Ajman Trade License: Why Is This UAE’s Best-Kept Secret in 2025
Dubai gets the skyscrapers. Abu Dhabi gets the oil money. Ajman? It gets the smart entrepreneurs who don’t want to burn cash just to look flashy.
An Ajman trade license now starts at just AED 6,200 for a full mainland company with 100% foreign ownership. That same setup would cost 3–5 times more in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Yet the license gives the same rights: trade freely across all seven emirates, open corporate bank accounts anywhere, sponsor visas, rent warehouses, bid on government tenders, and repatriate every dirham of profit tax-free.
Thousands of new companies discovered this secret last year. Ajman issued over 18,000 new licenses in 2024 alone, a 31% jump from the previous year. This article walks through every single detail needed in 2025: types, real costs, exact process, allowed activities, visa rules, banking tricks, and the advantages nobody talks about.
What an Ajman Trade License Really Means
A trade license from the Ajman Department of Economic Development (DED) is a mainland license. That single word “mainland” changes everything.
Free-zone companies can’t sell directly to UAE residents without paying extra fees to distributors. Mainland companies can. An Ajman mainland license is the cheapest ticket to that freedom.
Complete Breakdown of License Types in Ajman
- Commercial License: The most popular. Covers import/export, wholesale, retail, e-commerce, general trading, logistics, foodstuff trading, electronics, garments, basically anything that involves buying and selling goods.
- Professional License For knowledge-based and service businesses: management consultancy, IT solutions, marketing, advertising, engineering consultancy, legal consultancy, accounting, education centers, beauty salons, fitness centers, medical clinics (with special approvals).
- Industrial License Required for manufacturing, assembly, packaging, or processing goods. Needs a physical factory or warehouse and extra approvals from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in some cases.
- Tourism License Travel agencies, tour operators, hotel apartment management, event management companies.
- Freelance Permit (new in 2025) Ajman Media City now offers freelance permits under the mainland umbrella starting at AED 5,500 with one-year visa included.
Who Wins Big with an Ajman Setup
- Amazon, Noon, and Talabat sellers who want their own UAE entity
- Digital marketing agencies tired of free-zone limitations
- Traders dealing in construction materials, foodstuff, or electronics
- Consultants who travel to clients in Dubai and Abu Dhabi daily
- Startups that need investor visas but have no revenue yet
- Family businesses planning long-term residency
Real Costs in 2025, Updated November Numbers
Zero hidden fees. These are the exact packages offered right now:
Zero-visa package (perfect for solo founders or online sellers)
- License + establishment card + MoA + flexi-desk Ejari
- Total first year: AED 6,200–7,800
1–2 investor visas package
- Everything above + visa quota + labor file
- Total first year: AED 12,500–15,500
General Trading License (unlimited activities)
- Most powerful license in the UAE
- Total first year: AED 19,000–24,000
3–6 visas + physical office (200 sq ft minimum)
- Required for employment visas beyond investor status
- Total first year: AED 25,000–38,000
Renewals drop dramatically in year two — usually AED 4,800–9,000 depending on the package.
Exact Step-by-Step Process (Takes 4–8 Days in 2025)
- Pick exact business activities (up to 10 allowed on one license, but start with 2–3 to keep renewal cheap).
- Reserve trade name through Ajman DED app or website (instant approval in most cases).
- Sign flexi-desk or physical office Ejari (registered tenancy contract).
- Submit initial approval + passports + activity list (1–2 days).
- Get initial approval SMS and payment voucher.
- Draft and notarize Memorandum of Association (AED 1,200–2,000).
- Pay final license fee online.
- Receive digital license + establishment card by email (no need to visit DED anymore).
- Apply for investor/employee visas through ICP portal (48-hour pre-approval now standard).
- Complete medical test & Emirates ID biometrics in Ajman (same-day service available).
Everything except medical and biometrics can be done 100% remotely through licensed typing centers.
Visa Rules That Actually Matter
- Investor visa valid for 3 years (renewable)
- Each AED 75,000–100,000 of paid-up capital or office rent roughly equals one employee visa (rules loosened in 2025)
- No salary requirement for investor visa
- Family sponsorship allowed immediately (spouse, children, parents)
- Domestic helpers can be sponsored once the investor has residency
Banking & Corporate Accounts in Ajman
Every major bank has branches in Ajman City. Popular choices for fast opening:
- Emirates NBD – same-day account if license is ready
- Mashreq NeoBiz – fully digital, zero balance, free transfers
- RAKBANK Business – popular with traders
- Wio Bank (digital only) zero fees for first year
Bring license, MoA, passport, visa, Emirates ID, and Ejari, account active in 1–3 hours.
Hidden Advantages Nobody Advertises
- Cheaper labor accommodation and warehouses in Al Jurf and New Industrial Area
- 30-minute drive to Dubai without Salik toll gates
- Growing Indian, Pakistani, Egyptian, and Filipino communities, easy staff hiring
- Ajman China Mall and upcoming mega projects driving retail footfall
- Lower municipality fees and inspection costs than Dubai
- Ability to open branches in other emirates using the same license
Most Common Mistakes That Cost Thousands
- Adding “general trading” too early, huge renewal jump
- Renting 500 sq ft offices when 150 sq ft flexi-desk works
- Choosing unrelated activities just because they sound cool
- Skipping external approval for regulated activities (healthcare, education, food)
- Trusting Instagram “agents” who vanish after payment
Comparison Table: Ajman vs Dubai Mainland (2025)
| Item | Ajman Mainland | Dubai Mainland |
| Starting cost (0 visa) | AED 6,200–7,800 | AED 18,000–25,000 |
| General trading license | AED 19,000–24,000 | AED 45,000+ |
| Renewal (basic) | AED 5,000–8,000 | AED 12,000–18,000 |
| Office requirement | Flexi-desk OK | A physical office is often required |
| Processing time | 4–8 days | 10–21 days |
| Distance to DXB airport | 35 minutes | 15–60 minutes (traffic) |
Conclusion
The numbers don’t lie. Entrepreneurs voted with their wallets, more new mainland companies registered in Ajman in 2024 than in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah combined.
If the goal is to start fast, keep costs low, trade anywhere in the UAE, and still get long-term residency visas, Ajman delivers better value than any other emirate right now.
The license isn’t glamorous. The emirate doesn’t have the tallest building. But thousands of profitable businesses run from quiet Ajman offices while their owners pocket the difference that would have gone to Dubai rents.
That’s the real flex.
Ready to move? Drop a message to any licensed business center in Ajman for a free exact quote based on specific activities and visa needs. Many offer zero-down-payment installment plans now.
The next seven-figure business in the UAE might very well carry an Ajman PO Box.
