FFZA registers three company legal types: a Free Zone Establishment (FZE), a Free Zone Company (FZC) and a branch. An FZE has a single owner, which can be an individual or a company, while an FZC has more than one shareholder. A branch can belong to a foreign entity or to a local UAE entity.
FFZA's website lists fields of investment rather than named license categories, so we confirm the exact activity wording with FFZA before you apply. FFZA also lists an overseas (offshore) company, which it says is registered through legal advisors.
- FZE: single ownership, either a natural person or a legal person (subsidiary)
- FZC: more than one shareholder, natural persons, legal persons or both
- Branch: of a foreign entity or of a local entity
- Petroleum, manufacturing, marine, aviation and some other licenses need prior approval from the relevant authority
- For standard activities, FFZA's first step is a security approval for the owner or person in charge
FFZA lists five kinds of space: virtual office, flexi desk, trading offices, warehouses and industrial land. The space you lease shapes what you can do on site and how many visas you can apply for, so we look at both together.
FFZA says investors leasing trading offices or pre-built units can take over the premises once the license is issued. If you sign for a customized building, FFZA says you can use free zone facilities to prepare your manufacturing unit while it is being built.
- Flexi desk: a shared office desk with eligibility to apply for 1 visa for the investor, per FFZA
- Representative and branch offices: furnished or unfurnished, typically from around 20 square meters
- Warehouses: pre-fabricated, fully insulated units with loading, unloading and cargo handling facilities
- Custom-built units: warehouses equipped to suit your industrial activity
- Open land: a long-term lease to develop your own project, with the option to build on up to 60% of the total area
FFZA lists its fields of investment as manufacturing, processing, petrochemicals, engineering, aviation, mining, marine, logistics, trading and consultancy. It says the list is not limited to these fields, so we check any other activity with FFZA case by case.
FFZA states that the zone is served by Fujairah Port and Fujairah International Airport, with access to markets by land, sea and air. Its About Fujairah page describes Fujairah as the only emirate on the UAE's eastern coast along the Gulf of Oman and one of the world's largest bunkering and storage hubs. FFZA also says its warehouses sit close to the Customs Department and administrative offices.
Once your company is registered and its establishment card is issued, FFZA says you apply for visas through its e-services portal. FFZA lists visit, employment and residence visas among its visa services, and its administrative team helps with related federal ministry services such as entry permits and card registration.
FFZA's pages do not set out how a Fujairah Free Zone company can trade on the UAE mainland. FFZA does say investors can apply for no objection certificates (NOCs) to relevant authorities for required services, so we confirm the right route with FFZA and the relevant authority before you plan mainland sales.
All three zones offer warehouses and land for industrial and trading companies, but they sit in different emirates and are run by different authorities. Fujairah Free Zone is on the east coast and served by Fujairah Port, Hamriyah Free Zone is in Sharjah, and the Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) is in Ras Al Khaimah.
- Fujairah Free Zone: run by FFZA since 1987; FZE, FZC or branch; warehouses, custom-built units and open land
- Hamriyah Free Zone: run by the Hamriyah Free Zone Authority (HFZA), established in 1995 by Emiri Decree in Sharjah
- Hamriyah licenses: trading, e-commerce, service and industrial; HFZA cites access to a 14-meter-deep water port and a 7-meter-deep inner harbor
- RAKEZ: established by the Government of Ras Al Khaimah; offers both free zone and non-free zone company formation
- RAKEZ facilities: warehouses and land, including the Al Ghail, Al Hamra and Al Hulaila industrial zones, with proximity to ports in Ras Al Khaimah
Headline offers rarely tell the whole story. We answer these for your activity before you decide.
- Is your exact activity on Fujairah Free Zone's official list, or only something close to it?
- Does the activity need approval from another regulator first?
- Which workspace options are available, and how many visas does each allow?
- What does renewal involve each year, and which costs recur?
- Will most of your customers be in the zone, abroad or on the mainland?
