IFZA · International Free Zone Authority

IFZA company formation, built for UK directors who operate remotely.

One of the most popular free zones for UK founders moving their business to Dubai: a wide activity list on a single licence, no physical office required for most setups, and a fast, largely remote application process, coordinated with your UK exit from day one.

Request a Call

UK & UAE Coordinated · No Office Required

IFZA

Dubai Silicon Oasis
Remote-Friendly Setup

Location

Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai

Activity focus

Broad: consulting, trading, e-commerce, digital services

Office requirement

Flexi-desk sufficient for most licences

Cost tier

Lower end of our typical UAE licence range

Why UK founders keep choosing IFZA

One licence, many activities

IFZA licences can typically cover a wide combination of business activities under one registration, so you are not forced into a narrow single-purpose licence before you know exactly how the business will grow.

No office required for most setups

Unlike zones that mandate dedicated office space, IFZA accepts a flexi-desk arrangement for most licence categories, which keeps first-year overhead lower without limiting your visa eligibility.

Fast, largely remote process

Applications are processed digitally and quickly relative to older, more paperwork-heavy zones, which matters when you are coordinating the move around a UK notice period or contract handover.

Who an IFZA setup suits

Consultants & professional service directors

If your UK company's income is largely your own time and client work, IFZA's broad activity list and remote-friendly setup make it one of the simplest paths to a Dubai-based operating entity.

E-commerce & digital businesses

Digital-first businesses with no need for UAE warehouse or mainland retail access tend to find IFZA's cost and setup speed a better fit than zones built around physical trade.

First-time UAE company directors

If this is your first UAE entity and you want to keep the structure simple while you learn how the business runs in Dubai, IFZA's lower office and cost burden reduces the commitment required upfront.

General trading businesses

For UK directors trading internationally rather than directly into the UAE mainland market, IFZA's activity range typically covers general trading licences without requiring a separate mainland entity.

Who IFZA probably doesn't suit

IFZA probably isn't the right choice if your business genuinely needs large warehouse or industrial space, a prestige central-Dubai or DIFC-style address for client-facing credibility, or a licence in a tightly regulated activity such as financial services, healthcare or education, none of which IFZA's general activity list is built to cover. In those cases, a zone like JAFZA, DWTC or DIFC is usually the better starting point, and we'll say so at consultation stage rather than fitting you into IFZA regardless.

What an IFZA setup actually costs

Across our UAE setups generally, licences start around £3,000–£3,500 a year, with a realistic first-year total, including visa, banking and a proper UK exit, usually landing at £8,000–£15,000. IFZA sits toward the lower end of that range among Dubai-based zones specifically, largely because most licence categories do not require paid office space.

The main variables that move your figure within that range are how many business activities you register, how many visas you need (which is tied to your desk or office package), and whether your banking application needs additional support to get approved first time.

For the full breakdown of what's typically included in year one versus what gets added later, see our full Dubai company setup cost guide.

Your IFZA Setup Roadmap

A coordinated process that keeps your UK side clean while your IFZA company is formed.

Free Consultation

We review your business activity, UK structure and timeline to confirm IFZA is the right fit.

Activity & Licence Selection

We select the right activity combination and licence package for how your business actually operates.

Application & Approval

We prepare and submit the application and coordinate approvals on your behalf.

Visa & Banking

We support your residency visa and UAE bank account application once the licence is issued.

The Detail

What each stage of an IFZA setup actually involves

Free consultation & activity mapping

1–3 business days

We review your current UK company, the activities you actually need, and confirm IFZA is genuinely the right zone before anything is filed.

Common snag: Directors who list every activity they can imagine "just in case" often end up with an unfocused application. Banks reviewing the account later prefer a clear primary activity, so we help you scope this deliberately.

Activity, licence & desk package selection

2–5 business days

We match your activities to the right IFZA licence and choose the desk or office package that covers your visa needs, since visa quota is tied to package tier rather than the licence alone.

Common snag: Defaulting to the cheapest desk package to save money upfront, then discovering it doesn't support enough visas for the team you actually plan to relocate.

Application submission & licence issuance

Usually 1–2 weeks from a complete application

We submit the full application and coordinate IFZA's review. Because the process is largely digital, this stage tends to move faster here than in older, paperwork-heavy zones.

Common snag: Incomplete or mismatched documents, a name spelled differently across your passport and UK company documents, for example, are the most common cause of delay, worth checking before submission rather than after a rejection.

Visa, Emirates ID & banking

Visa/Emirates ID 2–3 weeks · banking 2–4 weeks, run in parallel

Once the licence is issued, your residency visa and Emirates ID processing run alongside your UAE corporate bank account application, typically the slowest step in the whole sequence.

Common snag: A flexi-desk address occasionally draws extra questions from banks doing their own due diligence. Having a clear, coherent explanation of the business ready at account-opening stage speeds this up considerably.

