Dubai Rolls Out One Freezone Passport for Smoother Business Setup

The Dubai Free Zones Council (DFCZ) in July 2025 announced the successful rollout of One Freezone Passport. It is a thoughtful initiative designed to provide a business with the ability to operate across all free zones in the emirate under a single license. The primary goal of this programme is to simplify business operations, thereby facilitating the streamlining of business expansion in Dubai's economic zones. 

In other words, this programme allows companies or businesses to obtain a license in one of the free zones in Dubai to benefit from facilities located in another free zone across the Emirate, without requiring an additional license. 

While the official announcement did not specify the facilities this programme would include, it more likely refers to office spaces, warehouses, HR services, research and development, and other forms of legal support. 

Overview of Freezones in Dubai 

Dubai has more than two dozen free zones, each catering to a versatile range of sectors, ranging from media, trade, education, logistics, manufacturing, technology, and others, recording billions of dirhams in trading. The free zones in Dubai are governed by their own regulatory frameworks. 

They have become home to global companies, innovators, and entrepreneurs due to their exclusive benefits structure offering 100% foreign ownership, full repatriation of profits, and exemption from corporate taxes and import/export duties.

Each free zone has its own exclusive facilities and infrastructure. For example, DIFC has financial services frameworks, including banking, fintech support, and legal arbitration facilities.

On the other hand, Dubai Design District (d3) and Dubai Media City have creative hubs for content creators, fashion brands, and designers. Similarly, the Dubai Healthcare City has clinics, labs, and academic medical centers catering to the type of businesses operating there. 

The Dubai free zones make a significant contribution to the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade, which has been reported to increase by 18.6 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, reaching Dh835 billion.

Free zones in Dubai and the UAE in general play a crucial role in attracting international companies, especially SMEs. They offer a highly convenient and efficient setup process, featuring modern infrastructure and strategic access to global markets.

Goals Behind One Freezone Passport 

The primary vision of this programme is to further improve Dubai’s attractiveness as a global business hub by simplifying operations across Dubai’s free zones. Through this, the city hopes to reinforce Dubai’s reputation as a premier investment destination.

The government believes this initiative will allow companies to expand their operational footprint through a much streamlined and fast-paced process. It will also encourage cross-sector collaboration across Dubai.

For companies, this reduces operational burdens and offers other significant advantages in terms of simplifying business setup and management. It drastically cuts administrative and legal costs by eliminating redundant license fees, and also reduces expansion time from five months to as little as five days. 

The One Freezone Passport provides businesses with the convenience and flexibility to operate under a single corporate structure, leveraging the unique strengths of different zones. For example, businesses can use JAFZA’s world-class logistics facilities alongside DWTC’s commercial prestige under one single corporate umbrella or hub-and-spoke model. 

For the broader economy in general, this One Freezone Passport acts as a strategic tool that aligns with the goals behind the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), which focuses on increasing the city’s GDP and making it more competitive by 2033. This unified, frictionless ecosystem will also accelerate Dubai’s competitiveness against leading investment hubs like London and Singapore. 

Louis Vuitton Leads as First Member

Global luxury brand Louis Vuitton became the first corporate member to join this scheme and benefit from its offerings. It will now maintain its warehouse operations in Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFA), and at the same time establish its corporate office at One Za’abeel, a part of DWTC Free Zone. It took the company five days to complete the process.

The swift and efficient onboarding of Louis Vuitton to the One Freezone Passport demonstrates the caliber of businesses in Dubai and its commitment to nurturing a healthy and friendly business environment. 

The company’s decision to expand operations into DWTC Free Zone from JAFA further strengthens international confidence among global investors in Dubai’s thriving business landscape. 

Key Benefits of One Freezone Passport 

• Unified licensing across more than 30–40 free zones, including major ones like JAFZA, DWTC, Dubai Internet City, DIFC, and others, with full foreign ownership, corporate tax exemptions, and independent governance.

• Cost and time savings: Eliminates the administrative burden and duplication in paperwork and licensing.

• Cross-sector collaboration: Encourages partnerships between industries such as logistics, manufacturing, finance, and tech.

• Strategic flexibility: Businesses can tap into different zone strengths (e.g., trade infrastructure in JAFZA or prestige and commercial access in DWTC) through one license.