Jebel Ali Free Zone

Jebel Ali showed how a free zone next to a deepwater port can turn a city into a regional distribution hub. Companies in the zone can import goods without customs duty, store or assemble them, and re-export them to the Gulf, Africa and South Asia, paying duty only when goods enter the local market. By its 40th anniversary in 2025 the zone hosted more than 11,000 companies. For brands expanding into the Middle East, regional stock is often held in a Dubai free zone, and the setup works much like a U.S. foreign-trade zone or bonded warehouse, keeping inventory outside the customs territory until it is sold.

• Foreign-Trade ZoneFTZUS area where duty is deferred
• Bonded WarehouseStorage where duty waits until withdrawal
• Distribution CenterDCWarehouse that ships cases and pallets

• Shannon Free Zone1959 · Ireland opens the first modern free trade zone
• Founding of Singapore as a Free Port1819 · Raffles sets up a duty-free port open to all ships
• Shenzhen Special Economic Zone1980 · A zone beside Hong Kong opens to foreign investment

• Foreign-Trade Zones Act of 19341934 · US law creating zones where import duty is deferred

1. Jebel Ali Free Zone (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.org
2. Jafza at 40: how Dubai's free zone grew from 19 companies to over 11,000 (Arabian Business) arabianbusiness.com