Ajman Mainland License Cost 2026: AED 600 Flat — But the Total Is AED 4,500

Ajman markets itself as the cheapest emirate for mainland licensing. And it is — by a wide margin. But the AED 600 number you see quoted everywhere is only part of the story.

We went through Ajman DED’s actual fee schedule and tracked every mandatory charge. Here’s what you’ll really pay.

The AED 600 License Fee — And Everything On Top

Ajman’s Department of Economic Development charges a flat AED 600 for the license itself. Unlike Dubai (which adds 5% of your rent) or Abu Dhabi (which varies by activity), Ajman keeps it simple: AED 600, regardless of whether you’re opening a consultancy or a car wash.

But AED 600 doesn’t get you a license. Here’s the full mandatory fee stack:

Fee Component	Amount	Notes
DED license fee	AED 600	Flat for standard activities
Commercial register	AED 1,200	Mandatory registration
Trade name reservation	AED 350	One-time (renewable)
Chamber of Commerce	AED 500	Annual membership
CSR fund contribution	AED 200	Mandatory annual
Municipality fee	AED 300	Annual
Signboard fee	AED 150	If applicable
Service/processing fees	AED 200-400	Various DED charges
Total	~AED 4,500	Standard single activity

Every consultancy quoting “AED 600 license in Ajman” is technically correct and practically misleading. You’ll pay approximately AED 4,500.

The General Trading Exception: AED 15,000

Here’s where Ajman’s cost advantage vanishes for one specific activity. General trading — the catch-all license that lets you import and export across product categories — carries a special DED surcharge.

License Type	Ajman Total	Dubai Total	Abu Dhabi Total
Standard activity	~AED 4,500	~AED 10,500 (with AED 50K rent)	Varies (AED 1,500-8,000)
General trading	~AED 15,000	~AED 29,000-35,000	~AED 8,000-12,000

Even at AED 15,000, Ajman’s general trading license is roughly half the cost of Dubai’s. But it’s triple the standard Ajman license. If you don’t need the flexibility of unrestricted product categories, pick a specific trading activity (e.g., “Wholesale of Foodstuff” or “Trading in Building Materials”) and pay the standard AED 4,500.

Why Ajman Is So Cheap

Two factors keep Ajman’s fees low: competition with its own free zones (Ajman Free Zone and Ajman Media City fight for the same market), and a volume strategy driven by its small population of 540,000. Ajman can’t charge Dubai prices, so it prices for volume.

The trade-off is market size. If your customers are in Dubai, paying AED 4,500 for an Ajman license doesn’t help — you still need Dubai presence for credibility and access.

Office Rent: The Real Cost Advantage

The license fee difference between Ajman and Dubai is AED 6,000-8,000. Significant, but not life-changing. The real savings come from rent:

Office Type	Ajman Annual Rent	Dubai Annual Rent	Annual Savings
Desk/flexi	AED 5,000-8,000	AED 15,000-25,000	AED 10,000-17,000
Small office (200 sqft)	AED 8,000-15,000	AED 25,000-50,000	AED 17,000-35,000
Retail/showroom	AED 20,000-40,000	AED 60,000-150,000	AED 40,000-110,000
Warehouse (1,000 sqft)	AED 15,000-25,000	AED 40,000-80,000	AED 25,000-55,000

An Ajman office plus license costs less than a Dubai license alone in most cases. For trading businesses that need warehouse space, the gap is enormous: AED 20,000 total in Ajman versus AED 50,000+ just for the Dubai license.

Who Should Choose Ajman

Ajman mainland makes sense for e-commerce sellers who ship nationally, trading companies that warehouse in low-rent industrial areas, freelancers whose clients don’t care about emirate, and startups testing a model before committing to Dubai costs.

Ajman doesn’t make sense if your business depends on walk-in traffic, requires a prestigious address, or serves primarily Dubai/Abu Dhabi clientele who expect a local presence.

Ajman vs Other Budget Options

Factor	Ajman	RAK	Sharjah
License fee	AED 600 flat	AED 400-10,000	Formula-based
Total DED cost	~AED 4,500	~AED 5,000-15,000	Quote required
Cheapest rent	AED 5,000/yr	AED 8,000/yr	AED 10,000/yr
Proximity to Dubai	30 min drive	1+ hour drive	15 min drive

Ajman wins on total cost. Sharjah wins on proximity to Dubai. RAK wins for tourism and industrial activities. Compare all emirates on our emirate comparison page.

Adding Visas: The Full Picture

Ajman visa costs run AED 3,000-4,000 per person (entry permit AED 1,100, medical AED 320, Emirates ID AED 370, stamping AED 650, insurance AED 600-1,500). That’s roughly AED 1,000 cheaper than Dubai per visa.

Budget AED 7,500-8,500 for an Ajman mainland license with one visa. Compare that to Dubai’s AED 15,000-25,000 for the same setup.

For free zone alternatives that may be even cheaper for specific activities, compare pricing across 42 UAE free zones at FreeZoneCompare.com.

Bottom Line

Ajman’s mainland license costs AED 4,500 real total — not the AED 600 headline number. It’s still the cheapest emirate for standard activities. General trading is the exception at AED 15,000, but even that’s half of Dubai’s price. The biggest savings come from rent, not the license itself.

Use our cost calculator to compare Ajman against other emirates for your specific activity.

All fee data from Ajman DED published schedules and verified through direct application, May 2026.