Jebel Ali Free Zone Area (JAFZA)

Contributing to over 23% of Dubai’s GDP, Jebel Ali Free Zone area is the world’s largest free economic zone. Located on the coastal side of Dubai, in Jebel Ali, it shares its borders with Abu Dhabi and runs along the major highway of the emirate – Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) . The area spans over 57 sq. km. of land with easy access to the Dubai Metro Red Line. It is also commonly known as JAFZA.

JAFZA is an ever-expanding area. Initially, home to a few small typical offices and warehouses, it is now home to over 8,000 global companies, sustaining employment of over 130,000 people globally. The area facilitates industrial units, retail and e-commerce businesses, trading opportunities and residences for onsite employees.

• One of the largest free economic zones in the world
• You will find easy operating environment for a business
• Provides opportunity for businessmen to connect globally
• Direct access to Sheikh Zayed Road and Dubai Metro Red Line
• Situated on the far western side of Dubai, sharing borders with Abu Dhabi

When opening a business in JAFZA, business owners can check out these highlighted features offered in the district.

• JAFZA encourages everyone to open a business, including entrepreneurs
• Foreign businessmen can get complete ownership in the area
• There are no currency restrictions

Jebel Ali Freezone Area is a thriving business community that is designed to cater to the needs of manufacturers and trading companies. Boasting some of the most successful businesses in the world, the community offers services to more than 135k people of many nationalities, who work here. These services include accommodation in some top-notch hotels, supermarkets, many cafes, restaurants and food outlets, money exchange centres, insurance companies and a lot more.

Home to more than 8,000 companies, the properties in the Jebel Ali Freezone Area consists mostly of commercial buildings. These facilitate a wide variety of businesses including manufacturing, trade, logistics and many industrial and service-providing sectors. Due to its location next to Jebel Ali port, some of the top companies in JAFZA include logistics and shipping companies.

You will find many infrastructure-ready plots ready for development. The offices start at 40 sq. ft. of an area to a large 500 sq. ft. of area. There are not any immediate properties available for sale, however, a few low rent housing to accommodate the workers are easily found in the area.

Commercial properties on rent in Jebel Ali Freezone include Labour camps, offices, warehouses and factories.  The offices on rent are available as fully-fitted and furnished units. One will find the rents of these offices varying greatly due to the floor spaces.

• The rents for offices in JAZFA range between AED 250k to AED 450k, annually
• Rental price of warehouses in JAFZA start from AED 524k yearly to AED 9.5M

Jebel Ali Freezone is home to a couple of 5-star hotels and one 3-star hotel. The names are:

• JA Beach Hotel
• JA Palm Tree Court
• Easy Hotel Dubai

JA Palm Tree Court and JA Beach Hotel are both 5-star hotels. Offering more than 235 guest rooms, JA Beach Hotel boasts an exclusive beachline, over 25 dining outlets and several activities like Watersports, Golf and Archery.

Jebel Ali Freezone area offers parking spaces in each building, whether its commercial or a residential one.

Since the network of streets in Jebel Ali Free Zone directly connects with Sheikh Zayed Road (E11), bus stations are found easily. Jebel Ali Bus Station, Gulf Denims Limited bus station and Jebel Ali Freezone Roundabout bus stop are all centrally located in the area.

Jebel Ali Freezone is also one of the top residential areas located near Route 2020 that was inaugurated recently as Jebel Ali Metro Station is one of the first on route 2020 out of the four.

The community is located at the endpoint of the red metro line so the residents have access to three stations: UAE Exchange Metro station, Danube Subway station and Energy Metro station.

For large grocery hauls, the main supermarket in Jebel Ali Freezone is Carrefour. The area also facilitates people with many other supermarkets, minimarts and duty-free shops. These include Sultan Hypermarket, Suncity supermarket, Star City Supermarket, Parco Supermarket and a few others.

The area is home to many mosques where people can easily go and pray close to their workplaces. Some of these are Jebel Ali Mosque, Masjid Al Rahmah, Masjid Al Noor, JAFZA South Accommodation Mosque and others.

Since Jebel Ali Freezone accommodate people globally, you can easily locate some churches and temples nearby in Jebel Ali Village. To name a few, you will find St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Convent Hope Church and Evangelical Christian Church of Dubai there. These are available within a 15-minute drive. You will also find Guru Nanak Darbar Sikh gurudwara there in Jebel Ali Village while Khodiyar Temple is available in the Free Zone area.

There are some nursery school options in the neighbourhood. These include:

• Little Diamond Nursery
• Blossom Nursery
• Chubby Cheeks Nursery

Some high schools near Jebel Ali Free Zone Area are:

• Nikon School
• The Winchester School
• The Arbour School

There are many well-reputed schools near the area. One such is The Arbor School in Al Furjan. The school offers the National Curriculum for England from Foundation Stage until Year 7. Nikon School is a photography school for those who would like to pursue a career in photography or want to enhance their photography skills. It is located in the area.

