RAK Maritime City Free Zone

Most UAE free zones sell desks. RAK Maritime City sells land by the sea. It was created by a Ras Al Khaimah Emiri decree in 2009, later amended in 2013, to give port-dependent industries space right next to the berths of Saqr Port, the emirate's main bulk and container gateway on its northern coast.

The zone covers more than six million square metres of developed land and waterfront, with several kilometres of quay and a mix of private and common-user jetties. Its stated targets have always been steel, petrochemicals, fabrication, marine engineering and logistics, rather than consultancies or online shops. If your business plan does not involve moving or making physical goods near a ship, this is probably the wrong zone.

The licensing body is the RAK Maritime City Free Zone Authority, which sits inside the RAK Ports family alongside Saqr Port, Al Jazeera Port (dry docks and ship repair), Ras Al Khaimah Port and the cruise terminal. That link is the main selling point: your plot, your port operator and your free zone landlord are related, so coordinating berth windows, stevedoring and storage can be simpler than in a zone that is separate from the port.

RAK Ports has been expanding Saqr Port under a programme often called Saqr 2.0, which adds deeper berths for project cargo and is linked to millions of square metres of free zone land within a short radius. Industry reports have also noted that land with dedicated berths is close to fully taken, so new tenants should expect to start further from the quay or to wait for new phases.

Land is not sold freehold. Tenants usually sign a long-term musataha agreement, a UAE form of building right, which lets you construct and use your own facility on the plot for a fixed term. This contract is signed before the licence is issued, which is why setup here is slower than a desk-based zone.

There is no fixed visa package in a land-based zone. The number of visas is linked to the size of your plot and buildings and to the labour your project plan justifies. A fabrication yard with many workers can therefore support far more visas than a small trading licence.

Managers and skilled staff get standard employment visas after a medical test and Emirates ID biometrics. For large worker numbers you will also need approved accommodation, so ask early how the zone treats labour housing on or near the site.

Banks are generally comfortable with port-based industrial companies because the assets and trade flows are visible. What they will want is the land contract, the project plan, contracts with buyers or sellers, and details of your parent company if one exists.

Trade finance matters more here than a basic account. If you buy cargo with letters of credit or need performance guarantees, approach a bank with a trade desk early, ideally while the land contract is being negotiated.

RAK Maritime City sits around Saqr Port on the northern coast of Ras Al Khaimah, beyond the main city and close to the large quarries and cement works that feed the port. The Emirates Road and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road connect the area south to Dubai in roughly one and a half hours by truck or car.

Feeder shipping links Saqr Port with Jebel Ali for transhipment, and the Oman border is a short drive, which helps businesses serving Musandam and northern Oman. Ras Al Khaimah International Airport is the nearest airport; Dubai and Sharjah airports are further south.