RAKEZ activity register
Commercial licence activities in RAKEZ
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RAKEZ, the Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone, issues a Commercial licence for trading in goods, including import, storage, warehousing, supply and export of permitted goods, and for agency work such as an air cargo agent. Of the 3,618 activities on its register as captured on 25 August 2026, 1,092 are filed under Commercial. A free-zone Commercial licence holds five activities from one activity group or two from different groups, and it is valid only inside the free zone. If the business makes or processes the goods, the licence is Industrial. If it bills for advice, it is Services.
RAKEZ, the Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone, runs [its own multi-purpose free zone](/setup/free-zones/rakez) across commercial, industrial, educational and media activity. Its Commercial licence has 1,092 named entries on the register. Most name one line of goods, from Abrasive & Minerals Trading and Agricultural Equipment & Accessories Trading through to Agents by Commission and Air Cargo Agent. The broadest is General Trading, which RAKEZ describes as importing, trading and re-exporting goods in the trade categories, except activities that need special approvals. A few entries are not goods trades at all: Air Cargo Agent sits in transport, shipping and storage, and Sandwich Shop sits in restaurants and coffee shops.
That width separates Commercial from RAKEZ's other families. Industrial covers manufacturing: importing raw materials, processing, assembling, packaging and exporting the finished product. Importing and exporting permitted goods you resell unchanged stays Commercial. Services covers consultancy and other services across any industry, and Professional licenses an individual practitioner rather than a company. A service activity cannot share a licence with a commercial one, so a trader who also bills for advice needs two licences. Some Commercial entries need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from a third-party regulator before RAKEZ adds them to a licence; which ones depends on the specific activity. For manufacturing, processing, assembly and packaging, [the RAKEZ Industrial licence register](/zones/rakez/industrial-licence) lists more than 1,200 named activities.
RAKEZ licenses a Commercial company either as a free-zone entity or as a non-free zone entity. A free-zone entity needs premises in the free zone and may not sell its products directly in mainland UAE, only through an agent, representative or distributor licensed for that activity. A non-free zone entity also needs a licence from RAK DED, the Department of Economic Development of Ras Al Khaimah, and RAKEZ issues its own licence first. Office-based trading generally sits in a flexi-desk or office in RAKEZ's Al Nakheel or Al Hamra business zones, and a flexi-desk carries one visa only. Velarozone advises on which entries describe the trading activity and prepares the application; RAKEZ stays the authority that reviews, issues and renews it. [How Velarozone works](/why-velarozone) sets out that division in full.
What the Commercial classification covers
Activities in this family describe trade in physical goods. Each register entry names a product line, such as "(G.P.S) Retail sale of Global Positioning System" or Acids & Alkalines Trading, and the licence covers that named line, not goods in general.
A licence that names one product line does not quietly cover another. If you also want to sell a second line, such as signage alongside chemicals, it needs its own activity on the licence, and Ajman Free Zone decides whether the two can sit together.
What a commercial licence here is structured for
A licence built from this family suits a business whose revenue comes from goods changing hands between businesses: import and re-export, wholesale and distribution. RAKEZ's rules bar a free-zone entity from retail trading inside the free zone, and online selling falls under its separate E-Commerce licence.
The activity wording should match what you will actually invoice for. Where your product range spans several register categories, the licence should carry several activities. Leaving one off to simplify the application is the mistake that surfaces later at the bank or at renewal.
From the register
Named Professions on RAKEZ's Freelance List
A sample of the 1092 activities RAKEZ files under Commercial, 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.
- General Trading
- - Wholesale Of 'Trading all kinds of ready-made curtains
- (UAS trading (wholesale
- Abrasive & Minerals Trading
- Acids & Alkalines Trading
- Adhesives Trading
- Advertising Requisites Trading
- Agarwood & Incense Trading
- Agents by Commission
- Agricultural & Veterinary Pesticides Trading
- Agricultural Enterprises Investment, Institution and Management
- Agricultural Equipment & Accessories Trading
- Agricultural Equipment & Machinery Spare Parts Trading
- Agricultural Tools Trading
- Agricultural Tractors & Machinery Trading
- Air Cargo Agent
- Air Freight & Passengers Charters
- Air Transport of Radioactive, Chemical & Biological Materials
- Air-Condition Trading
- Aircondition & Refrigeration Spare Parts Trading
- Aircraft & Requisites Leasing
- Aircraft Charter & Equipment Rental
- Aircraft Classification Services
- Aircraft Spare Parts & Components Trading
- Aircrafts & Helicopters Trading
- Airlines of Passengers & Cargo Transportation.
