RAKEZ activity register
Industrial licence activities in RAKEZ
Get my UAE setup planThe short answer
RAKEZ issues the Industrial licence for manufacturing, processing, assembly and packaging, against a register of more than 1,200 named activities. It approves the licence only with premises matched to the process, in Al Hamra, Al Ghail or Al Hulaila. Selling directly into the UAE mainland needs a separate structure, not the standard free-zone company.
Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone ([RAKEZ](https://rakez.com/)) runs its Industrial licence as its own family: a register of more than 1,200 named activities covering manufacturing, processing, assembly and packaging, from light work such as Adhesives Manufacturing and Aluminium Foils Manufacturing through to heavy production such as Aluminium Smelter and Agricultural Tractors Manufacturing. For trading in goods rather than manufacturing, [the RAKEZ Commercial licence register](/zones/rakez/commercial-licence) covers import, storage, supply and export.
An Industrial licence is tied to a facility RAKEZ approves for the specific process, not an office. RAKEZ pairs it with space in one of three zones. [Al Hamra](https://rakez.com/en/blog/details/article/213/industrial-licences-in-uae-requirements-for-manufacturing) takes light-to-heavy production, with warehouses RAKEZ describes as 150 to 10,000 square metres. Al Ghail, the largest, takes heavy manufacturing and has a direct Etihad Rail link. Al Hulaila takes heavy manufacturing near Saqr Port. RAKEZ's own guidance then lists further sign-off from the Ras Al Khaimah Environment Protection and Development Authority (EPDA), RAK Municipality and the Department of Civil Defence, plus RAKEZ's Health, Safety and Environment and Technical Support Service checks before production starts. RAKEZ and EPDA have [signed an agreement](https://rakez.com/en/media-centre/news-detail/articleid/1676/rakez-and-epda-partner-to-streamline-environmental-approvals-for-key-industrial-sectors) on environmental approvals for the cement, chemical and general-industrial sectors.
A standard RAKEZ free-zone company built on this licence operates inside the zone or exports. Selling into the UAE mainland instead needs RAKEZ's non-free-zone structure or a dual licence with the RAK Department of Economic Development, as RAKEZ explains in its note on [which free zone licence is the right one](https://rakez.com/en/blog/details/article/183/which-free-zone-licence-is-the-right-one). Velarozone sequences the licence, the zone and facility choice, and the approvals that follow. RAKEZ remains the body that issues and approves each one, which is the split described in [how Velarozone works](/why-velarozone).
What the Industrial classification covers
Each register entry names what is produced, such as Animal Feed Manufacturing, Adhesive Materials Manufacturing or Basic Organic Chemical Acids Manufacturing, and the licence attaches to that named activity. AFZ describes the licence as covering the import of raw materials, the manufacture of the listed goods and their export.
AFZ sets the premises options for this licence. Warehouses start at 100 m², come with free office space inside and make a business eligible for a minimum of 14 resident visas. Land starts at 1000 m², and the facility built on it needs AFZ approval based on technical requirements.
What a industrial licence here is structured for
It suits an operation that will physically produce, process or assemble inside the zone, in a leased warehouse from 100 m² or in a facility built on land from 1000 m².
Choose premises alongside the activity. Pre-built warehouses are ready to occupy, but a facility on leased land has to be built first, with AFZ approval based on technical requirements, so the two routes give very different start dates.
