Licence onlyAED 9,500
Activities per licenceOne activity segment (+1,000 per extra segment)
Activities on official list55
What the lowest price covers: Commercial entity: registration 1,000 (one time) + licence 8,500 a year (2-year licence, or 17,000 paid upfront)
Humanitarian organisations: licence 5,000 a year, registration nil. Lease separate.
Official packages
| Package | Price | Visas | Term | Includes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Commercial Entity licence (2 years) Paid upfront for 2 years (or 8,500 x 2); + registration 1,000 one-time | AED 17,000 | 0 | 2 | Licence for 2 years Not included: Registration 1,000; lease; visas | High |
| New Humanitarian Organization licence (2 years) Paid upfront for 2 years (or 5,000 x 2); registration nil | AED 10,000 | 0 | 2 | Licence for 2 years | High |
Official fee items
| Item | Amount | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| New commercial entity registration | AED 1,000 | one-off | |
| Commercial entity licence | AED 8,500 | per year (2-year licence) | Or 17,000 upfront for 2 years |
| Additional activity segment | AED 1,000 | per segment | |
| Share transfer | AED 1,000 | per transaction | |
| Licence cancellation | AED 1,000 | one-off |
Workspace & facilities
| Space | Official price | Unit | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business centre workstation (commercial) | AED 8,500 | per workstation per year | Utilities and services included | official ↗ checked 2026-11-03 |
| Office space, commercial (office building) | AED 807 | per sqm per year | + utilities AED 96/sqm/yr; 10% refundable rent deposit | official ↗ checked 2026-11-03 |
| Showroom space, commercial | AED 376 | per sqm per year | + utilities AED 96/sqm/yr | official ↗ checked 2026-11-03 |
| Warehouse space, commercial | AED 376 | per sqm per year | + utilities AED 96/sqm/yr | official ↗ checked 2026-11-03 |
| Open yard storage, commercial | AED 54 | per sqm per year | official ↗ checked 2026-11-03 |
Prices published by the zone itself. Real cost also depends on size, availability and fit-out — ask the zone or our partner for a quote.
Licensed activities
| Code | Activity | Group / category | Licence type | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Humanitarian Aid Material or Logistics (Non-Food items “NFI”) | Segment 1: Humanitarian Aid and Relief | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 1.2 | Humanitarian Aid Material or logistics (Food items) | Segment 1: Humanitarian Aid and Relief | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 1.3 | Emergency Assistance Services | Segment 1: Humanitarian Aid and Relief | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 1.4 | Relief Coordination | Segment 1: Humanitarian Aid and Relief | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 1.5 | Construction and Rehabilitation | Segment 1: Humanitarian Aid and Relief | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 1.6 | Endowment Management and Organization | Segment 1: Humanitarian Aid and Relief | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 1.7 | Foreign economic aid related services | Segment 1: Humanitarian Aid and Relief | Includes the provision of public administrative services for economic aid to developing countries including support for technical assistance and training., whether or not routed through international organizations, provided by offices, bureau and program units. | |
| 1.8 | Computer related solution, soft development IT Infrastructure and networking | Segment 1: Humanitarian Aid and Relief | Includes laying the technical foundation of the information technology which comprises the network, software design, system analysis maintenance and training, offering consultancy, also includes providing technical services and consultancies with respect to information technology and applications. | |
| 2.1 | Health care awareness | Segment 2: Humanitarian development Services | ||
| 2.2 | Economic Development and Microfinance Institution support services | Segment 2: Humanitarian development Services | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 2.3 | Educational Facilities and Material Provider | Segment 2: Humanitarian development Services | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 2.4 | Promotion of Social Human Values | Segment 2: Humanitarian development Services | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 2.5 | Management Consultancy | Segment 2: Humanitarian development Services | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 2.6 | Project Development Consultancy | Segment 2: Humanitarian development Services | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 2.7 | Marketing Consultancy | Segment 2: Humanitarian development Services | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 2.8 | Consultancy in Information Technology | Segment 2: Humanitarian development Services | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 2.9 | Human Resources Consultancies | Segment 2: Humanitarian development Services | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 2.10 | Therapeutic Appliances and Equipment | Segment 2: Humanitarian development Services | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 3.1 | Natural Resources Management | Segment 3: Environmental and Natural Resources | Includes the provision of programs that consider natural resources in humanitarian programs and the sustainable use of natural resources. This includes efforts to minimize and control pollution and encourage waste management and recycling. | |
| 3.2 | Pollution Control | Segment 3: Environmental and Natural Resources | Includes the provision of programs related to advocacy/campaign to control the spread of pollution and/or minimize the effect of pollution in general. | |
