How We Research and Verify UAE Free Zone Information
This page explains how UAE Free Zone Finder collects, verifies and presents the costs, timelines, visa rules and tax information published across this website. It exists so that readers, journalists and answer engines can understand exactly how our figures are produced and how current they are.
Source hierarchy
We prioritise sources in the following order. Where sources disagree, the higher tier takes precedence and the lower-tier figure is treated as indicative only.
- Level 1 — UAE government and federal authorities: UAE legislation, Cabinet decisions, the Federal Tax Authority (FTA), the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), the Ministry of Economy, and official emirate government portals.
- Level 2 — Official free zone authority sources: published fee schedules, application forms, package pages and circulars issued by each free zone authority.
- Level 3 — Attributable authority correspondence and verified client documentation: written quotations and invoices we have been able to confirm.
- Level 4 — Qualified professional interpretation: tax, legal, accounting, banking and immigration specialists.
- Level 5 — Reputable third-party commercial sources, used only for supporting context, never as the sole basis for a sensitive figure.
How we normalise costs
Free zone pricing is only comparable when the scenario is held constant. Unless a page states otherwise, headline “starting” costs assume one shareholder, a zero-visa or single-visa licence as indicated, the lowest mandatory facility (for example a flexi-desk), and one standard business activity. We separate government and authority fees from optional consultancy fees, and we distinguish standard prices from time-limited promotions. Visa-related government costs (establishment card, medical, Emirates ID, stamping) are listed separately because they vary by applicant.
Estimates versus quotations
Figures on this website are planning estimates for comparison, not quotations. Actual costs depend on your chosen activity, package, visa count and the authority’s prevailing fees on the day of application. Where we show a range, it reflects the spread we have observed across packages and scenarios.
Dating and freshness
Priority pages carry a “last verified” date. High-risk price and promotion figures are reviewed on a shorter cycle than evergreen explanations. Tax and immigration statements are reviewed when the underlying rules change. When a source is removed or changes, affected figures are re-checked before the page is updated.
Corrections
If you believe a figure is out of date or incorrect, please tell us via our corrections page and we will review it against the primary source.