UAQ Free Trade Zone (UAQ FTZ, Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone) is the free zone of the emirate of Umm Al Quwain (UAE), governed by a government body, the Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone Authority, which — according to the zone’s own rules — was established by Emirate Law No. 3 of 2014 on the foundation of the Ahmed Bin Rashid Port and Free Zone created by Emiri Decree No. 2 of 1987. The zone registers companies in three forms — the Free Zone Establishment (FZE), the Free Zone Company (FZC) and the Branch — issues commercial, consultancy, service and industrial licences and a freelance permit, and its cheapest official package without a visa (UAQ LYTE) costs AED 5,500 a year with renewal at the same price. Both of the zone’s sites — in Ahmed Bin Rashid Port and on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road — have been on the list of Designated Zones for VAT under Cabinet Decision No. 59 of 2017 since 1 January 2018. The key difference from what the marketing promises: Designated Zone status is a VAT and customs instrument, while the 0 % corporate tax rate depends not on it but on meeting the Qualifying Free Zone Personconditions of Article 18 of Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022.
