Trade Licence Cost

What renewal actually costs

Year two is not cheaper than year one on the licence line. Here is what comes back, and what the zones stay quiet about.

Last checked 1 min readRunning costs

Meydan lists licence renewal at AED 12,500, the same as its starting licence price, so year two is not a discount year. Work permits cost AED 250 to AED 3,450 to issue or renew, bookkeeping runs at AED 1,000 to AED 1,500 a month, and corporate tax applies at 9% above AED 375,000.

Renewal is a cycle, not an event. Most of the year-one lines come back.

Does the licence cost the same in year two?

At Meydan, yes. Its 2026 running-costs breakdown puts renewal at AED 12,500, which matches the starting licence price exactly. That is worth knowing because a first-year promotion, if you took one, does not carry forward, and the gap lands in month thirteen when nobody is budgeting for it.

The two published annual lines, side by side Meydan Free Zone and u.ae, checked 2026-09-12
The two published annual lines, side by side Meydan Free Zone licence renewal AED 12,500 a year. UAE work permit issue or renewal AED 250 to AED 3,450 depending on employer class. Sources: Meydan Free Zone and u.ae, checked 12 September 2026. Licence renewal, a year 12,500 Work permit, issue or renew 250 to 3,450 0 7,500 15,000
Show the numbers as a table
ItemAmount (AED)
Licence renewal, a year AED 12,500
Work permit, issue or renew AED 250 to 3,450

Source: Meydan Free Zone and u.ae, checked 2026-09-12

Note the shape of the second bar. The work permit range is wide because the fee follows the employer's classification, so your own compliance record decides where in it you land, every year, for every employee.

What else comes due?

The annual cycle, on published figures
Line How often Published figure
Free zone licence Yearly AED 12,500
Work permit, per employee On the permit cycle AED 250 to AED 3,450
Bookkeeping and compliance Monthly AED 1,000 to AED 1,500 a month
Corporate tax Yearly, on profit 0% to 9%
Golden visa, past two years Per extra year AED 100 a year

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 three years up front to save a percentage, then discovering you need a different activity group, is an expensive way to be efficient.

What nobody publishes

Renewal prices are the least transparent part of free zone pricing. RAKEZ states its Biz Starter package price but its renewal price is not stated. IFZA's prices are not published at all. So before you choose a zone on year-one price alone, ask for the renewal figure in writing. It is the number you will pay most often.