Jafza company setup in Dubai
Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) is on the UAE government portal’s list of Dubai free zones. On this site it is the zone for trade, logistics and industry next to Jebel Ali Port, and it is also the registrar for a Jafza offshore company. Those are different products. A Jafza free zone company is licensed to operate under Jafza’s rules. A Jafza offshore company gets a certificate of incorporation and cannot trade in the UAE without a licence from a competent authority. This page is the free zone company. It does not copy Jafza’s fees.
Free zone company or Jafza offshore
| Product | What you receive | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| Jafza free zone company | A licence from Jafza for the activities Jafza permits | Not a DET mainland licence, and not permission to ignore mainland-trading rules |
| Jafza offshore company | A certificate of incorporation through a registered agent | Not a licence to trade in the UAE. Read offshore companies. |
Jafza’s offshore guide and the 2023 offshore regulations are the sources for the offshore column. This page does not restate their fee schedule.
A trading company that needs warehousing or a port-side operation is why people look at Jafza. Whether your goods, your warehouse and your visa count fit is Jafza’s answer, not a line we invent. If the customers are shops and clients across Dubai, compare a mainland company first.
What THAJ prepares for Jafza
THAJ prepares the Jafza free zone file and, where the product really is offshore, the offshore file described on the offshore page. Jafza issues the licence or the certificate. We do not describe a Jafza company as licensed by DET.
- 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 Jafza the same as a Jafza offshore company?
No. Jafza licenses free zone companies and also registers offshore companies. The offshore company is not a trade licence for the UAE. Use the offshore page for that product.
Where is Jafza?
It is the free zone next to Jebel Ali Port. The UAE government portal lists Jebel Ali Free Zone under Dubai.
What does Jafza setup cost?
Jafza publishes its own charges. They are not printed here. THAJ’s fee is quoted in writing after the activity and the product (free zone or offshore) are chosen.
Can a Jafza company sell to Dubai mainland customers?
A free zone company usually sells inside the zone and abroad. Mainland sales need a distributor, a mainland licence, or a dual licence if the zone participates. We check that against the current rule rather than assume Jafza is included.
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)
- How to set up an offshore company — Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza)
- Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority Offshore Companies Regulations 2023 — Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza)
- Corporate Tax — basic information for Free Zone Persons — Federal Tax Authority (FTA)
THAJ is not Jafza. Offshore rules stay on the offshore page and on Jafza’s own regulations.
Say whether you need a licence or a holding certificate
Port-side trading and an offshore holding company are both Jafza products. They are not the same filing.