IFZA activity register
Service licence activities in IFZA
Get my UAE setup planThe short answer
IFZA, the International Free Zone Authority in Dubai, issues service activities under its Professional Licence, which it describes as the licence for businesses that carry out service-related operations. Importing, exporting or trading goods locally needs IFZA's separate Commercial Licence. Velarozone's Service family holds 387 of IFZA's 824 registered activities, and each activity is checked against the register before anything is filed.
International Free Zone Authority (IFZA) is a Dubai free zone based in Dubai Silicon Oasis, used by a broad mix of consultants, service providers, and small trading companies. Within its own registered activity list, IFZA splits activities into two families: one for businesses that import, export, or otherwise buy and sell goods, and one for businesses whose work is the service itself rather than a physical product changing hands.
That split follows IFZA's own licensing terms. On IFZA's site, service-type activities are issued under what IFZA calls a Professional Licence, for businesses that "carry out service-related operations"; trading activities are issued under IFZA's Commercial Licence, for businesses that import, export, or trade locally. Velarozone groups the same activities as Service and Trade for clarity when matching a business to what it actually does. The Service family covers 387 of IFZA's 824 registered activities, among them Accounting & Bookkeeping, Advertisement Designing & Producing, Advertising Researches & Consultancies, Accidents Casualties Support Services, and 3D Printing Products Production. The 437 activities in the Trade family are listed in [the IFZA Trade licence register](/zones/ifza/trade-licence).
Take a two-person consultancy applying for Accounting & Bookkeeping and Advertising Researches & Consultancies. Both are service work, so both sit in the Service family. If the same firm later resells branded merchandise or software licences to clients, that resale is trade and falls under IFZA's Commercial Licence family. The name alone does not settle it: IFZA's Professional Licence page lists Merchandising Services as a service. Whether the two families can share one licence is settled in the activity check, entry by entry.
IFZA is a general-purpose zone, not a sector-specific one. IFZA states that its Professional Licence gives foreign investors 100% ownership, with no local sponsor or local service agent (LSA). Visa allocation follows the package and premises chosen, not the Service family. Renewal, the immigration file and UAE corporate tax registration apply after formation, as for any IFZA company. IFZA Academy (training), IFZA Life (health insurance), property and banking services sit outside the licence and the activities register.
IFZA works through a network of Professional Partners, who handle incorporation for micro, small and medium-sized businesses instead of IFZA taking applications directly. Because IFZA issues and administers the licence, Velarozone prepares the application as a setup adviser but cannot approve it; [why Velarozone](/why-velarozone) explains what that means before any paperwork starts.
What the Service classification covers
Register entries name a defined service line, for example Accounting & Bookkeeping, Accounts Auditing, or the combined "Accounting, bookkeeping and auditing activities; tax consultancy". They describe work sold as a service, not goods held or traded.
Some services need another body's sign-off. AFZ's licence renewal service says external approvals may be required for regulated activities, and it lists a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the relevant external authority among its documents where the activity needs one. Ask AFZ at application which authority applies to your activity.
What a service licence here is structured for
A Service licence suits a business that invoices for expertise, time or operational work rather than goods: consultancies, agencies, technical services and support operations. DMCC's guide names advisory and IT services as its examples. Revenue from goods belongs under another licence type.
The activity description should match the service you deliver. AFZ says the final renewal fee depends on the activities licensed, and external approvals attach to regulated activities. A broad activity picked for convenience can add an approval you did not plan for, and it is the wording a client or bank reads on your licence.
From the register
Named Professions on RAKEZ's Freelance List
A sample of the 387 activities IFZA files under Service, exactly as the register names them. Activity names are the authority's own wording and are shown in English in every language; register codes are not published.
