A five-day UAE residency is a bundled service, not a change in law.
What launched
On 11 August 2026, RAKEZ (Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone) hosted a media-centre announcement: A&A Associate, a UAE corporate-services firm launched with RAKEZ, is marketing what it calls the "World's Fastest UAE Residency" — a free-zone trade licence covering up to ten commercial activities plus a two-year investor residency visa. A&A prices it at $4,550 / AED 16,560 and says it delivers the whole thing in five working days — three days handled remotely for incorporation and the entry visa, then two days in the UAE for the medical test and Emirates ID biometrics. It appeared again as a paid partner feature in Gulf News's Friday section on 25 September.
What actually changed
RAKEZ's own writeup describes the product as consolidating steps "often scheduled weeks apart." Company incorporation, entry visa, medical test, Emirates ID and residence visa issuance are the same government-facing steps required for any investor visa in any UAE free zone. What A&A is selling is the sequencing and project management of those steps for a fixed fee and a fixed timeline — not a change to how ICP (the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security) or RAKEZ itself processes a file. RAKEZ did not announce a new visa category, a new fee schedule, or a change to processing rules; it hosted a partner's product launch on its news page.
What it means if you are choosing a free zone
Processing speed for formation and residency is a genuine, comparable factor between free zones and the agents who service them: the same steps can, on A&A's account, clear in about a working week when sequenced tightly, or run over several weeks when they are not. It is a fair question to put to any zone or adviser before you sign, alongside cost and permitted activities.
It is not evidence that RAKEZ is faster than other zones, and the five-day figure is not a government-guaranteed timeline — it is one firm's price and schedule for its own service. Every step inside it still runs through ICP approval and a government medical test, none of which any consultancy controls.
- Gulf News — A&A Associate and RAKEZ launch 'World's Fastest UAE Residency' program (partner content)
- RAKEZ — A&A Associate launches 'World's Fastest Residency' programme for the UAE, 11 August 2026
The price, timeline and phase breakdown above are A&A Associate's own published claims, hosted by RAKEZ; Duon has no commercial relationship with either party and has not independently verified the five-day figure. Confirm current terms directly with the provider before relying on them.