The IFZA activity list is the official catalogue of what an IFZA company is allowed to do. It covers thousands of commercial and professional activities, lets you hold commercial and professional work on one licence, and includes your first three activities in the standard licence fee. IFZA approves standard activities within days.
The hard part is picking the right wording. The activity names on your licence decide what you can invoice, which bank will open your account and whether you need a second approval from another government body. IFZA does not publish what an extra activity costs, and a wrong choice often shows up when a bank questions an invoice.
This is where we come in. We form the IFZA company ourselves and choose your IFZA business activities with you before anything is filed: the activity match, the licence category, any external approval, the KYC file and the bank introduction. One team, one itemised quote. You tell us what you sell, and we turn it into a licence that fits.
UAE Company Incorporation
Binderr
Corporate tax
0% up to AED 375,000
Freezone Tax
0%
Time to Incorporate
1 Week
Cost
Starting from €1,899
What the IFZA Activity List Is
The IFZA activity list is the government-approved catalogue of business activities that an IFZA free zone company can hold on its licence. Each activity describes one line of work, such as a type of trading or a type of consulting. You choose activities from the list when you apply, and your licence then names exactly what the company may do.
In IFZA terms, an IFZA business activity is the official description of what a company may do, covering the work that earns its revenue. Every free zone keeps its own list, so an activity approved in another zone is not automatically available at IFZA. The full IFZA activities list runs to thousands of entries, which is why choosing well matters more than choosing many.
How IFZA Business Activities Are Organised
IFZA business activities sit under two main licence categories. Commercial activities cover trading, importing and exporting goods and some services. Professional activities cover skill-based services such as consulting. IFZA also issues general trading licences and branch licences for foreign companies, which are commercial licences with their own rules.
On top of the category, IFZA marks each activity as non-regulated or regulated. Non-regulated activities, which IFZA labels Green, need no approval from another authority. Regulated activities, labelled Amber, need approval from a Dubai or UAE federal government body before the company can carry them out. Both kinds can also come with property requirements.
Where to Find the Official IFZA Activities List
IFZA publishes its activities list online at activities.ifza.com. The searchable list shows each activity and its regulatory classification, so you can see at a glance whether an external approval applies. If you are looking for an IFZA activity list PDF, the closest official document is the Business Activity and Licence Mapping Guide, an 8-page PDF that explains how activities and licence types fit together.
Third-party sites often copy the IFZA activity list into spreadsheets, but these copies go out of date as IFZA adds and retires activities. Always check the exact wording on the official IFZA free zone activity list before you apply. Our guide to IFZA company formation covers the rest of the setup.
Choose Your IFZA Activities With Us
Picking IFZA activities is quick when someone has read the list for your exact business before. We match your plan to the right entries and check the rules before IFZA sees the file.
- Activity match: We map what you sell to the exact wording on the IFZA activities list.
- Category check: We confirm every activity fits the licence category you apply for.
- Approvals flagged early: We tell you if an activity is Amber before you pay.
- Bank-ready wording: We choose activities that match the invoices your bank will see.
- One itemised quote: IFZA fees as charged, our fee on its own line.
IFZA Licence Types and the Activities They Cover
Every IFZA activity belongs to a licence type, and the licence type limits what you can combine. IFZA lists commercial, professional, general trading and branch office licences. Commercial and professional activities can sit on one licence through what IFZA calls cross-business licensing. The table sets out what each type covers, based on IFZA's own guides.
Licence type | What it covers | Typical businesses | Points to know |
|---|---|---|---|
Commercial | Trading, import, export, storage, distribution and some services such as brokerage | Online stores, product traders, distributors | Free zone trade is within the zone or with other countries |
Professional | Consultancy and expert, skill-based services | Consultants, agencies, IT and design firms | Can be combined with commercial activities |
General trading | Trading in many unrelated products under one licence | Importers and exporters with a broad catalogue | Restricted goods still need their own licence |
Branch office | The same activity as the foreign parent company | Foreign groups opening a UAE base | The branch activity must match the parent's |
The table shows why the licence type comes first. A consultant who also sells products online needs both a professional and a commercial activity, and IFZA allows both on one licence. A trader with a fixed product range can usually stay on specific commercial activities instead of general trading.
