, free zone or otherwise. The medical test screens for communicable diseases and is a same-day appointment at an approved centre; results typically clear within a few working days.
- Get your residence visa stamped. Once approved, the visa is stamped in your passport and linked to your Emirates ID, which usually arrives by courier separately once it finishes printing.
Each stage depends on the one before it, so a delay early in the process, an incomplete medical file or a missing document at the entry-permit stage, pushes every later step back by the same amount.
Free Zone Visa Cost and Validity
Free zone visas typically run for two or three years, depending on the zone and visa category. Cost depends on the same drivers as your licence: the specific free zone, the visa category, and how many visas your package includes.
Renewal follows the same steps as the first application, minus the initial company setup stage. Start your renewal before your current visa expires to avoid a gap in your legal residence status.
Benefits of a Free Zone Visa
A free zone visa gives you legal residence tied directly to your own company, not an employer. This means you control the visa yourself rather than depending on a third party to sponsor you.
It also opens standard UAE residency benefits: opening a personal bank account, sponsoring family members, and access to UAE services that require an Emirates ID. The exact family sponsorship rules depend on your income and visa category, so confirm your eligibility with the UAE’s federal identity and residency authority or your setup consultant.
Sponsoring Family on a Free Zone Visa
Free zone visa holders can generally sponsor a spouse and children once their own residence visa and Emirates ID are fully active, not before. The federal identity and residency authority’s standard threshold sets the minimum salary at AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 if your company provides accommodation as part of the package. Your salary certificate for this purpose comes from your free zone authority, since that’s who issued your employment or investor visa.
Beyond salary, you’ll need a registered tenancy contract (Ejari or the local equivalent) sized appropriately for your dependents, and valid health insurance covering each family member you sponsor. These requirements apply the same way whether your visa comes from a free zone or the mainland; the free zone doesn’t change the sponsorship rules themselves, only where your salary certificate comes from.
Free Zone Ownership and the Golden Visa
Owning a free zone company can also open a path to the UAE’s 10-year Golden Visa, separate from your standard free zone employment or investor visa. Three routes qualify, all set by Dubai’s residency authority:
- Company investment: your share of a company’s assets, including a free zone company, is worth at least AED 2,000,000, backed by a certified financial report from an accredited UAE audit firm and, for free zone companies specifically, a certificate from the free zone confirming the company’s capital and your share
- Real estate: property investment of at least AED 2,000,000
- Bank deposit: a UAE bank deposit of at least AED 2,000,000, held for a minimum of two years
The Golden Visa isn’t a replacement for your standard free zone visa route, it’s a longer-term option for founders whose company or personal investment already clears that AED 2,000,000 bar. It’s worth checking once your business has grown to that scale, since a 10-year residence permit removes the two-to-three-year renewal cycle entirely.
Free Zone Visa vs Employment Visa
A free zone visa comes from your own company licence. An employment visa comes from an employer sponsoring you as staff. If you’re the founder, the free zone route ties your residence directly to the business you own. If you’re joining as an employee of a free zone company, you’d typically be sponsored under an employment visa issued through that same company’s licence.
Both fall under the UAE’s residence visa system. For the general residence visa framework beyond the free zone mechanism, see our UAE residence visa guide.
Conclusion
A free zone visa follows your company setup automatically. Your licence package sets your visa quota. The process runs through an entry permit, a medical test, and an Emirates ID before your visa is stamped. Renewal repeats the same steps roughly every two to three years.
Setting up and need the full visa picture sorted alongside your licence? Our team handles your Dubai free zone setup and visa process together.
This guide is general information. Visa validity, cost, and eligibility differ by free zone and visa category. Check with the free zone authority or a setup consultant for your own case.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a free zone visa in Dubai?
Cost depends on the free zone, the visa package tied to your licence, and how many visas you take. There is no single fixed figure.
How long is a free zone visa valid?
Free zone visas typically run for two or three years, depending on the free zone and visa category.
What is the difference between a free zone visa and an employment visa?
A free zone visa is tied to your own company licence as the founder. An employment visa is issued through an employer sponsoring you as staff.
What salary do I need to sponsor family on a free zone visa?
The standard minimum is AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 if your employer provides accommodation. Your free zone authority issues the salary certificate needed for the application.
Can owning a free zone company qualify me for the UAE Golden Visa?
Yes. If your share of the company’s assets is worth at least AED 2,000,000, backed by a certified financial report and a free zone certificate confirming your capital and share, you can apply for the 10-year Golden Visa investor route.
