DAFZA company setup in Dubai
Dubai Airport Free Zone is on the UAE government portal’s Dubai list and on Dubai’s free zone page (DAFZ). Dubai Law No. 16 of 2021 established the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZA) and named the Dubai International Airport Free Zone, regulated under Law No. 25 of 2009, as a zone DIEZA supervises. The same law makes DIEZA the legal successor of the Dubai International Airport Free Zone Authority. A company there is still a free zone company: the authority issues the licence, foreign ownership follows the free zone rule already on this site, and this page does not print a DAFZA package.
The airport zone and who supervises it
Use the airport when the business actually benefits from that location. That is the limit of what this site already claims for DAFZ, and the portal does not give DAFZA a sector paragraph the way it does for DMCC. Logistics, trading or services still have to be activities the authority permits. We confirm the wording. We do not invent a “DAFZA general trading package”.
Dubai Silicon Oasis publishes that Dubai Integrated Economic Zones (DIEZ) consolidates Dubai Airport Free Zone, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai CommerCity. The 2021 law’s text that we cite names Dubai Silicon Oasis and the Dubai International Airport Free Zone, and leaves room for further zones by resolution. Where a page says DIEZ and the law says DIEZA, it is the same authority under those two labels. Dubai CommerCity is not given its own page here.
Free zone companies remain inside UAE corporate tax. A Qualifying Free Zone Person can have 0% on qualifying income. Other income is taxed at 9%. That is the Ministry of Finance and Federal Tax Authority position already used on the free zone guide. It is not a DAFZA exemption we add on top.
What THAJ prepares for DAFZA
THAJ prepares the airport free zone file and submits it to the authority that now issues DAFZA licences. The authority decides. THAJ is not DIEZA and does not hold a DAFZA licence of its own.
- The activity is matched to that authority’s list before a trade name is reserved.
- The legal form is one the authority actually registers. u.ae says not every free zone registers every type.
- THAJ’s fee is quoted in writing, separate from the authority’s charges. This page has no package price.
- VAT & Corporate Tax Support: Get connected with our licensed accounting and tax partners for VAT registration, Corporate Tax registration, return filing and bookkeeping.
- Visas follow that authority’s quota and rules. A licence is not a Golden Visa. The business owners page is the residence test.
Dubai PRO renewals are described on the trade licence renewal page. A free zone outside Dubai renews with its own authority. We say which file we can prepare before anyone assumes one retainer covers every emirate.
Frequently asked questions
Is DAFZA a Dubai free zone?
Yes. The UAE government portal lists Dubai Airport Free Zone under Dubai. Dubai’s own free zone page lists Dubai Airport Free Zone (DAFZ).
Who regulates DAFZA now?
Dubai Law No. 16 of 2021 established DIEZA, put the Dubai International Airport Free Zone under its supervision, and made DIEZA the legal successor of the Dubai International Airport Free Zone Authority.
Is DAFZA tax-free?
No. Free zone companies are in the UAE corporate tax regime. A Qualifying Free Zone Person may have 0% on qualifying income. Other income is at 9%.
What does a DAFZA company cost?
The authority’s current charges are not copied here. THAJ quotes its fee once the activity and the facility are known.
Official sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on 5 November 2026. Rules and fees can change; the authority’s current page always prevails.
- Starting a business in a free zone — The UAE Government portal (u.ae)
- Free zones in Dubai — Government of Dubai (dubai.ae)
- Law No. (16) of 2021 Establishing the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority — Government of Dubai (Dubai legislation portal)
- Dubai Integrated Economic Zones — Dubai Silicon Oasis (dso.ae)
- Corporate Tax — basic information for Free Zone Persons — Federal Tax Authority (FTA)
THAJ is not the Dubai Airport Free Zone and not DIEZA. Authority fees are omitted on purpose.
Say if the airport location is the point
If it is not, another zone or the mainland may be the shorter file.