Comparison
IFZA vs Meydan
International Free Zone Authority against Meydan Free Zone. The specifications side by side, what each actually costs, how banks receive them, and a straight answer about which suits which business.
Side by side
| Criterion | IFZA | Meydan |
|---|---|---|
| Emirate | Dubai | Dubai |
| Type | Free zone | Free zone |
| Location | Dubai Silicon Oasis | Nad Al Sheba |
| Licence issuance | 3–5 days | 4–7 days |
| Residence visas | Packages from 0 up to around 6, priced in tiers | Typically up to 3 on standard packages |
| Ownership | 100% foreign | 100% foreign |
| Premises | Flexi-desk standard; offices available | Virtual office standard |
| Commonly licensed | Consulting & professional services, Trading & distribution, Holding & SPVs, Software & IT | E-commerce, Consulting & professional services, Media, creative & marketing, Software & IT |
Timelines and quotas are indicative and revised by the authorities without notice.
Straight answer
Which one?
Close enough on price that the decision comes down to documentation and visas. Meydan is lighter on paperwork, comfortable with a virtual office and unusually relaxed about e-commerce activities. IFZA has the broader activity list and slightly better visa allocation at the upper package tiers. E-commerce or a digital agency: Meydan. Consultancy that may add trading later, or a team of four or more: IFZA.
What each actually costs
IFZA
Clearly tiered and among the more competitive Dubai options. A service licence with one visa sits at the lower end of the AED 12,500–25,000 first-year band; adding visas moves it fastest.
Meydan
Competitive and light. Virtual office is standard, which keeps the entry price down, and the packages are transparent.
How banks receive them
IFZA
Generally fine. Well known enough that banks process the file without extra questions, though not with DMCC's ease.
Meydan
Workable. Meydan is recognised and e-commerce files in particular are processed without unusual friction, though payment gateway onboarding is a separate matter.
Who is based in each
IFZA
Consultancies, holding companies, general services and small trading businesses — tens of thousands of them, mostly under five people.
The volume answer for small consultancies, and a defensible one. Packages are clearly priced, issuance is genuinely quick, and the activity list is broad enough that most service businesses find themselves on it without contortion.
Meydan
E-commerce businesses, digital agencies, consultancies and holding companies — largely licensed here and physically elsewhere.
The lightest-touch route to a real Dubai licence. Documentation is minimal, a physical desk is not required, and e-commerce activities are handled without the interrogation some zones apply to them.
Activities
Only IFZA: Holding & SPVs
Only Meydan: Media, creative & marketing
Questions
IFZA: Clearly tiered and among the more competitive Dubai options. A service licence with one visa sits at the lower end of the AED 12,500–25,000 first-year band; adding visas moves it fastest. Meydan: Competitive and light. Virtual office is standard, which keeps the entry price down, and the packages are transparent.
IFZA — generally fine. Well known enough that banks process the file without extra questions, though not with DMCC's ease. Meydan — workable. Meydan is recognised and e-commerce files in particular are processed without unusual friction, though payment gateway onboarding is a separate matter.
IFZA hosts consultancies, holding companies, general services and small trading businesses — tens of thousands of them, mostly under five people. Meydan hosts e-commerce businesses, digital agencies, consultancies and holding companies — largely licensed here and physically elsewhere.