Commercial Activities
Commercial IFZA license activities cover buying and selling goods, importing, exporting, storing and distributing them, plus some services such as brokerage. IFZA states that a free zone commercial licence covers trade within the free zone or between the free zone and another country. The e-commerce activity is commercial and can be combined with other activities. Read more: e-commerce licence in Dubai.
Professional Activities
Professional activities cover services that rely on skills or qualifications rather than on trading goods: management consulting, IT services, marketing and similar work. IFZA describes the professional licence as the route for expert, skill-based services. Most service founders need only one or two professional activities, chosen to match how they will describe their work on invoices. Read more: freelance licence in the UAE.
General Trading and Branch Licences
General trading lets an IFZA company deal in any number of unrelated products and change its product mix without amending the licence. IFZA notes that restricted goods such as cars, alcohol, medical products and weapons still need a specific licence, and that selling to the Dubai mainland needs a local distributor with a mainland licence, or a separate mainland company in Dubai. A branch licence must carry the same activity as its foreign parent. For the legal forms behind each licence, see types of companies in the UAE. Our general trading licence guide covers the trading side in more detail.
UAE Company Incorporation
Binderr
Corporate tax
0% up to AED 375,000
Freezone Tax
0%
Time to Incorporate
1 Week
Cost
Starting from €1,899
How Many IFZA Activities Fit on One Licence
IFZA includes the first three activities in the standard licence fee. Its Business Activity and Licence Mapping Guide, updated on 30 October 2026, says that free zone communities such as IFZA allow up to seven activities under a single licence. Every activity beyond the included three is charged separately, and IFZA does not publish that price.
Older IFZA pages describe the standard licence as offering a choice of up to three business activities, with the option to apply for more. The newer guide sets the ceiling at seven. In practice, three well-chosen IFZA activities cover most small businesses, and adding more only makes sense when each one earns its place on your invoices.
Combining Commercial and Professional Activities
IFZA lets you combine commercial and professional activities on one licence, which it calls cross-business licensing. IFZA gives the example of an e-commerce brand that also sells consultancy. This saves you a second company, a second renewal and a second set of documents. IFZA's guidance also says the activities must match the licence category you apply for, so check how your mix will be classified before you file.
What Extra Activities Cost
IFZA does not publish a fee for activities beyond the first three. Its guides say only that every additional activity is charged separately and that costs vary by amendment. Regulated activities can also raise the setup cost and the ongoing compliance. We quote any extra activity with your setup, at the price IFZA charges, so you see it before you commit. To see how other zones handle activities, read our guides to Meydan free zone company formation and DMCC company formation.
Regulated IFZA Business Activities and External Approvals
Each entry on the IFZA business activities list carries a regulatory classification. Green activities need no external approval. Amber activities need approval from a specified Dubai or UAE federal government body. The licensee must obtain that approval and give IFZA a copy on request. Either kind may also carry a property requirement, such as a minimum workspace.
Green Activities With No Outside Approval
Green activities need nothing beyond IFZA's own approval. IFZA approves standard activities within days, and you can start trading once the licence and the account are in place. If your plan fits entirely within Green activities, the setup is usually the fastest and cheapest IFZA route. Check the label of every service activity rather than assuming, because some advisory work is regulated. Read more: trade licences in the UAE.
Amber Activities That Need Another Authority
Amber activities need a second approval before the company can operate. IFZA's own example is an ice-cream trading activity that needs health authority approval, which can mean a higher setup cost and ongoing compliance. Activities that touch food, health or money are the ones to check first. The searchable list at activities.ifza.com shows the classification for each entry.
Regulated work in finance and crypto usually needs a licence from a dedicated regulator, not just an activity on a free zone licence. Read our guides to the crypto licence in Dubai and the fintech licence in the UAE before you choose an activity in those sectors.
Restricted Goods on a Trading Licence
Some goods stay restricted even on a general trading licence. IFZA lists cars, alcohol, medical products and weapons as needing a specific licence for import or export. IFZA's e-commerce guidance adds that products such as pharmaceuticals face their own rules. If any of these are in your catalogue, plan the extra licence before you order stock.
IFZA Company Setup With the Right Activities
An IFZA company formed on the right activities opens its bank account faster and renews without questions. We handle the whole setup, from the activity choice to the licence.
- Green or Amber checked: We confirm the classification of every activity before filing.
- External approvals planned: If an authority must approve, we build that into the timeline.
- Restricted goods flagged: We spot products that need a separate licence.
- Visas and establishment card: We book the immigration steps in the right order.
