Mainland vs Free-Zone, which entity should host my Magento store?

Critical Magento architecture question with real revenue impact. Mainland licence (DED-issued, Dubai Economy & Tourism) = full UAE-onshore commerce, can sell direct to UAE consumers at retail, may need a 51% Emirati partner for some categories. Free-Zone licence (DMCC / JAFZA / DIFC / Dubai South / Dubai Internet City etc.) = 100% foreign-owned, primarily international or B2B, restricted UAE-onshore retail unless you sell via a mainland reseller. The Magento implications are real: Mainland stores configure as a single UAE-targeted store with full retail checkout and FTA VAT on every sale. Free-Zone stores typically run as international stores with currency / locale switchers, and either restrict cart to non-UAE addresses or route UAE orders through a mainland affiliate. We’ve done both. For dual-entity (Mainland + Free-Zone) we architect Magento with separate store-views, separate tax-classes, separate checkout rules sharing one catalog. Tell us your licence in the audit and we’ll architect accordingly.