- Airplane Management & Operation
- Airport Equipment Trading
- Airport Ground Services
- Animal & Poultry Farms Equipment Trading
What this page does not decide
Decision factors
How the Permit Differs from a Company Licence
What moves the answer for a RAKEZ Commercial licence: whether a third-party regulator must issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC), whether the entity is free-zone or non-free zone, how many activities the licence must carry, and which office package comes with it.
- Some activities are regulated by third-party authorities, and RAKEZ needs a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from them before it adds the activity to a licence. RAKEZ's own example is a clinic, which needs Ministry of Health & Prevention approval. RAKEZ decides case by case which Commercial entries carry that requirement. Its General Trading entry excludes activities that need special approvals, and its HSE rules apply separate NOCs to high-risk materials and activities.
- A free-zone licence is valid only inside the RAKEZ free zone, and mainland buyers are reached only through a UAE-licensed agent, representative or distributor. A non-free zone entity needs a RAKEZ licence and a RAK DED licence, and RAKEZ issues its own first.
- A free-zone Commercial licence carries five activities from the same group or two from different groups. An activity from a different licence type needs a separate licence, so a Commercial licence cannot also hold a service activity. A further Commercial entry is added by a Change of Activity application.
- Visas follow the premises, not the licence type. A flexi-desk is limited to one visa, so moving from a physical office to a flexi-desk means cancelling any visas above one.
Where the Permit Is a Good Fit
- Businesses importing, trading and re-exporting goods across several categories, filed against the General Trading entry rather than a single product line. That entry excludes activities that need special approvals.
- Specialist wholesalers and distributors trading one line of goods business-to-business, such as Abrasive & Minerals Trading or Agricultural Equipment & Accessories Trading.
- Commission agents and distributors representing a principal's goods or services without manufacturing or performing the work themselves, against an entry such as Agents by Commission.
- A company for whom a flexi-desk or office in RAKEZ's business zones is enough infrastructure, rather than a warehouse or an industrial plot. It still needs premises inside the free zone, and RAKEZ expects a leased office to be operational within 60 days of the lease start.
When to Choose a Company Licence Instead
- Businesses that manufacture, process, assemble or package goods. RAKEZ licenses that as Industrial, which also covers importing the raw materials and exporting the finished product.
- A company billing for advice or consultancy rather than trading goods or representing a principal. RAKEZ licenses that as Services, and a service activity cannot sit on a Commercial licence.
- An individual who wants to provide professional services personally rather than through a company. RAKEZ licenses that as Professional.
- Media production, broadcast or publishing businesses, which RAKEZ licenses separately under its Media classification. Minimum share capital differs too: AED 1,000,000 for TV/Radio Broadcasting and AED 50,000 for Publishing.
About this listing
Questions
Frequently asked
- What is the difference between RAKEZ's Commercial licence and its Industrial licence?
- Industrial covers manufacturing: importing raw materials, processing, assembling, packaging and exporting the finished product. Commercial covers trading in goods, including import, storage, warehousing, supply and export of permitted goods, and acting as an agent or distributor, without making or processing them.
- How does a Commercial licence differ from a Services licence?
- Services covers consultancy and other services across any industry, performed for a fee. Commercial covers trading goods and agency-type activities. The two cannot share a licence: RAKEZ requires commercial and service activities to sit on separate licences.
- Can a RAKEZ Commercial licence trade on the UAE mainland?
- Not directly. A free-zone entity may sell in the UAE outside the free zone only through an agent, representative, distributor or parent company licensed for that activity. RAKEZ also licenses non-free zone entities, which need a RAK DED licence as well.
- Does every Commercial activity need approval from another authority?
- Not every one, but some do. Some activities are regulated by third-party authorities, and RAKEZ needs a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from them before adding the activity to a licence. RAKEZ's example is a clinic, which needs Ministry of Health & Prevention approval; it decides case by case which activities carry the requirement.
Sources
Official sources
Check your job title against RAKEZ's freelancer list
Tell us what the business actually trades and an adviser checks it against RAKEZ's live Commercial list, flags anything that needs another authority's approval, and confirms whether a free-zone or non-free zone entity fits the market.
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.