From the register
Named Professions on RAKEZ's Freelance List
A sample of the 1283 activities RAKEZ files under Industrial, 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 Manufacturing (Additive Manufacturing)
- Access Cradles Manufacturing
- Activated Carbon, Auxiliary Agents and Anti Corrosions Chemicals Manufacturing
- Adhesive & Paper Slitting
- Adhesives Manufacturing
- Agarwood & Incense Manufacturing
- Agarwood and Incense Manufacturing
- Agricultural and Forestry Tractors Manufacturing
- Agricultural Dryers Manufacturing
- Agricultural Spraying Machinery Manufacturing
- Agricultural Tractors Manufacturing
- Air Conditioners Requisites Manufacturing
- Air Filters Manufacturing
- Air-Conditioning Machines Manufacturing
- Air-Conditioning Units Assembling
- Aircraft Cabin Simulators Repair, Maintenance and Modification
- Aircraft Seats Manufacturing
- Aircrafts Manufacturing
- Airplanes Manufacturing
- Albums Manufacturing
- Alkalis, Lyes and Other Inorganic Bases Manufacturing
- alternative energy Equipment Installation and Maintenance
- Aluminium -Tin- Foil Laminates Manufacturing
- Aluminium Foils Manufacturing
- Aluminium Smelter
- Aluminium Wrapping Foil Production
- Aluminum Extrusion
- Aluminum powder Production
- Aluminum Rolling
What this page does not decide
Decision factors
How the Permit Differs from a Company Licence
Two manufacturers can describe their work the same way and still need a different RAKEZ zone, approval list and trading structure. Four facts move the answer.
- Which industrial zone fits the process: Al Hamra for light-to-heavy production, Al Ghail for heavy or large-scale manufacturing with an Etihad Rail link, or Al Hulaila for heavy manufacturing near Saqr Port.
- Which approvals the process triggers beyond RAKEZ's own licence: RAKEZ's guidance names RAK EPDA, RAK Municipality and the Department of Civil Defence, plus RAKEZ's Health, Safety and Environment and Technical Support Service checks before production starts.
- Whether the activity sits in the cement, chemical or general-industry sectors that RAKEZ and EPDA now run through a dedicated, faster approval track under their own agreement.
- Whether the business needs to sell into the UAE mainland as well as export: a standard free-zone company does not carry that permission alone, so RAKEZ's non-free-zone structure or a RAK DED dual licence has to be added.
Where the Permit Is a Good Fit
- Light manufacturers and assemblers of furniture, metal fabrication, plastics or packaging that need warehouse space rather than an office, sized to fit Al Hamra's smaller units.
- Heavy or large-scale processors, including cement, chemical and bulk-material production, prepared for RAKEZ's and EPDA's dedicated approval track and for Al Ghail's or Al Hulaila's larger plots.
- Manufacturers that export or move goods through Saqr Port, or that have already planned a non-free-zone or dual-licence structure for mainland sales.
When to Choose a Company Licence Instead
- Businesses that buy finished goods and resell them without processing them. That activity belongs under a Trading licence at RAKEZ.
- Anyone assuming an office or flexi-desk unit will serve as the production facility; RAKEZ licenses the activity against an approved warehouse or plot, not a desk.
- Manufacturers planning to sell mainly to UAE mainland customers who have not yet compared a standard free-zone entity against a non-free-zone structure or dual licence.
About this listing
Questions
Frequently asked
- Does Velarozone issue the Industrial licence?
- No. RAKEZ issues the licence and runs the approvals around it; Velarozone prepares and manages the application, and the facility and zone choice, on the client's behalf.
- Which RAKEZ industrial zone does a manufacturer use?
- RAKEZ pairs the licence with one of three zones: Al Hamra, for light-to-heavy production with warehouses it describes as 150 to 10,000 square metres; Al Ghail, the largest, for heavy manufacturing with an Etihad Rail link; and Al Hulaila, for heavy manufacturing near Saqr Port. Which one fits depends on the process.
- What approvals come after the licence is issued?
- RAKEZ's own guidance names RAK EPDA, RAK Municipality and the Department of Civil Defence, plus RAKEZ's Health, Safety and Environment and Technical Support Service checks before production starts. RAKEZ and EPDA now run cement, chemical and general-industry activities through a faster track under their own agreement.
- Can a company with this licence sell into the UAE mainland?
- Not automatically. A standard free-zone company is built for activity inside the zone and for export; reaching UAE mainland customers directly needs RAKEZ's non-free-zone structure or a dual licence with the RAK Department of Economic Development instead.
Check your job title against RAKEZ's freelancer list
Velarozone works through which RAKEZ industrial zone, facility and approval list fit an actual manufacturing plan, and whether mainland sales need a non-free-zone or dual-licence structure.
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.