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UAQ Free Trade Zone: Company Setup, Costs and Requirements
UAQ FTZ is the Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone, a designated free zone under the Government of Umm Al Quwain. The licensing page separates commercial, general trading, service, freelance and industrial licences. A current promotion, UAQ Start, prices one investor-visa package at AED 12,500.
Which licence the page describes
A commercial licence covers purchase and sale, including import, export, storage and distribution of the goods named on it. General trading sits inside that commercial category and covers a wider set of commodities the UAE permits. A service licence is for companies that market and distribute services. A freelance permit is for an individual, in their own name, in technology, media, film, talent, creative roles and selected administrative roles.
An industrial licence is for manufacturing, where material becomes finished goods. UAQ says a physical office or warehouse is mandatory for that licence, and that it offers land for lease. No current land rate is published on this page.
This may fit if
- The activity is one of the 1,500+ UAQ says it registers, and the team will classify it onto the package.
- One investor visa, coworking and up to ten activities match the first year.
- Shareholders stay within five, or within fifty where UAQ says that higher count applies.
Check carefully if
- The business will manufacture. Coworking inside UAQ Start is not the industrial premises rule.
- You need a second visa, a larger office, or an activity change. The page says those can be charged separately.
- The founder must be in the UAE for visa stamping, biometrics and the medical. The licence application itself can be remote.
Current promotion
UAQ Start was read on 1 October 2026. No expiry date is printed. UAQ describes AED 12,500 as the package price, including the visa and Emirates ID lines below, subject to activity classification and approval. VAT is not stated. The same page says this package renews at the same cost. A change of package, an extra visa, an activity amendment or a new service may be charged separately. Outside this promotion, confirm current renewal pricing from the authority/quotation.
Current promotion. UAQ Start, as the page lists it.
Package
AED 12,500. Licence, up to 10 activities, coworking and a lease agreement.
In that price
One UAE investor visa, Emirates ID, medical fitness test and basic medical insurance.
Also listed
Bank-account opening assistance. That is assistance, not an account decision.
Timing
UAQ says the licence is typically issued in one working day once documents and payment are complete.
What sits outside a headline package is also set out on company formation cost.