Abu Dhabi Airport Free Zone (ADAFZ) - A Guide

Abu Dhabi is the largest Emirate and the capital of the UAE, The standards of living in Abu Dhabi are top-notch with world-class facilities in healthcare, residences, education, and transportation. Abu Dhabi is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world and Free zone plays a very important role when it comes to setup a business. UAE has a number of free zones across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Fujairah, Ajman, Ras al-Khaimah and Umm al-Quwain.

Free zones available in Abu Dhabi:

1. 1. Abu Dhabi Airport Free Zone (ADAFZ)

- This free zone is majorly active for Airport services , logistic , aviation, trading activities)

1. 1. Twofour54

- This free zone is majorly active for Freelance permits and creative fields

1. 1. Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) Free Zone

- This free zone is majorly active for Ports related activities

1. 1. Abu Dhabi Global Markets Free Zone (ADGMFZ)

- This free zone is majorly active for financial services and corporate services

1. 1. Masdar City Free Zone

- This freezone has a range of activities from consulting, manufacturing, etc. The freezone also has activities specialized in clean, renewable, thermal & solar energy.

1. 1. Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD)

- This free zone is majorly active for logistics, manufacturing and industries.

Benefits of having free zone license in Abu Dhabi:

• 100% foreign ownership is allowed as no UAE national is required
• Fast process with less documentation
• Several legal types allowed including branch formation, subsidiary formation, LLC, sole and civil company, etc
• Ware houses/ offices available to rent in several sizes, facilities and locations

What kind of license can be formed in ADAFZ:

1. Free Zone Limited Liability Company
2. Branch of a Foreign Company
3. Branch of a UAE Company
4. Freelance License

To setup Abu Dhabi Airport Free Zone (ADAFZ):

Free zones are independent jurisdictions which allow an expatriate to own a company (100% shares), without partnering with a UAE national. There is no requirement to appoint a UAE national as a service agent of a branch or as a partner if the business is set up in a free zone. As its free zone hence business can be done internationally and within the same free zone, however for local business it has to be routed through local distributors

Process to Setup Company in ADAFZ

• ADAFZ has many activities hence first need to finalize which activity you will need as per your scope of business. You can take assistance for finalizing an activity from Professional business advisors
• Once business activity is finalized, it’s time to book the Trade name (company name) for which you can give name option and need to get it approved from authority
• Once Trade name and Initial approvals are done , time to submit documents to authority to have license issued
• The process to get the License may take 7 to 10 working days depending on authority approvals and your business activity

For Setup process, it’s better to take assistance from Professional advisor who can help to get the process done smoothly and faster, without errors.

Documents requirement

1. Passport copies of Share holders
2. Visa copies (as applicable)
3. Passport size photos
4. CV of shareholder for freelance permit

VAT was introduced in UAE since January, 2018.If your company crosses yearly turnover of AED 375,000 or is going to cross in the next 30 days, it is mandatory to register for VAT. We also can assist you with VAT registration along with Book keeping & accounting, contact us to know more. To setup a business in ADAFZ the cost depends on activities hence it’s better to take an assistance from Professional business advisor to understand your requirement to give the suitable activity and further process, cost to make it an easy and hassle free setup for you. This blog is written by Ms. Nikki, Business Advisor at Flyingcolour Business Setup, VAT and Accounting Services, Dubai. For more information about setting up company in Abu Dhabi Airport Freezone kindly contact us at info@flyingcolour.com or call +971 4 4542366 for quality consultation. Please Note: This article was published on 06th December, 2020. The information provided in the article is based on the policies and rules applicable at the time of writing it. Talk to one of our consultants for any recent update or change.