HomeCompany formationRAK ICC vs JAFZA
RAK ICC vs JAFZA Offshore
Both are offshore registries for an international company. They are not the same registry, and they are not operating free-zone licences. The fee rows use different source dates, so they are not a price contest.
Same dimensions
International company. No operating licence and no residence-visa product assumed.
Registry
RAK ICC
Ras Al Khaimah International Corporate Centre. An international business company. Not RAKEZ.
JAFZA Offshore
Registered under the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority Offshore Companies Regulations 2023. Not a JAFZA operating company.
Incorporation route
RAK ICC
Only through a RAK ICC registered agent. The agent submits the application.
JAFZA Offshore
Processed through a JAFZA registered agent, using the Dubai Trade Portal steps on the guide.
Registered agent
RAK ICC
Required. A UAE-resident director can be the responsible manager. Otherwise the agent is the default.
JAFZA Offshore
Required at all times, unless the company maintains an office in the zone.
Structure
RAK ICC
One to 50 shareholders. Company types include limited by shares, limited by guarantee, unlimited, restricted purposes, and segregated portfolio.
JAFZA Offshore
The name ends with Limited. The company conducts lawful business the registrar permits. A shareholder ceiling is not stated on the pages used here.
Supported uses
RAK ICC
A new international entity, holding assets, relocating an international company, or converting an existing entity. Gambling and other illegal activities are excluded.
JAFZA Offshore
The regulations allow owning a stake in another UAE operating company, designated freehold property, UAE records, and a UAE bank account as a permission in the company rules.
Documents
RAK ICC
The current FAQ says foreign corporate documents do not have to be legalised. The agent can still ask for identity, constitutional and ownership papers.
JAFZA Offshore
A company applicant’s registration, good standing, incumbency, constitutional documents, board resolution and power of attorney are notarised and attested by the UAE Embassy, on the guide.
Timing
RAK ICC
The new-incorporation FAQ says incorporation is within 2 working days after documents are submitted. Paying the fee is not approval.
JAFZA Offshore
Official source dated 2024
The guide dated 8 July 2024 states 5–7 working days. That is the guide’s timing, read again on 1 October 2026.
Incorporation fee
RAK ICC
Current official price published
2026 schedule: AED 3,250 for one year, AED 6,700 for two years, AED 9,600 for three years. VAT is not stated. Extra shareholders, activities and corporate layers have separate registry charges. The agent’s professional fee is not in these lines.
JAFZA Offshore
Official source dated 2024
Latest official figure found in the reviewed JAFZA guide dated 8 July 2024: registration AED 10,000, specimen signature AED 50 each, courier AED 10 inside the free zone and AED 20 outside. This is not a confirmed 2026 tariff.
Renewal
RAK ICC
Current official price published
2026 schedule: AED 3,950, AED 7,250 and AED 10,650 for one, two and three years. Late charges start after a one-calendar-month grace.
JAFZA Offshore
Renewal amount not publicly stated
A renewal amount is not in the 8 July 2024 guide used here.
Banking
RAK ICC
RAK ICC does not open the account. It provides incorporation documents. The application goes to a bank.
JAFZA Offshore
The regulations allow the company to hold a UAE bank account. That permission is not the bank’s approval.
Operating and visas
RAK ICC
Not a free-zone operating licence and not a residence-visa product.
JAFZA Offshore
Carrying on business in the zone or another jurisdiction still needs that jurisdiction’s licence. A company that owns designated freehold property may apply for a residency visa for its members. Eligibility is the authority’s. That is not an operating-company visa.
RAK ICC may fit when
The company will hold assets or shares, the shareholders fit the one-to-fifty range, and the file can go through a RAK ICC registered agent. The 2026 registry schedule is the fee evidence you can read before asking the agent for a professional fee.
JAFZA Offshore may fit when
The company needs the permissions in the 2023 regulations, such as a stake in a UAE operating company or designated freehold property, and the applicant can meet the guide’s attestation rules for corporate papers. Confirm the registration figure against a current JAFZA quotation. The 2024 guide is the latest figure reviewed here.
Neither fits when
- The company will invoice customers, hire in the UAE, or hold a residence visa as an operating company.
- You need a warehouse, a shop, or a free-zone trade licence. That is an operating route.
- The only question is which registry fee is smaller. The dates do not support that conclusion, and neither figure includes the agent’s professional fee.
Read RAK ICC, the 2026 registry fees, and JAFZA Offshore. Banking preparation is separate. The category choice is on company formation.