- 3D Printing Products Production
- Accidents Casualties Support Services
- Accounting & Bookkeeping
- Advertisement Designing & Producing
- Advertising Researches & Consultancies
- Advertising Services via Websites
- Aerial photography services
- Agricultural Research & Consultancy
- Air Cargo Agent
- Air Cargo Services
- Aircraft & Requisites Leasing
- Aircraft Classification Services
- Aircrafts Precision Systems Technological Development
- Airplane Management & Operation
- Animal Etiquette & Behavior Consultant
- Animals Transport
- Antennas Installation & Repair
- Architectural Prospective Drawings Services
- Art Gallery
- Artificial Intelligence Developing Services
- Artistic Talent Contracting
- Auction Organizing
- Audio Recorded Media Reproduction Studio
- Auditing Of Accounts
- Auditing, Reviewing &Testing Cyber Risks
- Authentic Artifacts & Antiques Auction House
- Authors Copyrights & Neighboring Rights Collective Management Services
- Auto Seats Cleaning
- Automobile Driving School
- Automobile Engineering Services Abroad
What this page does not decide
Decision factors
How the Permit Differs from a Company Licence
IFZA keeps its own activities register, and the version Velarozone captured is dated 25 August 2026. Four points decide whether an activity applies to a given business.
- IFZA can add, retire or rename activities, so recheck an entry in IFZA's Business Activities Directory before applying, even if it matched the 25 August 2026 capture.
- Family follows what IFZA licenses, not the activity's name. IFZA's Commercial Licence page cites real estate brokerage, while its Professional Licence page lists a Real Estate License covering brokerage. Check the register entry itself.
- Package, visa allocation, and renewal terms follow IFZA's current terms at the time of application, rather than a figure fixed in advance.
- IFZA's adjacent services, such as insurance, property, and banking, are arranged separately from the licence and are not part of the activities register itself.
Where the Permit Is a Good Fit
- Consultancies and advisory practices, such as Accounting & Bookkeeping or Advertising Researches & Consultancies.
- Design, production-support, and specialist service businesses, such as Advertisement Designing & Producing or Accidents Casualties Support Services.
- Commissioned production-as-a-service work, such as 3D Printing Products Production, where the output is a service rather than stocked goods for resale.
- Founders who want 100% foreign ownership with no local sponsor or local service agent, as IFZA states for its Professional Licence, and who do not need a sector-specific zone.
When to Choose a Company Licence Instead
- Businesses whose core income is importing, exporting or local trade in goods, which IFZA licenses under its Commercial Licence, for example Food Supplements Trading or Novelties Trading Business.
- Firms selling goods and services under one licence, such as a consultancy that also trades food supplements. Each activity's family has to be checked before applying.
- Businesses that cannot yet say which of the 387 Service activities matches their work. A broad description such as "consulting" fits many entries, so the exact entry has to be chosen first.
About this listing
Questions
Frequently asked
- What is the difference between IFZA's Service licence and its Trade licence?
- IFZA's Commercial Licence covers importing, exporting and local trade in the UAE. Its Professional Licence, which Velarozone calls the Service family, covers businesses that carry out service-related operations. IFZA decides which registered activity sits in which family.
- Is Velarozone's "Service licence" the same thing as IFZA's "Professional Licence"?
- Yes. IFZA markets this family of activities as its Professional Licence, for businesses that carry out service-related operations. Velarozone refers to the same set of IFZA-registered activities as the Service family, for clarity when matching a business to what it actually does.
- Can a licence combine service and trade activities?
- It depends on the activities chosen. IFZA's Commercial Licence page lists conducting multiple business activities flexibly as a benefit, but that does not say a service and a trade activity can share one licence. The activity check confirms whether a given mix can.
- What if my business starts under the Service family but later wants to sell goods too?
- Reselling goods later is trade, so it falls under IFZA's Commercial Licence family. Whether it can be added to the existing licence or needs separate handling is settled by a fresh activity check before any goods are sold.
- Do Service licence holders have UAE corporate tax obligations?
- Yes. Standard UAE corporate tax registration obligations apply to IFZA companies, alongside the usual free-zone renewal cycle and immigration file requirements.
- Does Velarozone issue the IFZA Service licence?
- No. IFZA issues and administers the licence. Velarozone's role is to advise on and prepare the setup, including matching the business to the activities it actually needs before anything is filed.
Check your job title against RAKEZ's freelancer list
Send Velarozone the work you will invoice for. It checks each activity against IFZA's Service family, flags any that belong in the Commercial Licence family, and confirms the combination before anything is filed with IFZA.
General information drawn from the CBUAE Rulebook, including the Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes Regulation (C 15/2021), and Cabinet Resolution No. (134) of 2025 as published, not legal or tax advice. Rules and guidance change, so confirm the current text and each institution's own requirements before you submit.