Company formation · Updated 2026

Set up a company in Ajman: 100% online, all on one platform

Choose your package, get the licence issued, run the residence visas and open the bank account: we walk you through the whole process, fully remote and with 100% foreign ownership. No glossing over what the brochures skip: what to budget realistically per visa and when a bigger-name zone is worth paying more. And once the company is running, the same platform handles accounting, tax and compliance — all from the cheapest published entry package in the country, at the 2026 advertised numbers.

Licence
issued in 1–3 days
Ownership
100% foreign
Entry package
lowest published in UAE
Licence, year 1
from AED 5,555
The first decision

Ajman, RAK or Dubai: which setup fits you?

Lowest entry

Ajman Free Zone

When the budget decides: the UAE’s lowest published entry package for services, consulting and light trading. We keep the file bank-ready from day one.

Get your Ajman plan
Predictable

RAKEZ instead?

For AED 445 more you get an all-in package with visa fees bundled and renewals at the same flat rate — the easiest budget to defend.

See RAK costs
Brand-sensitive

Need Dubai instead?

If your clients or bank expect a Dubai address, the premium is real but so is the signal. Dubai free zones start at AED 12,520 in government fees.

See Dubai costs and zones
Side by side

Ajman vs Ras Al Khaimah vs Dubai, side by side

Comparison of Ajman Free Zone, RAKEZ and Dubai free zones
FeatureAjman Free ZoneRAKEZ (RAK)Dubai free zones
Foreign ownership 100%100%100%
Entry price, year 1 AED 5,555 — lowest publishedAED 6,000 all-inFrom AED 12,520
Pricing model Advertised tiers, reconfirm at quoteOne package, visas bundledLicence + itemised add-ons
Residence visas Advertised tiers by countBundled by quotaBy package or office
Live in Dubai? Yes — the visa is federalYesYes
Prestige with banks Expect more questionsStandardStrongest (DMCC premium)
Best for Absolute lowest entry costPredictable all-in budgetingBrand-sensitive and premium setups
The process

How to open a company in Ajman, step by step

  1. Day 0

    Package and activity

    Visa tier and licence activity — the two choices that set your price and your tax outcome. This is where we earn our fee.

  2. Days 1–2

    Licence application

    KYC, passport copies and application filed directly with Ajman Free Zone. No flight, no notary trip: everything is signed remotely.

  3. Days 1–3

    Licence issued

    Trade licence and corporate documents in hand. Your company legally exists and can sign contracts.

  4. Weeks 1–3

    Residence visa

    Entry permit, status change if you are in the UAE, medical test, Emirates ID biometrics and visa stamping — the standard federal process.

  5. In parallel

    Bank account

    Prepared file and introductions with banks that match your profile. Decision times vary from days to weeks — see the honest part below.

What you need

Documents required to register a company in Ajman

For a standard Ajman Free Zone setup with individual shareholders, this is the whole list.

Passport copy

Valid for at least 6 months, for every shareholder and director.

Passport photo

Recent, white background — the authority uses it for the visa file.

Contact and address details

Personal address and phone/email for KYC.

Short activity description

What the company sells and to whom — we draft the licence wording.

Corporate documents

Only if a company (not a person) will be a shareholder: incorporation set, attested.

Extra approvals

Only for regulated activities: finance, health, education, legal.

Two registries, two purposes

Where in Ajman: Ajman Free Zone and Ajman Media City

Ajman keeps it simple: one general free zone that competes on price, one budget creative registry, and the mainland for local trade. Pick by what the company will actually do.

Ajman Free Zone

AFZ · Ajman port side
Lowest entry
  • Entry package advertised at AED 5,555 (zero visas), 2026
  • Visa tiers advertised from ~AED 13,131 (1 visa)
  • Licences issued in 1–3 working days
  • Established authority — operating since 1988

Ajman Media City

AMC Free Zone
Budget creative
  • Budget registry for media, content and freelancers
  • Aggressive package pricing, quoted per case
  • Worth checking for solo creators counting every dirham
  • We compare it against Shams before you choose

Ajman Mainland

Department of Economic Development
Local market
  • For selling inside the UAE or opening premises in Ajman
  • Physical office required; cost depends on activity
  • 100% foreign ownership for most activities since 2021
  • Quoted per case — ask us for your configuration
What it really costs

How much does it cost to set up a company in Ajman?