- Company formed by us: From €1,899, with IFZA's own fees passed on as charged.
- Remote setup: You sign online and visit the UAE only for the medical test and biometrics.
IFZA Business Activity List by Business Type
The right entries on the IFZA business activity list depend on how you earn money. The table below shows which kind of activity common businesses look for, and the point to check on the official list. Exact names on the IFZA activity list change over time, so we confirm the current wording on activities.ifza.com for every client.
Business | Activity type to look for | Licence category | Check before you apply |
|---|---|---|---|
Online store | E-commerce or a specific trading activity | Commercial | Restricted products in the catalogue |
Consultant or agency | Consultancy or the specific service you sell | Professional | Wording that matches your invoices |
Importer or exporter | Specific trading, or general trading for a broad range | Commercial | Restricted goods and mainland sales |
Online marketplace | Portal activity linking buyers and sellers | Commercial | Payment flows your bank will ask about |
Payment hardware seller | Electronic cards and payment devices trading | Commercial | Any approval listed for the activity |
Consultant who also sells online | One professional plus one commercial activity | Combined | Total activity count and extra fees |
The table makes one point clear. Most businesses need two or three activities, not seven. Each extra activity adds cost and adds a line that your bank and your auditor will expect to see reflected in your actual trading.
Service Businesses
Consultants, agencies and IT firms usually need one or two professional IFZA business activities that describe their core service. Choose wording a bank compliance officer would recognise in your contracts. If you also resell software or products, add a matching commercial activity rather than switching the whole company to general trading.
Trading and E-commerce Businesses
Online stores and traders choose between specific trading activities and general trading. Specific activities suit a fixed product range. General trading suits a broad or changing catalogue, because IFZA lets you change the product mix without amending the licence. For an online platform that connects buyers and sellers, look at the portal activity. Read more: how to get an e-commerce licence in the UAE.
UAE Company Incorporation
Binderr
Corporate tax
0% up to AED 375,000
Freezone Tax
0%
Time to Incorporate
1 Week
Cost
Starting from €1,899
How to Choose IFZA Activities for Your Licence
Start with the activity that earns most of your revenue, then add related activities only where you have real plans for them. IFZA's own approval process has five steps: check the approved list, choose the activities, submit the documents, obtain any external approvals and receive the licence. The choice in step two shapes everything after it.
Start With What Earns the Revenue
Write down what you will sell in the first year and who will pay you. Each line of revenue should match an activity on your licence. IFZA's guidance warns that mismatches often surface when a client asks for a service that is not on the licence, or when a bank questions an invoice. Picking from the IFZA list of activities with your invoices in mind avoids both.
Think About the Bank Before the Licence
Banks compare your licence activities with the payments that move through your account. A consultancy licence receiving payments for goods raises questions, and so does a trading licence paid for services. Choosing IFZA license activities that match your real payment flows is one of the simplest ways to get an account approved. Read more: why banks reject business account applications.
Do Not Default to General Trading
IFZA notes that many founders choose general trading even when their company mainly offers services, and that this causes operational problems. General trading is built for goods. If you sell advice, design or software services, a professional activity describes your business more accurately and fits your invoices better.
How to Add or Change IFZA License Activities
You change IFZA business activities through a licence amendment. IFZA says most activity changes are completed within a couple of working days, and that the cost and timeline vary by amendment. Amber activities take longer, because the outside approval has to come first.
IFZA advises planning amendments close to your renewal cycle, which reduces the administrative steps. It also reviews activities at renewal to confirm the company is working within its approved activities, and discrepancies can delay the renewal. If your business has moved on since you formed the company, update the licence before renewal rather than at it.
What to Update After the Amendment
Once the amendment is approved, IFZA lists three follow-up steps. Update your corporate bank account details so the bank's records match. Update your VAT registration with the Federal Tax Authority so your activity list matches there too. Share the updated licence with any other government body you work with. We handle these updates as part of the amendment, so nothing is left out of step.
IFZA Activities, Tax and Banking
Your IFZA business activities do not change the corporate tax rate on their own, but they shape how your income is treated and how banks see your company. An IFZA company pays 0% corporate tax on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above it, under Cabinet Decision No. 116 of 2022. Free zone companies that meet the qualifying conditions can pay 0% on qualifying income, and the activities you carry out are part of that test, so take tax advice on your mix. Our overview of free zone company formation in the UAE explains how free zone companies fit the wider rules.
