UAE Free Zones
Within the UAE there are comprised in excess of 40 different Free Zones. The UAE allows any Emirate to establish free zones for the conduction of general business-related activities, as well as sector-specific behaviors. One of the key benefits associated with such zones is the fact that businesses benefit from entire ownership, which subsequently encourages FDI (foreign direct investment).
Owing to their particular nature, a number of free zones have their own regulations and laws in particular regions; in some instances, emirate and federal law may be superseded by such laws. For example, the DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre), which is recognised as a specialised financial Free Zone located in Dubai benefits from its own court and judicial system, which stands alone from the UAE. The court, in this example, benefits from jurisdiction surrounding issues concerning commercial, corporate, employment and trusts law.