IFZA vs RAKEZ Free Zone: A 2026 Head-to-Head

The two zones answer different needs. Figures are those each authority published on its own website on 10 October 2026.

• Emirate: IFZA is a Dubai free zone, with its business park in Dubai Silicon Oasis. RAKEZ is in Ras Al Khaimah.
• Published price: RAKEZ advertises an AED 6,000 entry package (Biz Starter on its home page) and an AED 14,000 all-inclusive package with a residence visa. IFZA's business setup page publishes no package price and offers a tailored proposal covering the visa package and office solution.
• Activities: RAKEZ's all-inclusive package allows up to 10 activities from a list it describes as more than 3,000. IFZA offers commercial and professional licences; check the activity count in your proposal.
• Shareholders: RAKEZ's all-inclusive package allows up to 50.
• Workspace: RAKEZ includes unlimited access to its Compass Coworking Centre. IFZA says virtual workplaces are allowed for some free zone companies.
• Renewal: RAKEZ states the same renewal price is guaranteed on its all-inclusive package. IFZA publishes no renewal figure.

See also the Dubai free zone comparison and cheapest free zone in the UAE.

RAKEZ. The AED 14,000 all-inclusive package includes a UAE residence visa, and up to three more visas can be added at AED 4,000 each. Dependent visas get a 20% discount, but the base fee is not shown. Our October 2026 reading of RAKEZ's instant licence promotions also found a Lite package at AED 12,000 with one residence visa. The AED 6,000 entry package excludes visas. RAKEZ offers instalments and multi-year options, but publishes no multi-year price. Government charges and taxes are not clearly itemised on the page, so ask for a breakdown.

IFZA. IFZA's own pages do not print a package price or visa quota. Many consultancy sites quote IFZA figures, but they are not IFZA's schedule, so we do not repeat them. Ask IFZA, or its registered partner, for a written proposal showing the licence, establishment card, each visa and the workspace separately.

For both, request year-one and year-two figures in writing, with the same number of visas and activities, and total three years. Promotional entry prices often depend on conditions that the renewal does not keep. The business setup cost calculator helps total real quotes.

Office. RAKEZ lists flexi, standard, executive, shell and core offices, warehouses and land, alongside co-working; it suits businesses that may need a warehouse or industrial space later. IFZA offers workspace at its Dubai Silicon Oasis business park, and states that virtual workplaces are allowed for some free zone companies. A virtual or shared desk is enough for the licence, but not necessarily enough substance for the 0% corporate tax rate.

Activities. Both offer commercial and service activities. IFZA describes its commercial licence as covering the trade, import and export of a wide range of compliant goods. RAKEZ also licenses industrial activities. Regulated activities need third-party approval in either zone.

Mainland reach. Neither licence allows direct trading with mainland customers. An IFZA company, as a Dubai free zone establishment, can use the Dubai route under Executive Council Resolution No. 11 of 2025: a DET branch licence at AED 10,000 a year or a temporary permit at AED 5,000, with separate records for the mainland activity. A RAKEZ company has to use the route that applies to a Ras Al Khaimah licence, so ask before relying on mainland sales.

Audit. IFZA's published FAQ states that any registered UAE auditor may prepare audited financial statements, and refers to a simplified route for companies meeting its criteria. Practitioners report that IFZA Administrative Resolution No. 001/2025 requires financial statements at every licence renewal from 30 September 2025; we have not read the official text, so confirm with IFZA. RAKEZ publishes an approved auditors list on its value-added services site (vas.rakez.com), in Premium and Standard tiers; the page does not state the deadline. Details are in approved auditors by free zone.

Above both sits the federal rule: a Qualifying Free Zone Person needs audited financial statements at any revenue under Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025.

Banking. No bank publishes a list of accepted zones. Banks assess the activity, ownership, residence of the owners, expected flows and real operations. Some founders find a Dubai licence simpler with Dubai-based banks; a RAKEZ licence with a real office or warehouse can be equally strong. Prepare the licence, lease, IDs, a business plan and customer evidence. See opening a corporate bank account.

Neither zone grants the 0% corporate tax rate. Every company in either zone is a taxable person, must register with the FTA (AED 10,000 penalty if late) and files a return within nine months of year end. The 0% rate under Article 18 of Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 applies only to a Qualifying Free Zone Person that, in each period:

• has adequate substance in its free zone;
• earns qualifying income, with non-qualifying revenue within the de minimis limit, the lower of 5% of total revenue or AED 5,000,000 (Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025);
• prepares audited financial statements (Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025);
• prices related-party dealings at arm's length and has not elected the standard regime.

The zone affects only substance: where the people, premises and decisions are. RAKEZ's physical offices and warehouses make substance easier to show for trading and light industrial businesses. A Dubai-based consultant with a desk in IFZA's business park can show it too, if the work is really done there. Income from UAE mainland customers is usually non-qualifying in either zone. See RAKEZ corporate tax.

In short: RAKEZ suits founders who want a published, fixed package with a visa and possible warehouse space; IFZA suits those who want a Dubai licence and will compare written proposals. This page does not rank zones or providers.