RAKEZ: the Ras Al Khaimah route, and who it suits

RAKEZ is the zone founders tend to overlook because it is not in Dubai. For the right business it is often the better fit, and it is one we know well: Dubai Transition Consultants is a RAKEZ agent. The facts below come from RAKEZ's own website as at October 2026. For the wider comparison, see the free zone hub.

In depth: our full guide, RAKEZ explained: who the freezone suits, covers activities, costs to plan for and who RAKEZ does not suit.

Who RAKEZ suits

• Online sellers and importers who need warehouse space.
• Manufacturing, assembly and light industrial businesses that need land or a factory unit.
• Service founders who want a lower running cost and do not need a Dubai address on the licence.
• Founders who want a mainland licence as well as, or instead of, a free zone one: RAKEZ issues both.

RAKEZ suits you less if you want a Dubai licence for client perception, or if you will sell into the UAE mainland without an agent or distributor. Read which emirate to set up in for the emirate choice.

RAKEZ at a glance

• Activities: more than 3,000, across more than 50 sectors.
• Entities: Free Zone Establishment, Free Zone Company or branch, plus non-free zone (mainland) formation.
• Facilities: flexi desks, standard, executive and shell and core offices, warehouses of various sizes, and land for development.
• Activity rules: a service licence takes two activities from any group; a commercial licence five from the same group or two from different groups; an industrial licence two from the same group. Commercial and service activities need separate licences.
• Visas: a flexi desk is limited to one visa. Investor visas for a single shareholder, partner visas where there are several.
• Manager: must be UAE resident, with exceptions for GCC national owners and corporate partners.
• Licence term: one year, or three years for several licence types.
• Speed: RAKEZ says businesses can be ready to operate "in a matter of days", and promotes an online instant licence.
• Banking: RAKEZ's FAQ says you need a residence visa to open a bank account, so plan the visa first.

Getting the activity plan right

RAKEZ's activity rules catch people out. A consultant who also sells products may need two licences, because commercial and service activities cannot share one. Map your activities against these rules before you apply, and size the facility to the number of visas you need. See why activity selection matters.

How we set up a RAKEZ company

As a RAKEZ agent we handle the application with RAKEZ for you. We map your activities against RAKEZ's licence rules, size the facility to your visa count, give you one all-in price, and file the application while you are still at home. When you fly in we book the medical, Emirates ID and bank meetings together, and we diary the renewal so it is never missed. If you want a holding company above the RAKEZ company, RAK ICC's Premium Product pairs the two (see RAK ICC). Your home country's tax rules still apply to you, and some countries tax a company where it is managed, so check that before you rely on the move for tax. See our company formation service.