Free Zone Regulations of 2026 · Masdar City Free Zone
Licensing rules issued by Masdar City Free Zone as licensing authority under Abu Dhabi Law No. (6) of 2023: eligibility, applications, fees, renewals, information disclosure, prohibited goods, trade names, sanctions and revocation, with review by an internal committee and an independent adjudicator; in force on issuance.
The Masdar City Free Zone Business Licensing Regulations are the licensing code of the free zone, issued by Masdar City Free Zone (MCFZ) as the designated licensing authority under Abu Dhabi Law No. (6) of 2023, which replaced Law No. (22) of 2007. Part 1, Clause 1 names them the Business Licensing Regulations and brings them into force on the date of issuance; the copy on masdarcityfreezone.com is the 2026 edition and carries no separate version date in its text.
Part 2 sets the licensing rules. No person may operate a business in the zone without a valid MCFZ licence unless exempted, and merely owning or leasing land or buildings, or leasing premises for residential use, is not a business (Clauses 1 and 2). Applicants may be entities incorporated in Masdar City, registered branches, or persons outside the zone admitted under an Executive Council resolution (Clause 3). Applications must be in the prescribed form, nominate a Manager, attach verified documents and be paid for under the published tariff (Clauses 4 and 5). MCFZ has discretion to grant or refuse, gives written reasons for refusal, and grants a licence for a term of one year from the date of grant, with temporary event licences also available (Clause 6). A licence cannot be assigned or transferred without MCFZ's prior written consent (Clause 8). Renewal is discretionary, must be applied for at least three months before expiry and runs for a further year; temporary licences are not renewable (Clause 9). Every licensee must appoint an individual Manager who runs day-to-day operations and represents it before MCFZ (Clause 10). Clause 12 lists the sanctions: a warning with a cease order, publication orders, mandatory newspaper publication and administrative fines. Clause 13 sets the grounds for suspension or revocation, including misleading information, unpaid fees, ceasing operations, insolvency, unlawful transfers and orders of a competent authority. Clause 14 bars operating elsewhere in the UAE on an MCFZ licence alone without written authorisation.
Part 3 requires truthful and complete disclosure, notification of changes of Manager, share capital, shareholders, directors, acquisitions and insolvency events within ten Business Days, and gives MCFZ powers to require documents, enter premises and investigate. Part 4 prohibits boycotted or banned goods and requires business records to be kept for at least five years after ceasing business. Part 7 keeps a public register of licences, makes MCFZ decisions final subject to review, and requires English for all communications. Part 8 is the review route: reasons within 14 days, application to the Review Committee within 35 days, a ruling within 45 days and an appeal within 14 days to an Independent Adjudicator, whose decision within 45 days is final and binding. Part 9 opens licensing to freelancers and non-profit businesses. The Regulations are in force; licence categories, fees and fine amounts are set in separate Board decisions and the tariff.
Every person carrying on a business in Masdar City Free Zone, meaning companies incorporated there, registered branches and persons admitted from outside the zone, together with their Managers, controllers and employees, licensed freelancers and non-profit businesses, and MCFZ as licensing authority with its Review Committee and Independent Adjudicator.
English official text in 50 provisions. Open the full text or jump to a provision:
| Part 1, Clause 1 | Short title, legislative authority and commencement: the Regulations are the Business Licensing Regulations, MCFZ is the licensing authority under Law No. (6) of 2023, and they come into force on the date of issuance. |
| Part 2, Clause 1 | No person may operate a business in the zone without a valid MCFZ licence unless exempted; the Board may publish licensable categories and exemptions by decision. |
| Part 2, Clause 6 | MCFZ may grant or refuse a licence at its discretion, must give written reasons for refusal, and grants the licence for a term of one year from the date of grant; temporary event licences are also available. |
| Part 2, Clause 9 | Renewal is discretionary; the application is due at least three months before expiry, a renewed licence runs for one year, and temporary licences cannot be renewed. |
| Part 2, Clause 10 | Each licensee must appoint an individual Manager responsible for day-to-day operations who represents the licensee before MCFZ. |
| Part 2, Clause 12 | Sanctions available to MCFZ: a warning with a cease order, publication orders, mandatory newspaper publication and administrative fines. |
| Part 2, Clause 13 | MCFZ may suspend or revoke a licence for misleading information, unpaid fees, ceasing operations, insolvency, unlawful transfers, orders of a competent authority or lapsed permits, and must give written reasons; a licensee may also surrender its licence with consent. |
| Part 2, Clause 14 | An MCFZ licence alone does not authorise operating elsewhere in the UAE; written authorisation from the relevant authority is required. |
| Part 3, Clause 2 | Changes of Manager, share capital, acquisitions, insolvency events and changes of shareholders or directors must be notified to MCFZ within ten Business Days. |
| Part 4, Clause 4 | Business records must be retained throughout operations and for at least five years after the licensee ceases business, and produced as MCFZ determines. |
| Part 8, Clauses 2–5 | Review of an MCFZ decision: reasons may be requested within 14 days, an application to the Review Committee must be made within 35 days, the Committee rules within 45 days, and an appeal lies within 14 days to the Independent Adjudicator, whose decision within 45 days is final and binding. |
| Part 9, Clauses 1–2 | Individuals may apply for freelancer licences and for non-profit business licences on terms MCFZ permits, and are treated as their own Manager. |
Part 2, Clause 12 lets MCFZ issue a warning with an order to cease, publication orders, mandatory newspaper publication and administrative fines, the amounts of which MCFZ sets rather than the Regulations. Clause 13 adds suspension or revocation of the licence for misleading information, unpaid fees, ceasing operations, insolvency, unlawful transfers, competent authority orders or lapsed permits, with written reasons. Decisions take effect during any review (Part 8), and the only redress is the Review Committee and Independent Adjudicator route.
We are a registered agent in Masdar City Free Zone, and these Regulations set the shape of every licence we obtain and renew there. Two deadlines matter most: the renewal application must be lodged at least three months before expiry under Part 2, Clause 9, which is earlier than most zones, and changes of Manager, shareholders, directors or share capital must reach MCFZ within ten Business Days under Part 3, Clause 2. We diarise both for each client and prepare the Manager nomination and verified documents at application. For clients who expect to serve customers elsewhere in the UAE we explain Clause 14 before they sign a contract that needs an onshore presence. If a client disagrees with an MCFZ decision we run the Part 8 timetable: request reasons within 14 days, file with the Review Committee within 35 days, and appeal to the Independent Adjudicator within 14 days of the ruling.
| Cites | Dubai Business Registration and Licensing Corporation Law |
“Cites” and “Cited by” are built automatically from references in the full texts held in this library; they cover only instruments in the library.
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