Meydan lists its regular licence at AED 12,500 a year◆, the same as its starting price, and says visa costs apply again at renewal◆. A founder on an investor visa is therefore looking at about AED 16,500 before bookkeeping, VAT and corporate tax. In Qatar the QFC annual fee is USD 500 or USD 5,000◆; in Kuwait, KDIPA charges KWD 150◆ to renew an investment licence.
General information about fees, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Confirm the amount with the authority before you pay.
Does the licence cost the same in year two?
At Meydan, yes. Its running-costs article says a business licence is an annual cost that must be renewed every year, and gives the regular licence as AED 12,500 a year◆, matching the minimum setup price. If you took a first-year promotion, the saving does not carry forward, and the difference arrives in month twelve.
Other zones are less clear. RAKEZ states a Biz Starter price, but the renewal price on that page is not stated◆. IFZA's prices are not published◆ on its homepage. Before you choose a zone on its first-year price, get the renewal figure in writing.
Show the numbers as a table
| Item | Amount (AED) |
|---|---|
| Licence renewal | AED 12,500 |
| Investor visa (approx.) | AED 4,000 |
| Employment visa, per employee | AED 3,500 |
| Bookkeeping, one month (estimate) | AED 1,000 to 1,500 |
Source: Meydan Free Zone running-cost and setup pages, checked 16 September 2026
What else comes due?
| Line | Applies to | Published figure |
|---|---|---|
| Licence renewal | Meydan Free Zone | AED 12,500 a year◆ |
| Visa renewals | Free zone companies | Costs apply again at renewal◆ |
| Work permit renewal, per employee | Mainland companies only | AED 250 to AED 3,450◆ |
| Bookkeeping and compliance | Every company | AED 1,000 to AED 1,500 a month◆ (Meydan's estimate) |
| Corporate tax | Every company, on taxable income | 0%◆ up to AED 375,000◆, then 9%◆ |
Keep the work permit line in its column. The MoHRE fee is for companies registered with the ministry, which means mainland companies. A free zone company renews its staff through the zone, whose visa charges are the ones listed above, so a free zone renewal quote with a MoHRE permit line in it deserves a question.
Tax lines that start once the business grows
Corporate tax is assessed each year. Taxable income up to AED 375,000◆ is taxed at 0%◆, and income above it at 9%◆. The Federal Tax Authority's Small Business Relief is available to businesses whose revenue stays at or below AED 3,000,000◆, although a Qualifying Free Zone Person cannot elect it◆.
VAT becomes a recurring job once you register. Registration is mandatory when taxable supplies and imports pass AED 375,000◆ over the previous twelve months, and voluntary from AED 187,500◆. Neither threshold is a fee, but crossing one adds filing work that someone has to be paid to do.
Can you pay less by committing longer?
Sometimes. Meydan publishes up to 15% off◆ on multi-year setups. That is a real saving if the business is settled, and a poor trade if you are still testing whether the activity fits the licence. Paying for several years up front and then needing a different activity group is an expensive way to save.
Renewal in Qatar and Kuwait
The Qatar Financial Centre's setting-up guide says the annual fee is pro-rated in the year a company is incorporated. From then on it is USD 500 or USD 5,000◆, depending on the type of entity, plus USD 50 per activity◆ for each business activity beyond the first.
In Kuwait, KDIPA's fee schedule under Ministerial Decision No. 182 of 2022◆ sets the renewal of an investment licence at KWD 150◆, and renewing a customs exemption certificate at KWD 30◆. Those are KDIPA's own charges. The commercial licence and company registration sit with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry◆, which has its own fees.
What nobody publishes
Renewal is the least transparent part of company pricing. Zones that print a bright starting price rarely print the year-two figure next to it, and consultants often quote only the first year. We have not found published renewal fees for Dubai mainland licences that we could read automatically, so none are shown here.
A simple habit helps: ask every consultant for two columns, year one and year two, with the same lines in each. Anything that appears in one column and not the other is worth a question.
Common questions
What does year two cost a founder with one employee at Meydan?
On Meydan's published lines, the licence renewal, one investor visa and one employment visa come to AED 20,000, because Meydan says visa costs apply again at renewal◆. Bookkeeping, medical tests, Emirates ID renewals and any consultant's fee come on top.
Does the visa allocation fee come back every year?
Meydan's running-costs article lists the licence and the visa costs as recurring, but it does not say the allocation fee of AED 1,850 per visa◆ is charged again. Ask the zone before budgeting for it either way.
Is corporate tax part of the licence renewal?
No. Corporate tax is worked out on the company's taxable income for its financial year, at 0%◆ up to AED 375,000◆ and 9%◆ above it, whatever the licence costs.
What does a QFC company with one activity pay from year two?
The lower annual fee in the QFC guide, USD 500, if its entity type falls under that figure. Each extra activity adds USD 50 per activity◆.
Is renewing in Kuwait cheaper than the first licence?
KDIPA charges KWD 150◆ to renew, the same as issuing the licence. The application fee of KWD 300◆ is a separate line in the schedule and is not part of the renewal fee.