| 3.3 | Waste Management and Recycling | Segment 3: Environmental and Natural Resources | Includes the provision of programs related to recycling and waste management. | |
| 3.4 | Global Climate Change | Segment 3: Environmental and Natural Resources | Includes the provision of programs related to addressing climate change and minimizing the effect of climate change. | |
| 3.5 | Supplier of Environmental Products and/or Services | Segment 3: Environmental and Natural Resources | Includes the supply of environmental products (e.g. sand bags for flood control) and/or environmental services (e.g. recycling and waste management) aimed at controlling or preventing environmental disasters. | |
| 4.1 | Irrigation/drainage, conservation programs | Segment 4: Agriculture, Soil, and Irrigation | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 4.2 | Agribusiness Development | Segment 4: Agriculture, Soil, and Irrigation | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 4.3 | supply of Agricultural Products and/or Equipment | Segment 4: Agriculture, Soil, and Irrigation | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 5.1 | Representative Office of commercial entity | Segment 5: Coordination and Liaison offices, Regional Head | Commercial | |
| 5.2 | Representative office of humanitarian organization | Segment 5: Coordination and Liaison offices, Regional Head | Humanitarian | |
| 6.1 | Logistic | Segment 6: Logistics, warehouse management and overseas | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 6.2 | Air Cargo | Segment 6: Logistics, warehouse management and overseas | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 6.3 | Shipping Line agents | Segment 6: Logistics, warehouse management and overseas | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 6.4 | Land Transport Agent | Segment 6: Logistics, warehouse management and overseas | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 6.5 | Warehouse management and warehouse handling | Segment 6: Logistics, warehouse management and overseas | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 6.6 | General Warehousing | Segment 6: Logistics, warehouse management and overseas | Commercial | |
| 7.1 | Legal Consultancy | Segment 7: Service provision and consultancy is restricted to persons or organizations that are already licensed to undertake | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 7.2 | Lawyers and Advocates services | Segment 7: Service provision and consultancy is restricted to persons or organizations that are already licensed to undertake | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 7.3 | Auditing of Accounts | Segment 7: Service provision and consultancy is restricted to persons or organizations that are already licensed to undertake | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 7.4 | Accounting and Bookkeeping | Segment 7: Service provision and consultancy is restricted to persons or organizations that are already licensed to undertake | Humanitarian/Commercial | |
| 8.1 | Kiosk services | Segment 8: General Service providing food and other necessary | Commercial | |
| 8.2 | Restaurant services | Segment 8: General Service providing food and other necessary | Commercial |
Showing 40 of 55
Frequently asked questions
How much does a International Humanitarian City licence cost?
The cheapest package International Humanitarian City publishes is AED 9,500, which covers commercial entity: registration 1,000 (one time) + licence 8,500 a year (2-year licence, or 17,000 paid upfront). These are International Humanitarian City’s own figures, checked on 2 Nov 2026. A bigger office, extra activities or visas, and government fees can add to the total — the packages table above shows what each price includes.
What business activities are allowed in International Humanitarian City?
International Humanitarian City’s official activity list has 55 activities — search them in the “Licensed activities” section above. Each licence includes one activity segment (+1,000 per extra segment). To see which other zones allow the same activity, use the activity search.
Do I need an office in International Humanitarian City?
IHC’s tariff says leasing office space (building, showroom or business centre) is mandatory for commercial entities. Published workspace prices — Business centre workstation (commercial): AED 8,500 per workstation per year; Office space, commercial (office building): AED 807 per sqm per year; Showroom space, commercial: AED 376 per sqm per year. A larger or dedicated office costs more, so ask for the exact space your visa count needs.
Who is International Humanitarian City a good fit for?
International Humanitarian City is a common choice for NGOs, UN agencies, aid logistics. Strengths: humanitarian logistics hub. Worth checking first: restricted to humanitarian organisations. Compare International Humanitarian City side by side with other zones.
Can a International Humanitarian City company sell to customers in mainland UAE?
Usually not directly. A free zone company is licensed to work inside its zone and to trade internationally. To sell to customers elsewhere in the UAE you normally need a local distributor, a mainland branch, or an extra permit from the emirate’s economic department. If most of your customers will be in the UAE, also look at Dubai mainland.
How do I contact International Humanitarian City?
Phone: +971 4 577 6308, email: info@dubaihumanitarian.ae. Website: dubaihumanitarian.ae ↗. If you’d rather have someone handle it for you, tap “Get help on WhatsApp” on this page to reach our setup partner.