Meydan Free Zone E-commerce License in 2026: Cost, Activity Codes, Fawri and Selling on Amazon.ae and noon

A Meydan Free Zone e-commerce license starts at AED 12,500 a year on the regular route, which includes the trade license, a flexi-desk and up to three business activity groups, as published by the zone in 2026. The faster Fawri route starts at AED 15,000, is only for one-person companies, and Meydan says the license is issued in under 60 minutes. Visas, Emirates ID, banking help and marketplace onboarding are all extra. This page shows what you actually pay, which activity to pick, how to get from license to a live Amazon.ae or noon account, and what Meydan does not publish.

What does a Meydan e-commerce license let you do?

An e-commerce license at Meydan is a commercial license with an online-selling activity on it. Meydan describes the online-selling activity as covering your own website or app, listings on marketplaces such as Amazon.ae and noon, social and messaging-based selling, and digital downloads. You do not need a shop or warehouse to hold it.

What it does not cover, per the same Meydan page:

• Wholesale selling to other businesses online. That needs a wholesale activity.
• Running a marketplace for other sellers without selling on your own account. That is a separate web portal activity.
• Selling from a physical store, manufacturing the goods, or running the delivery service yourself.

Meydan states the online retail activity needs no third-party approval and is not subject to AML compliance requirements at the activity level. The product can still need approval. Meydan's own guide notes that cosmetics and health-related goods often need Dubai Municipality and MoIAT registration before you list.

If you are still deciding whether you need a free zone at all, start with what license you need to sell online in the UAE and the free zone vs mainland comparison.

Which activity code should you choose at Meydan?

This is where sellers get caught. Meydan's own pages name different codes:

The sources for the rows above are the three Meydan pages.

Meydan's own advice is to pair the online-selling activity with a trading or retail activity that names what you sell, for example a cosmetics retail activity plus e-commerce, rather than defaulting to general trading. Its reason is that banks and payment providers ask more questions of a broad general trading scope.

Practical pairings for a marketplace seller:

1. Online selling activity (the e-commerce code Meydan confirms for you).
2. A retail or trading activity for your main product category.
3. A third group for a second category or for wholesale, if you supply other retailers.

Up to three activity groups are included in the base fee; each extra activity is AED 1,000.

How much does a Meydan Free Zone e-commerce license cost?

These are the figures Meydan publishes, as of October 2026. All are per year unless stated.

The license, visa and add-on prices come from Meydan's cost breakdown, the Fawri price from the Fawri page, and the E-Commerce Starter Add-On from the e-commerce guide.

Meydan also offers up to 15% off multi-year setups, and the Fawri page offers 0% instalments over 3 to 12 months on card payments of AED 500 or more.

For a side-by-side with other zones, see UAE e-commerce license cost and the cheapest free zone e-commerce license.

Worked example: a solo Amazon.ae and noon seller, year one

Illustrative only, built from the published prices above. A founder who wants to live in the UAE on their own company visa and sell on both marketplaces:

The AED 2,500 difference buys speed: a license in under 60 minutes instead of the one to three working days Meydan quotes for a regular license. If you already hold a UAE residence visa through an employer, you can drop the visa lines and the total falls to AED 13,500 (regular) or AED 16,000 (Fawri). See e-commerce license without a visa for what that route means in practice.

Not included in either column: marketplace fees, your VAT registration if you cross the threshold, bookkeeping, and year-two renewal, which Meydan does not publish as a separate figure.

Regular license or Fawri: which one fits you?

Sources: Fawri eligibility and activity count; regular license activity count and price.

Choose Fawri only if you are sure you will stay a one-person company and your product activity is in the 1,800+ Fawri list. If you have a business partner, or plan to bring in an investor, Meydan itself points you to the regular license. Meydan also states that if a Fawri license is not issued within 60 minutes you receive a full refund.

How do you get the license, step by step?

Meydan's published process, as of October 2026:

1. Reserve a trade name. Submit up to three names. Meydan checks them against your activities.
2. Confirm your activities. The online-selling code plus the trading or retail code for your products, up to three groups.
3. Apply online. A valid passport copy is usually enough to start. UAE residents can verify with UAE Pass. You declare shareholders and the UBO in the portal.
4. Pay and receive the license. Fawri in under 60 minutes; regular in one to three working days.
5. Open a bank account. You need an IBAN in the company name before Amazon.ae or noon can pay you out.
6. Apply for visas if you need them. Meydan quotes 3 to 7 business days for visa processing including medical, Emirates ID and stamping.
7. Register for VAT and corporate tax when required. See the next section.

You can do the whole process remotely without UAE residency.

Can a Meydan license sell on Amazon.ae, noon and to mainland customers?

Marketplaces. Amazon.ae lists Meydan Free Zone on its seller partner pages. Meydan says its mPlus service can activate seller accounts on Amazon.ae, noon and more than 15 other marketplaces, including Namshi and Carrefour. The license gets you through the document check; it does not do your listings, pricing or ads. The marketplace side is covered in how to sell on Amazon.ae and how to sell on noon.

