Doing business in Expo City Dubai: the free zone

Doing business in Expo City Dubai means licensing in the free zone on the Expo 2020 legacy site, regulated by the Expo City Dubai Authority, with 100% ownership, beside Al Maktoum airport. It suits events, logistics, technology and sustainability businesses drawn to the Expo venues and the airport.

What is Expo City Dubai?

Expo City Dubai is a mixed-use city and free zone created from the site of Expo 2020 Dubai, regulated by its own authority, the Expo City Dubai Authority, rather than by the mainland department or another free zone. It retains the Expo pavilions and venues as part of a planned community, and it offers free zone licensing with 100% foreign ownership. Being its own authority on a landmark site gives it a distinct identity among Dubai zones, which reads well to partners and banks.

Who should set up in Expo City Dubai?

Events and exhibitions businesses, logistics and e-commerce operators who value the airport proximity, technology firms, and sustainability-focused companies that fit the district ethos. The Expo legacy venues, the neighbouring Al Maktoum airport, and the metro connection are the practical draws. A purely city-centre professional office might prefer a central district, so the fit depends on whether the location and the Expo setting genuinely suit the business rather than just the novelty.

What does it offer on licensing and ownership?

As a free zone, Expo City Dubai offers 100% foreign ownership and licensing through the Expo City Dubai Authority, with commercial, service and freelance permits and flexible options. The authority issues the licence and sets the activities, and the workspace scales the visa allocation as in any zone. The combination of a recognised authority, a landmark address and airport and metro access is the core of what the zone offers a new business.

How does it compare with nearby zones?

Expo City sits in the Dubai South area, close to Dubai South own free zone and Jebel Ali, so a logistics business has genuine alternatives nearby to weigh on cost and facilities. Expo City leans toward events, technology and sustainability with a landmark setting, while the neighbouring zones lean pure logistics. We compare Expo City against those options for your activity and volumes so the choice is based on fit and cost, not just the Expo name.

What is the next step?

Tell us your activity and visa count and we will quote Expo City Dubai and the nearby alternatives. See the Expo City Dubai page and the Dubai South page, and the UAE Government free zones overview. Every number here is checked against its source, such as the UAE Government free zones overview, before you rely on it, because published fees change.