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Federal (Cross-Regulator / Federal Decree-Laws) · Rulebook
Financial Free Zones Law (Federal Law 8/2004)

Federal Law No. (8) of 2004 on Financial Free Zones: what a financial free zone is, how one is established, which federal laws apply inside it (all except federal civil and commercial law), and limits on licensed financial activity (Articles 1-9),
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Every chapter and article of Financial Free Zones Law (Federal Law 8/2004) from the Federal (Cross-Regulator / Federal Decree-Laws), with a plain-English summary of each. Ask a question and get an answer cited to the exact article.

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9

Articles

F(/FD

Issuing authority

2004

Effective since

AI

Cited answers from article text

Federal Law No. (8) of 2004 on Financial Free Zones: what a financial free zone is, how one is established, which federal laws apply inside it (all except federal civil and commercial law), and limits on licensed financial activity (Articles 1-9) is one of the rulebooks issued by the Federal (Cross-Regulator / Federal Decree-Laws). For compliance officers, legal teams, and advisors working under this regime, finding the right article quickly matters. Lexara indexes the full text of Financial Free Zones Law (Federal Law 8/2004) and makes it searchable two ways: full-text and keyword search for rapid lookup, and AI Explorer for natural-language questions answered with citations to the exact article.

Financial Free Zones Law (Federal Law 8/2004) contents

9 articles, each with a plain-English summary by Arakan. The full text of every article is in the Laws Browser.

Articles

9 articles
  1. Article 1Definitions: financial free zone, financial activities

    A Financial Free Zone allows banking, financial, insurance, and related services within a designated area in any Emirate.

  2. Article 2Establishment and legal personality

    A Financial Free Zone is established by federal decree, has legal personality, and is responsible for its obligations.

  3. Article 3Which federal laws apply

    Financial Free Zones are subject to federal money laundering laws and all federal laws except civil and commercial laws.

  4. Article 4Limits on licensed financial activity

    Licensed banking firms in financial free zones cannot take deposits from the national market or deal in UAE Dirhams.

  5. Article 5International treaties

    Financial Free Zones must not engage in activities that violate international treaties ratified by the State.

  6. Article 6Memoranda of cooperation

    Financial Free Zones can enter into cooperation agreements with similar entities as long as they don't conflict with state treaties.

  7. Article 7Reporting, federal inspection, emirate regulations

    Financial Free Zones must publish semi-annual reports, and federal authorities can inspect them while emirates may issue necessary regulations.

  8. Article 8Licensing outside the zone (transitional)

    Cabinet can authorize a Financial Free Zone to license firms to operate outside its boundaries for up to four years after its establishment.

  9. Article 9Implementing regulations

    The Cabinet is responsible for issuing the implementing regulations for financial free zones.

What Financial Free Zones Law (Federal Law 8/2004) covers

Financial Free Zones Law (Federal Law 8/2004)'s 9 indexed articles break down by obligation type as follows.

General — 9 articles

Topics covered

Financial Free Zones Law (Federal Law 8/2004) spans the following regulatory topics, as tagged by Lexara.

founding law

financial free zones

difc

adgm

federal

AI Explorer: ask a question about Financial Free Zones Law (Federal Law 8/2004)

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Common questions

What is Federal Law No. (8) of 2004 on Financial Free Zones: what a financial free zone is, how one is established, which federal laws apply inside it (all except federal civil and commercial law), and limits on licensed financial activity (Articles 1-9)?

Federal Law No. (8) of 2004 on Financial Free Zones: what a financial free zone is, how one is established, which federal laws apply inside it (all except federal civil and commercial law), and limits on licensed financial activity (Articles 1-9) is issued by the Federal (Cross-Regulator / Federal Decree-Laws) and has applied since 14 March 2004. It has 9 articles.

Who issues Financial Free Zones Law (Federal Law 8/2004)?

The Federal (Cross-Regulator / Federal Decree-Laws). Always check the authority's official publication for the binding text.

Can I search Financial Free Zones Law (Federal Law 8/2004) and ask questions about it?

Yes. Lexara searches the full text of all 9 articles and answers plain-English questions with a citation to the exact article.

Source and use

Laws and regulations are issued and published by the relevant UAE authorities; always rely on the official text. Summaries on this page are for information only and are not legal advice.

The selection, arrangement and summaries of this library are Arakan's own work and are protected under UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2021 on Copyright and Neighbouring Rights. Automated scraping, bulk copying or republishing of this content without Arakan's written permission is prohibited and may be an offence under UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes. See the Terms of Service, Section 5.

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Dubai
DMCCDIFCJAFZADAFZADSODWCDICDubai Media CityDHCCIFZAMeydanDSCDPCDKPDOCDSPD3DIACDCCDubai Maritime CityDWTCGDP
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ADGMKEZADMCFZtwofour54ADAFZICADAAIAFZ
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SPCSHAMSHFZASAIFSRTIPSHCC
RAK
RAKEZRAK DAO
Ajman
ACMFZAFZAMC
Fujairah
FOIZFCCFFZ
UAQ
UAQIZUAQ FTZ

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