Ajman Free Zone competes on one thing: price. The packages below are the zone’s advertised 2026 tiers — real numbers, but reconfirm-before-you-pay numbers, because budget zones revise price lists often.

Zone-advertised package price at Ajman Free Zone by visa tier (AED, 2026)
Ajman Free Zone packageAdvertised price, year 1
No visas AED 5,555
1 visa ~AED 13,131
5 visas ~AED 29,292
Advertised package by visa tier, visualised
No visas
AED 5,555
1 visa
~AED 13,131
5 visas
~AED 29,292

Zone-advertised 2026 tiers, AED. Reconfirmed at quote time.

  • The zero-visa package at AED 5,555 is the lowest published entry price in the UAE. Visa tiers are the zone’s advertised bundles; each visa also runs the standard federal steps (entry permit, medical test, Emirates ID, stamping).
  • Licences renew annually at the zone’s published rate. We re-verify every figure with Ajman Free Zone before each engagement and each renewal — advertised tiers move.
  • Ajman Media City is the emirate’s budget creative registry, quoted per case. Our service fee is quoted separately — always itemised.
Get your itemised Ajman quote
After year 1

Ajman company renewal costs after year 1

The licence renews every year at the zone’s published rate and visas renew on the standard federal two-year cycle. Budget zones move their price lists more often than premium ones — we confirm before every renewal.

Annual licence renewal from year 2 (AED)

Annual recurring cost at Ajman Free Zone, zone-advertised 2026 tiers
PackageAnnual renewal
No visas From AED 5,555 (published rate)
1 visa ~AED 13,131 (published tier)
5 visas ~AED 29,292 (published tier)

Visa renewal every 2 years

Biennial visa renewal at Ajman Free Zone: federal steps per visa holder
StepWhat it is
Zone visa fees Per the zone’s current rate at renewal
Medical + Emirates ID Standard federal steps, per visa holder
Visa stamping Two-year cycle, handled by us end to end

Each visa holder re-runs the standard federal medical and Emirates ID steps on the two-year cycle; the zone’s own visa fees are confirmed at renewal time. Compare RAKEZ, which bundles visa renewals into one flat package price.

The honest section

Opening a business bank account with an Ajman company, honestly

UAE banks are national: an Ajman company applies at the same banks as a Dubai one. But let us be straight — compliance teams ask more questions about the cheapest licences, because that is where thin files cluster. The licence is not the problem; an unprepared file is.

What we do: we prepare the file the way compliance teams want to read it — real activity, real flows, coherent story — and introduce you to banks that match your profile, including fintech alternatives when a traditional account is slow.

What nobody can do: guarantee an approval. The decision always rests with the bank. Anyone who promises you a guaranteed account is overselling — that is the test to run on any provider you talk to.

Get your banking file prepared
Why founders pick Ajman

Why establish your company in Ajman

0%
personal income tax on salary and dividends
9%
corporate tax — only on profit above AED 375,000
100%
foreign ownership, no local sponsor
5%
VAT — registration mandatory above AED 375,000 turnover

Tax is federal: an Ajman company faces exactly the same UAE corporate tax, VAT and 0% personal income tax as a Dubai company — including the QFZP regime for qualifying free zone income. What changes is the entry price, not the tax bill.

One firm, the whole stack

We do everything your Ajman company needs

Formation is the start, not the service. Dubase runs the entire corporate life of your company — one platform, one team, no hand-offs.

Talk to the team
Speak the language

Ajman company setup, term by term

Advertised tier

The zone’s published package price by visa count. Real, but revised often — always reconfirmed before you pay.

Entry package

The zero-visa licence at AED 5,555 — the number that makes Ajman the UAE’s lowest published entry point.

Federal residence visa

A UAE residence visa is national, whichever emirate sponsors it: you can live, work and bank in Dubai with an Ajman-sponsored visa.

