United Arab Emirates
RAKEZ UAE Freezone
Ras Al Khaimah's cost-efficient zone for manufacturing, logistics and services. Forty-five minutes from Dubai.
At a glance
Location
Ras Al Khaimah, 45 min from Dubai
Licence types
Commercial, service, industrial, e-commerce, freelancer, education, media
Ownership
100% foreign
Best for
Manufacturing, warehousing, cost-sensitive service firms
RAKEZ is the free zone authority of the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, bringing tens of thousands of companies across more than 50 industries, industrial parks, warehouses and office campuses under one roof. It offers lower licence and lease costs than the Dubai zones and is the first place to look for businesses that need production or storage.
Free zone and non-free zone licences are issued by the same authority, a practical bridge for industrial companies with mainland customers.
Why here
When this jurisdiction is the right choice.
- Markedly lower setup and lease costs than the Dubai zones.
- Industrial land, ready-built factories and warehouses from the same authority.
- Remote incorporation possible; visas bundled into packages.
- Freelancer and women entrepreneur packages.
Entity types
Which structure, for whom.
FZ-LLC
Free zone limited liability company; one or more shareholders.
FZE
Single-shareholder free zone establishment.
Branch
Branch of a foreign or UAE company.
Process
Formation step by step.
- 01Activity and licence type selection
- 02Application and documents (passport, address, business plan where needed)
- 03Facility choice: flexi-desk, office, warehouse or land
- 04Authority review and approval
- 05Licence and certificate of incorporation
- 06Bank account and visas
After formation
What has to happen every year.
- Annual licence and facility renewal
- Corporate tax registration and return
- Submission of audited financials
- Environmental and municipal approvals for industrial licences
Same country
Other options.
Mainland UAE Company
Unrestricted activity across the UAE and abroad. The structure for a business with local customers.
Open pageRAC ICC UAE Offshore
A holding and asset company registered in the UAE but operating outside it. No office, no visas, low cost.
Open pageDMCC Dubai Freezone
The hub for commodities trade, and for crypto companies. Dubai's most prestigious free zone.
Open pageIFZA Dubai Freezone
Dubai's most flexible and cost-efficient setup. No physical office requirement, several activities under one licence.
Open pageMeydan Dubai Freezone
Close to central Dubai, fully digital setup. Fast and economical for ventures and service companies.
Open pageFrequently asked
The in-country registry, licence and agent steps of the formation file run through our licensed formation partners in the relevant jurisdiction. Structure design, contracts, the bank file and the tax and notification effect on the Turkish side are managed by Defensible. Rates and thresholds summarise the headline rules at the time of writing; we check the current text together on your own file.
Can a RAKEZ company open an office in Dubai?
Not directly; operating in Dubai requires a Dubai licence or a branch. RAKEZ works well where production and storage sit in RAK and sales run through another structure.
Let's work out which structure fits you in 15 minutes.
Tell us where you sell, who you are and what you are aiming at; we will say in the call which jurisdiction and entity type make sense. Formation itself is a separate engagement, scoped and priced there.
Book a 15-minute call