Clinics and Hospitals near Jebel Ali Freezone include:

• Care Blue Clinic
• Noor Al Shefa Clinic
• NMC Poly Clinic
• Aster Cedars Hospital

For emergencies, you will find Care Blue Clinic, Noor Al Shefa Clinic and NMC Poly Clinic within an easy reach. The closest multi-speciality hospital from the area is Aster Cedars Hospital, approximately 15-minutes away. NMC Hospital in DIP is at a distance of 20-minutes. Both these hospitals are known for their excellent services.

Jebel Ali Free Zone Area is located towards the southern end of Dubai’s coastline and alongside Sheikh Zayed Road (E11).

One of the major areas neighbouring this large district is Palm Jebel Ali, which is the largest marine terminal of the Middle East. It also features a line of apartment buildings facing the coast. Jebel Ali Village shares the northern border of Jebel Ali Freezone that provide accommodation to expats and workers of the neighbouring areas and Downtown Jebel Ali is located right across the highway.

Some popular areas near Jebel Ali are Dubai Investment Park, Ghantoot and Al Barsha.

Shopping destinations are located close to the community, some notable malls near Jebel Ali Freezone Area are:

• Ibn Battuta Mall
• Jebel Ali Mall

For convivial outdoor activities and a shopping spree, you can visit the Ibn Battuta Mall and Jebel Ali Mall. Ibn Battuta Mall is highly known for its vibrant themes and its IMAX screen. It also boasts several high-end fashion brands including Aldo, Sephora and Steve Madden.

Food lovers can enjoy a variety of restaurants in Jebel Ali Free Zone Area, some are:

• La Mensa
• Wadi Al Arayesh
• Eat N Stay Restaurant
• White Orchid Restaurant and Lounge

If you fancy Italian dining, you can visit La Mensa restaurant, located in Downtown Jebel Ali. Offering outdoor seating with exquisite views of the shore, it is the top-rated restaurant of the area. Wadi Al Arayesh is a casual dining restaurant that serves a variety of Arabian, Lebanese and Middle Eastern dishes. You can also explore Indian and South Indian cuisines at Eat N Stay restaurant.

White Orchid in Jebel Ali Palm is a fine-dining restaurant that serves a variety of Asian cuisines. If you book a table before, you can enjoy luxury dining here at White Orchid. It features a full bar.

Since the area is close to the coastal side, there is no shortage of beaches near Jebel Ali. Lama Beach and XO Beach are in the area that offers exquisite views and shelter huts. You can also stroll down to Marina Beach, which is a lively beach spot offering many watersport activities.

Some leisure places and notable landmarks near the area include:

• Dubai Parks and Resorts
• Jebel Ali Shooting Club

For the workers of Free Zone and those who live nearby, there is a limited number of entertainment spots in the vicinity. One major attraction close to the area is Dubai Parks and Resorts, it boasts three theme parks along with a water park. The Motiongate Dubai is a Hollywood-themed park while Bollywood Parks feature attractions around the popular Bollywood movies and characters. Legoland Dubai and Legoland Waterpark are other notable attractions for residents.

You can also head to the Jebel Ali Shooting Club, where you can get an adrenaline kick and indulge in more thrilling activities.

The outdoor attractions include some community and theme parks in the nearby areas. The exotically themed park, Bollywood Parks Dubai is at a 14-minute drive from JAFZA. There is also Jebel Ali Recreational Centre at a 10-minute drive, offering many greens spaces. It is also home to Jebel Ali Recreational Club where you can enjoy many live sports, a gym, pool, sports courts and a bunch of dining outlets.

Since its mostly a commercial area, there is much need for fitness activities. The fitness buffs of the area will find a handful of gyms. These are Fine Fit Gym-2 Golden Taj Jafza, The Warehouse Gym and The Marina Gym.

For personal grooming, you can visit the nearby salons such as the Bellissima Salon and Beauty Avenue Ladies Salon.

The area is mostly commercial but offers good connectivity to residential areas. In the neighbourhood, especially Jebel Ali Village, you will find good low-rent residential options. However, there are no villas or large flats anywhere in the immediate neighbourhood that can accommodate large families.

Jebel Ali Freezone area offers residential apartments but only for onsite workers, If you are here on a visit, it is advisable to book a room in one of the nearby hotels.

• 25-minutes to Palm Jumeirah
• 19-minutes to Dubai mainland towards Sheikh Zayed Road (E11)
• 41-minutes from Dubai International Airport