UAE consumers. Meydan says a free zone e-commerce company can sell online to UAE, GCC and international customers.

Mainland businesses. To invoice mainland UAE companies, Meydan says you can apply for a mainland permit. Meydan does not publish the permit's price on that page; ask for it in writing. For the full rules, read can a free zone company sell in mainland UAE and the mainland license definition.

VAT and corporate tax for a Meydan e-commerce company

This is general information, not tax advice. Confirm your position with the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) or a registered tax agent.

• VAT. You must register once taxable supplies and imports exceed AED 375,000, and you may register voluntarily above AED 187,500. Many marketplace sellers register early so they can reclaim VAT on stock imports; see UAE VAT registration for sellers.
• Corporate tax. Meydan states that free zone companies fall under UAE corporate tax and must register, and that a Qualifying Free Zone Person may get the 0% rate on qualifying income if conditions are met. Whether retail sales to UAE consumers count as qualifying income is a question for the FTA rules, not the zone's marketing. Read UAE corporate tax for sellers before you assume 0%.

What does renewal cost and what happens if you are late?

Your license runs for 12 months and must be renewed every year. Meydan says renewal is online through your dashboard, often within the hour, with no Ejari or NOC required.

On late renewal, Meydan's renewal guide states there is a 30-day grace period and then an AED 200 fine for every month of delay, with long delays risking cancellation or blacklisting. The same guide cites a general UAE licensing source for that fine, so ask Meydan to confirm the penalty that applies to your own license.

Meydan does not publish a separate renewal fee for an e-commerce license. Assume renewal is close to the setup license price, and ask for the year-two figure in your written quote. For a cross-zone view, see trade license renewal for e-commerce.

What goes wrong with Meydan e-commerce licenses?

• Wrong activity for the products. A general trading or e-commerce-only license with no product activity can trigger questions from marketplaces and banks. Fix: add the product retail activity at setup or at renewal (AED 1,000 for each activity beyond three).
• Fawri chosen, partner added later. Fawri is one person only. Moving to a multi-shareholder setup means changing your license route, so decide before you apply.
• Regulated products listed before approval. Cosmetics, food and some electronics need product approvals that the license does not give you.
• Bank account delays. No IBAN means no marketplace payouts. Start bank onboarding the day the license is issued.
• Comparing different packages. A quote with visas and add-ons will not match a headline price without them. Compare line by line against the table above, and against IFZA, SHAMS or RAKEZ.

FAQ

How much is a Meydan Free Zone e-commerce license in 2026? Meydan publishes a starting price of AED 12,500 a year for a regular license with a flexi-desk and up to three activity groups, and AED 15,000 for the one-person Fawri license. Visas, medical and Emirates ID, and marketplace onboarding are extra. Use the official cost calculator and ask for a written quote.

Can I get a Meydan e-commerce license without a visa? Yes. The AED 12,500 starting price is for a setup with zero visa allocations, and Meydan says you can apply remotely with a passport copy. You only pay the AED 1,850 allocation and visa fees if you want a UAE residence visa through the company.

How long does it take to get a Meydan e-commerce license? Meydan states Fawri licenses are issued in under 60 minutes and regular licenses in one to three working days. Visa processing takes another 3 to 7 business days, and bank account opening runs separately, so plan for a few weeks before your first marketplace payout.

Can I sell on Amazon.ae and noon with a Meydan license? Yes. Amazon.ae lists Meydan on its seller partner pages, and Meydan offers an AED 1,000 E-Commerce Starter Add-On that sets up seller accounts on Amazon.ae and noon with one SKU each. You still need a company bank account and, if required, VAT registration.

Is Meydan's e-commerce license a general trading license? No. Meydan treats e-commerce as a sales-channel activity and general trading (4690.97) as a separate, broader trading activity. Meydan recommends pairing the e-commerce activity with a specific retail or trading activity for your products rather than choosing general trading by default.

Do I pay 0% corporate tax with a Meydan license? Not automatically. Meydan is a free zone and a Qualifying Free Zone Person may get 0% on qualifying income, but conditions apply and sales to UAE consumers need checking against FTA rules. This is general information; confirm with the FTA or a registered tax agent.

Can I add more product categories later? Yes. Up to three activity groups are included, and Meydan charges AED 1,000 for each extra activity. Meydan says you can add, remove or switch activity groups through the dashboard, and renewal is a convenient time to do it.

What to do next

Get a written Meydan quote that names your exact activity codes, year-two renewal price and every add-on, then open your bank account as soon as the license is issued. When you are ready to sell, Blooprint, an Amazon SPN verified partner and Amazon Ads Advanced Partner, can run your Amazon.ae account management and noon account management, from catalogue to advertising. More setup guides are in how to start an online business in Dubai.