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How Our Fees Work

One page explaining what we charge, what the authority charges, and what happens to any commission a free zone pays us.

The split

Two columns, always

Every quote we send has two columns: what the authority charges, at cost, and what we charge. Receipts for the first are attached when the work is done.

It sounds unremarkable. In practice most setup quotes in this market are a single number, and a single number cannot be compared with anything.

  • Government fees passed through at cost, with receipts
  • Our fee stated separately and fixed before we start
  • Free zone commissions disclosed and deducted from our fee
  • No charge for the initial structure conversation
Signing paperwork
How we choose

Which free zone we recommend

Eleven zones, ranked by what suits you rather than what suits us.

Your activity has to be on their list

The first filter, and it eliminates most zones immediately. Some activities exist in only two or three.

Visa quota against premises

A flexi desk usually caps you at four to six visas. If you plan to hire twelve, that decision has to be made now.

How banks view the zone

Some free zones are noticeably harder to bank from. It is not published anywhere and it is the single most useful thing we know.

Renewal cost, not setup cost

Several zones price the first year low and the renewal high. Over three years the ranking often reverses.

Whether you will ever need mainland

If mainland customers are likely within two years, a free zone plus a branch later costs more than starting mainland.

What the commission is

We check it, disclose it, and deduct it from our fee — so it cannot quietly shape the recommendation.

The firm

Nine people in Business Bay