Liquidating a Design Studio in Meydan Free Zone
We closed a design studio end to end: two visas, an overdue establishment card, a bank account and an auditor's report. Here are the real government fees, to the dirham.
Cost breakdown
Government fees taken from Meydan invoices and the free zone portal. The service card on the portal shows only the AED 1,000 starting fee, so the final figure is calculated from the invoice.
The task
The owners of a design studio in Meydan Free Zone decided to cease operations. The company held 2 residence visas and an open corporate bank account. It had to be closed completely, with an official liquidation certificate, so that no obligations or penalties remained with the owners.
- Order of operations. Meydan will not accept a liquidation application until all visas and the establishment card have been cancelled.
- Overdue establishment card. The card had not been renewed, so a late penalty had to be paid before it could be cancelled.
- Closing the bank account. The free zone requires a bank closure letter, and the bank works to its own timetable. This stage took the longest.
- Liquidation report. An independent UAE auditor's report is required. Where there were no operations, that must be stated explicitly in the report.
What We Recommended — and Why
Company audit
License, visa and establishment card status plus outstanding liabilities checked through the Meydan portal.
Meydan free zoneVisa cancellation
Two residence visas cancelled — without this the liquidation application is not accepted.
UAE visasBank and auditor
We supported the account closure, obtained the bank letter and arranged the liquidation report.
Corporate bank accountLiquidation
Penalty settled, establishment card cancelled, Company Cancellation Certificate issued.
Company liquidationFrom First Call to Fully Operational
- Week 1 Company audit, shareholders' resolution on the Meydan template
- Week 2 Two residence visas cancelled
- Weeks 2–4 Corporate account closed, bank letter obtained
- Week 4 Auditor's liquidation report, establishment card cancelled
- +3 business days Company Cancellation Certificate issued
What the Client Received
Deliverables
- Company audit through the Meydan portal
- Shareholders' resolution on liquidation
- Two residence visa cancellations
- Corporate account closure and bank letter
- Independent auditor's liquidation report
- Establishment card cancellation
- Company Cancellation Certificate
Frequently Asked Questions
In our case, costs excluding service fees came to AED 9,690. Of that, AED 3,400 went on cancelling two visas, AED 2,000 on the company liquidation, AED 2,000 on the establishment card cancellation and AED 2,000 on the auditor's report. The remainder covered free zone fees and the late penalty.
The free zone fee for cancelling a single visa is AED 1,500. With support, this case worked out at AED 1,700 per visa.
The Meydan cancellation stage itself takes 3 business days. The whole process, including visa cancellation, account closure and the auditor's report, took around a month in our case.
Yes. A liquidation report is always required, and the absence of operations must be reflected in it.
Penalties start accruing. In our case even a short delay on the establishment card cost AED 250.
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