Umm Al Quwain
Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone: real costs, licences and review
Low cost with an unusually permissive activity list.
FromAED 5,500
Typical, 1 visaAED 10,000
Timeline2–7 days
Our rating7.7/10
Our view
UAQ FTZ competes on price with SHAMS and Ajman, and differentiates on breadth: it permits a wider mix of activities under a single licence than most budget zones, including combinations of trading and services that elsewhere would need two licences or a dual-licence upgrade.
It is the furthest of the commonly used zones from Dubai. For a holder who never visits, that costs nothing. For anyone needing to attend in person for visa stamping or banking, it is a real day lost.
Key facts
| Emirate | Umm Al Quwain |
|---|---|
| Licence from | AED 5,500 |
| Typical cost (1 visa) | AED 10,000 |
| Issuance time | 2–7 working days |
| Visa quota | 12 |
| Flexi-desk | Yes |
| Remote setup | Yes |
| Licence types | Commercial, Professional / service, Industrial, Freelance permit, E-commerce |
| Established | 1987 |
Official source: uaqftz.com
Honestly
What works
- Very competitive pricing
- Unusually broad single-licence activity mix
- Fast and remote
- Decent visa quota for the price
What doesn't
- Furthest commonly used zone from Dubai
- Banking friction
- Low brand recognition
- Limited physical infrastructure
Who this suits
- Mixed trading and service activities
- Budget-conscious SMEs
- Freelancers
- Small import/export operations
Let's talk about your actual case
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