Entry permit

The document that starts each residence visa: lets the applicant enter — or change status inside — the UAE.

Medical + Emirates ID

Mandatory federal medical test and biometric ID on every visa issue and renewal, at standard federal rates.

Substance

What banks look for beyond the licence: real activity, real flows, a real founder profile. Matters more, not less, at budget zones.

QFZP

Qualifying Free Zone Person: the regime that keeps qualifying free zone income at 0% corporate tax.

MOA

Memorandum of Association: the constitutional document of the company, issued at incorporation.

FAQ

Setting up in Ajman: your questions, with numbers

Is Ajman really the cheapest place to open a UAE company?

On the published entry price, yes: AED 5,555 undercuts Sharjah (AED 5,750), RAKEZ (AED 6,000 all-in) and Dubai (from AED 12,520). But entry price is not total cost — once visas enter, RAKEZ’s bundled packages often close the gap. We run the all-in comparison for your visa count before you choose.

How much does it cost to set up a company in Ajman?

Ajman Free Zone advertises the zero-visa package at AED 5,555 for 2026 — the lowest published entry price in the UAE — with visa tiers advertised from about AED 13,131 (1 visa) to about AED 29,292 (5 visas), renewing annually at the zone’s published rate. We reconfirm the exact figure before you pay anything. Service fees are charged separately — a serious provider always shows both numbers.

Can I live in Dubai with an Ajman company?

Yes. The residence visa an Ajman zone sponsors is a federal UAE visa: you can live in Dubai, rent, get a driving licence and bank anywhere in the country. Ajman is about half an hour from Dubai along the coast.

How long does it take to open a company in Ajman?

Ajman Free Zone issues licences in 1–3 working days. The residence visa process adds 1 to 3 weeks — the same federal steps as everywhere in the UAE. The bank account runs in parallel and can take from days to several weeks depending on your profile.

Can a foreigner own 100% of an Ajman company?

Yes. Ajman free zone companies have always allowed 100% foreign ownership — no local sponsor or Emirati partner is required.

What taxes does an Ajman company pay?

Exactly the same as anywhere in the UAE — tax is federal: 9% corporate tax only on profit above AED 375,000 (qualifying free zone income can stay at 0% under the QFZP regime), 5% VAT with mandatory registration above AED 375,000 turnover, and 0% personal income tax. Choosing Ajman changes the entry price, not the tax bill.

Do banks accept companies from the cheapest free zones?

Yes — the banks are national and an Ajman licence is a legitimate UAE licence. But compliance teams do ask more questions where thin files cluster, and that is the budget zones. The licence is not the problem; an unprepared file is. We prepare yours the way compliance wants to read it, and nobody — us included — can guarantee an approval.

Do I need a physical office in Ajman?

No. The entry package covers the legal address requirement; offices and warehouses are optional upgrades. You do not need to live or work in Ajman to keep the company.

What does it cost to keep an Ajman company alive each year?

The licence renews annually at the zone’s published rate — from AED 5,555 for the zero-visa package, with visa tiers at their advertised rates. Visas renew on the standard federal two-year cycle with the medical and Emirates ID steps per holder. Budget zones revise price lists often, so we confirm before every renewal.

Can I set up an Ajman company without travelling to the UAE?

Yes. The licence and corporate documents are processed fully remotely. You only need to enter the UAE when you activate your residence visa (medical test and biometrics), and some banks require one in-person meeting.

What is Ajman Media City and when does it make sense?

Ajman Media City is the emirate’s budget creative registry — aggressive package pricing for media, content and freelance activities, quoted per case. For solo creators counting every dirham it is worth comparing against Shams in Sharjah; we run both quotes before you choose.

Can I move from Ajman to a bigger-name zone later?

Yes. The usual route is a new licence in the target zone with assets and contracts migrated. Many founders start in Ajman at the lowest entry cost and move when the brand or the bank justifies it — we plan the path before you commit.

Ready to set up in Ajman?

Tell us what you are building. Within 24 hours you get the structure, the real total cost and the timeline — in writing.

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