How Banks Read Your Activities
Banks use your licence activities to judge what payments to expect. UAE banks also set minimum balances: Emirates NBD asks for an AED 50,000 average balance on its Prime business package, and HSBC UAE asks for AED 20,000. A licence whose activities match your business plan makes the review shorter at any bank. Read more: opening a free zone company bank account in the UAE and multi-currency business bank accounts in the UAE.
UAE Company Incorporation
Binderr
Corporate tax
0% up to AED 375,000
Freezone Tax
0%
Time to Incorporate
1 Week
Cost
Starting from €1,899
Common Mistakes With IFZA Activities
Most activity problems come from choosing too fast. They are easy to avoid when the activities are checked against the business plan before filing.
Copying an Unofficial IFZA Free Zone Activity List
Founders often take their picks from a copy of the IFZA activity list found online. These copies go out of date, and an activity name that no longer exists can stall the application. The cost is a resubmission and a delay of days. Check every entry against the official IFZA free zone activity list at activities.ifza.com, or let us do it, before the file goes in.
Adding Activities You Will Not Use
Filling all seven slots feels like future-proofing, but every activity after the third is charged separately, and banks expect to see each one in your trading. An unused activity can trigger questions at the bank and at renewal. Add activities when the business needs them. A later amendment usually takes a couple of working days.
Missing an Amber Classification
Choosing a regulated activity without noticing its Amber label leaves you with a licence you cannot fully use until the outside approval arrives. That can add weeks and extra cost. Check the classification of every activity first, and plan the approval into your timeline if you need it.
Forgetting the Follow-Up After a Change
After an amendment, the bank and the Federal Tax Authority still hold the old activity list until you update them. A mismatch can hold up payments or a VAT return. Update both as soon as the amendment is approved.
Get Your IFZA Business Activities Right First Time
A short review before filing saves an amendment later. We check your IFZA business activities against your plan, your invoices and your bank file.
- Plan review: We read what you sell and who pays you.
- Official wording: Every activity checked against the live IFZA list.
- Fewer, better activities: Only the ones your business will use.
- Amendments handled: We change activities later and update the bank and VAT records.
- Clear timeline: Standard activities approved within days, Amber activities planned ahead.
Bottom Line
The IFZA activity list decides what your company can legally do, how your bank reads it and whether you need a second approval. Three activities come with the standard licence, IFZA allows up to seven, and extra ones are charged separately at a price IFZA quotes rather than publishes.
Choose activities that match how you earn money, check whether each one is Green or Amber, and keep commercial and professional work on one licence when you need both. Change activities through a quick amendment when the business moves on, and update the bank and the tax authority afterwards. For the wider setup, compare Dubai free zone company formation options and see what business setup in the UAE costs.
What is the IFZA activity list?
How many activities can I have on an IFZA licence?
Is there an IFZA activity list PDF?
Can I combine commercial and professional activities at IFZA?
What are Green and Amber IFZA business activities?
How long does IFZA take to approve activities?
How much does an extra IFZA activity cost?
Can I change my IFZA license activities later?
Can an IFZA company do general trading?
Which IFZA activities suit an e-commerce business?
Do IFZA activities affect my bank account?
Do IFZA activities change my corporate tax?
Can I set up an IFZA company and choose activities from abroad?
Sources
- IFZA, UAE Business Activity and Licence Mapping Guide (updated 30 October 2026)
- IFZA, Business Activity and License Mapping Guide download (updated 30 October 2026)
- IFZA, Multiple Activities License in Dubai (published 18 February 2026)
- IFZA, How to Choose Business Activity in Dubai (published 6 February 2026)
- IFZA, Adding or Removing Activities on a Dubai Business License (published 27 February 2026)
- IFZA, How to Get Your Free Zone License With IFZA (updated 25 September 2025)
- IFZA, The Startup Guide to Commercial Business Licenses in Dubai (updated 29 September 2025)
- IFZA, How to Get a General Trading License in Dubai (updated 4 May 2026)
- IFZA, E-commerce License in Dubai (updated 3 February 2026)
- IFZA, business activities list
- UAE Ministry of Finance, Cabinet Decision No. 116 of 2022 on taxable income subject to corporate tax
- Emirates NBD, Business Banking Schedule of Charges (June 2025)
- HSBC UAE, business banking
