Business Calculators
Free financial calculators for UAE residents
At a glance
What a UAE company costs to open
The startup calculator prices a free-zone or mainland setup line by line, against each authority’s own schedule of charges. These are the bands it works within, so you know roughly where you land before you open it.
- Free-zone trade licence, year one
- AED 8,000 to AED 32,360 — RAKEZ at the bottom, DMCC at the top
- Free-zone annual renewal
- AED 6,000 to AED 20,265 every year after that
- Flexi-desk office space
- AED 8,000 to AED 18,000 a year across the zones we price
- Mainland DED licence
- AED 15,000 professional, AED 20,000 commercial, AED 25,000 industrial
- Residence visa, per person
- AED 3,570 investor, AED 2,670 employee, AED 2,170 dependent — before the zone’s own visa charge
- Refundable office deposit
- 10% of the annual rent, on day one and on top of the setup total
Free-zone figures come from each zone’s own published schedule of charges and mainland figures from the Department of Economic Development, held in our UAE business-setup dataset.
Starting a business in the UAE requires careful financial planning to account for all startup costs, license fees, visa expenses, and ongoing operational requirements. Our Business Startup Calculator helps entrepreneurs understand the complete cost structure of establishing a business, whether you choose a Free Zone setup (like DMCC, DIFC, or JAFZA) or a Mainland license. The calculator accounts for trade license fees, professional license costs, office or warehouse space (whether flexi-desk, shared office, or dedicated space), visa costs for owners and employees, Emirates ID fees, medical tests, and miscellaneous setup expenses that are often overlooked in initial planning.
Free Zone setups offer 100% foreign ownership, tax benefits, and streamlined processes, but come with specific license fees, office space requirements (even flexi-desks), and annual renewal costs. Mainland licenses allow direct trade with the UAE market but require a local service agent for certain activities and have different fee structures. Our calculator helps you compare both options by breaking down all costs: initial license fees (which vary by activity and jurisdiction — AED 8,000 at RAKEZ against AED 32,360 at DMCC), office space costs (flexi-desks run AED 8,000 to AED 18,000 a year before you look at a private office), visa costs (owner, employee, and dependent visas), and the AED 6,000 to AED 20,265 of annual renewal fees you'll need to budget for each year after that.
All cost estimates are based on current fee schedules from major Free Zones (DMCC, DIFC, ADGM, RAKEZ, etc.) and Department of Economic Development (DED) regulations for Mainland licenses, where a licence runs AED 15,000 professional to AED 25,000 industrial. We update our data quarterly to reflect changes in license fees, visa costs, and regulatory requirements. Use this calculator to create a realistic startup budget, compare Free Zone vs Mainland options, understand all hidden costs, and make informed decisions about your business setup in the UAE. Proper financial planning at this stage helps avoid surprises and ensures you have adequate capital to launch and sustain your business successfully. For our data sources and methodology, see our Methodology page.
Content verified by Varun Punjabi, Founder & CEO