Before You Start

Documents & requirements checklist

What a UK director actually needs to have ready for an IFZA application, so nothing holds up your file once we submit it.

To submit the licence application

Passport copy for every shareholder and the appointed manager, at least six months' validity remaining.
Passport-style photograph, white background, for each shareholder and manager.
Proof of current UK residential address, a utility bill or bank statement, usually no older than three months.
A short business plan or activity description, matched to your chosen IFZA activity list.
Two to three preferred trade name options.
Draft shareholding structure, confirmed before filing.

To finish licensing, banking & visas

Tenancy contract or flexi-desk agreement for your chosen IFZA package, arranged as part of the licence process.
No Objection Certificate (NOC), only relevant if you already hold a UAE residency visa sponsored by a different employer.
UK company documents (Certificate of Incorporation, Memorandum & Articles), if the IFZA entity is a subsidiary of your existing UK limited company rather than held in your own name.
A more detailed business plan for the corporate bank account application; most UAE banks want more than the licence application required.
Medical test and biometrics appointment, completed in person during one short UAE trip, for each visa applicant.
Emirates ID application documents, processed alongside the residency visa once approved.

This covers what most IFZA applications need; your existing UAE visa status, if any, and your specific activity can add or remove items, which we confirm before you gather anything.

Free

Initial Strategy Review

£0

Upfront Costs

HMRC

Compliant & Documented

Direct

Access to Your Named Advisor

Sufyan Ali, Finance Director · Muhammad Usman Rafiq, Senior Accountant

Every engagement is personally overseen by a senior member of our Dubai-based team.

Meet the full team →

Frequently Asked Questions

IFZA sits toward the lower end of the licence-cost range for Dubai-based free zones. Across our UAE setups generally, licences start around £3,000–£3,500 a year, and a realistic first-year total, including visa, banking and a proper UK exit, is usually £8,000–£15,000. IFZA is typically toward the lower end of that overall range rather than the upper end, though your exact figure depends on activity count, visa allocation and office package.

Not for most activities. IFZA is one of the more flexible Dubai free zones on this point: a flexi-desk or shared workspace arrangement is sufficient for the majority of licence categories, which is a meaningful cost saving compared with zones that mandate dedicated office space.

IFZA suits UK directors running consultancy, digital services, e-commerce, general trading or agency-style businesses who operate remotely or internationally and do not need a prestige central-Dubai address or heavy physical infrastructure. It is one of the most popular choices for UK founders precisely because it keeps setup simple and cost-efficient.

IFZA is built for breadth and affordability: a wide activity list, minimal office requirements, and a straightforward setup process. DMCC and DIFC are narrower, more prestigious, and materially more expensive: DMCC for commodities and trading reputation, DIFC for regulated financial services under its own common-law courts. Most UK directors without a specific need for those two choose IFZA or a comparable general-purpose zone instead.

Yes. Many of our UK clients keep their existing limited company (as a dormant entity, a client-facing UK presence, or a trading subsidiary) while their IFZA company becomes the primary operating entity. Which approach makes sense depends on your contracts, customers and UK tax position, so this is exactly what a proper structuring review should cover before you commit to either zone.

IFZA is known for allowing a broad combination of activities under a single licence rather than forcing you into one narrow category, covering consulting, trading, e-commerce, marketing, IT and general services among others. The practical approach is to list every activity your business might plausibly need over the next year or two at application stage, since adding activities later is possible but is an extra administrative step rather than something bundled into your original fee.

Visa allocation is tied to the desk or office package you choose rather than the licence itself: a basic flexi-desk package typically supports a small number of visas, and you increase your allocation by upgrading to a larger desk or office package. We size this against how many people you actually plan to relocate, rather than defaulting to the cheapest package and running out of visa quota later.

IFZA licences renew annually, and renewal is generally simpler than the initial application: updated licence fees, your desk package renewal, and confirmation your registered activities haven't changed. If a licence isn't renewed before it lapses, IFZA (like other UAE authorities) applies a grace period followed by escalating fines, and any visas issued under that licence are put at risk of cancellation. Reinstating a lapsed licence is typically slower and more expensive than a straightforward on-time renewal, so we build renewal reminders into ongoing engagements rather than leaving it to the client to track.

Both are among the more cost-effective options for UK founders, but IFZA is based in Dubai (Dubai Silicon Oasis) with a broader activity list and a stronger general reputation, while Ajman is a separate, lower-cost emirate roughly 30–45 minutes away. If keeping cost as low as possible matters more than a Dubai address, Ajman is worth comparing directly; if a Dubai-based licence matters to your clients or your own plans, IFZA is usually the better starting point at a similar cost tier.

See if IFZA is the right fit for your business.

A free consultation covering activity selection, cost and your UK exit, before you commit to any zone.

Get Your Free IFZA Assessment