Setting up in the Sharjah Free Zone gives entrepreneurs 100% ownership, a fast setup, and access to over 2,000 activities, with licenses starting from AED 5,750. This guide covers how a Sharjah free zone license works, the steps to get one, and a full cost breakdown so you know what to budget.
Key Takeaways
- Licenses start from AED 5,750/year (Publishing/E-commerce) or AED 6,875/year (Standard), each covering up to 5 combinable business activities.
- Both tiers give 100% foreign ownership and full profit repatriation.
- A license plus 1 investor visa totals roughly AED 13,165 in year one on the entry-level tier — most of that is one-time setup cost, not annual upkeep.
- Licensing for multiple years upfront saves up to 20% (10 years), worth as much as AED 13,500.
- Setup is fast: an instant license, with full setup in 2 to 5 days.
Table of Contents
- How Much Does a Sharjah Free Zone License Cost?
- Cost Breakdown: Packages and What They Include
- How SPC Free Zone Costs Compare Across the UAE
- What Is a Sharjah Free Zone?
- Types of Licenses Sharjah Free Zones Offer
- Steps to Get a Sharjah Free Zone License
- Benefits of a Sharjah Free Zone License
- Why Choose SPC Free Zone
- Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does a Sharjah Free Zone License Cost?
A Sharjah free zone license starts from AED 5,750 a year with SPC Free Zone. That figure covers the license itself; visas, office upgrades, and annual renewal are billed separately. The exact price depends on which license tier you pick and how many visas you need, both covered below.
Cost Breakdown: Packages and What They Include
SPC Free Zone runs two license tiers, each covering a different range of business activities. The license fee is a one-time cost, from AED 5,750, and it depends on your license type and activities, with both giving you up to 5 combinable business activities under one license.
To give you all the information you need, you can also see how these license tiers provided by SPC Free Zone differ from a UAE mainland license as well.
| E-commerce / Publishing license | Standard License | |
|---|---|---|
| License cost only | Just AED 5,750 | From AED 6,875 |
| With 1 visa | AED 13,165 | AED 14,290 |
| Memorandum of Association (MOA) | Included | Included |
| Business activities | Media, publishing, and e-commerce, up to 5 combinable | Full range across trading, consulting and commercial, the widest tier, up to 5 combinable |
| Foreign ownership | 100%, on every activity | 100%, on every activity |
| UAE market access | UAE-wide clients; direct local retail needs a distributor or our dual license | Same |
| Office | Co-working lease included; physical office optional | Same |
| Visas | Add as needed, pay-as-you-go, not capped by package | Same |
| Setup time | Instant license, full setup 2 to 5 days | Same |
| Renewal | Just AED 5,750 | From AED 6,875 |
| Best for | Media, publishing, and online sellers | Trading, consulting, and general commercial needing the widest activity set |
Beyond our own pricing, a Sharjah free zone setup gives you 100% foreign ownership and full profit repatriation, regardless of which tier you pick.
Costs on top of the license fee, following our pay-as-you-go model, so you only pay for what you actually use:
- Visa allocation: AED 1,600 per visa
- Establishment card: AED 640
- E-channel registration: AED 2,280
- Investor visa, including Emirates ID: AED 2,530
- Medical test: AED 365 per person
- Annual renewal: from AED 5,750, license-tier dependent
- Name reservation: AED 500
- Additional business activity beyond your package limit: AED 2,200
- Change of status (inside UAE): AED 700
- Refundable visa deposit: No mandatory upfront deposit
We also offer an incremental discount per additional year when you license for more than one year upfront, up to 10 years. A multi-year business license gives you 10% off for 2 years, 13% off for 3 years, and 20% off for ten years – with savings of AED 13,500.
Worked total: A solo founder on the Publishing or e-commerce package (AED 5,750) taking one investor visa pays roughly AED 13,165 in year one, once visa allocation, establishment card, e-channel registration, Emirates ID, and the medical test are added.
Year two and beyond looks very different, because most of that AED 7,415 is tied to first-time registration, not annual upkeep. Your license itself renews every year at the same rate: AED 5,750 for Publishing/e-commerce, or AED 6,875 for Standard. For example, both your establishment card and your investor visa with Emirates ID are commonly issued for 2 years, which means you’re not paying for them again in a year.
Run your own numbers through the cost calculator before publishing.
How SPC Free Zone Costs Compare Across the UAE
Sharjah is one of the more affordable places in the UAE to license a company. Here’s how SPC Free Zone’s free zone license cost stacks up against typical starting costs elsewhere in the market, license-only and with a first visa included:
| Free Zone | License Only(0 Visa) | License + 1 Visa |
|---|---|---|
| SPC Free Zone (Sharjah) | AED 5,750 | AED 13,165 |
| Typical Dubai free zones | AED 12,500 – 12,900 | Around AED 20,000 |
| Other Northern Emirates free zones | From AED 6,000 | AED 12,900 – 14,000 |
SPC’s license-only price runs at less than half the typical Dubai free zone starting price, and its license-plus-visa total comes in at roughly two-thirds the cost of a typical Dubai free zone setup.
What Is a Sharjah Free Zone?
Sharjah Free Zones are designated economic zones in the emirate of Sharjah built for trade, investment, and entrepreneurship. SPC Free Zone, short for Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone, is one of them, and is the world’s first free zone built specifically around the print and publishing industry, though its licensing now spans e-commerce, consulting, trading, and more.
Types of Licenses Sharjah Free Zones Offer
Most Sharjah free zones organise licenses around a small set of categories:
SPC Free Zone’s two tiers (Publishing/Ecommerce and Standard) map onto these categories, with Standard being the most flexible for trading, consulting, and general commercial activity.
Steps to Get a Sharjah Free Zone License
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Benefits of a Sharjah Free Zone License
- 100% foreign ownership, with no local sponsor required
- Full profit repatriation
- Dual license option, combining a free zone license with a Sharjah mainland license
- Uncapped visa allocation, added and paid for per visa rather than capped by package
- 2,000+ combinable business activities, up to 5 under one license
Why Choose SPC Free Zone
At SPC Free Zone, we combine the lowest entry price of the three license tiers above with licensing that can be issued in as little as 24 hours on eligible packages. Our dual license option lets a free zone company also hold a Sharjah mainland license, and SPC Plus covers what comes after setup: banking assistance, visa processing, bookkeeping, and a dedicated account manager.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much does a Sharjah free zone license cost?
License cost ranges from AED 5,750 for publishing/e-commerce to AED 6,875 for Standard. Visas, e-channel registration, and office space are billed separately.
2. What’s included in the license fee?
The license fee covers your trade license, 100% foreign ownership, MOA, up to 5 business activities, and co-working lease agreement. Visas, e-channel registration, and office upgrades are billed separately.
3. Does the license cost include a visa?
No. Visas are billed separately from the license fee. An investor visa adds AED 7,415 in total: AED 1,600 visa allocation, AED 640 establishment card, AED 2,280 e-channel registration, AED 2,530 investor visa and Emirates ID, and AED 365 for the medical test. All but the establishment card (valid 2 years) are one-time setup costs.
4. How much is renewal?
License renewal alone runs AED 5,750 for Publishing/e-commerce or AED 6,875 for Standard. Your investor or partner visa is valid for 2 years, so it only comes up every second year. In a year, visa renewal is also due, so expect at least AED 10,245: AED 5,750 for the license, AED 1,600 for visa allocation, AED 2,530 for the investor visa and Emirates ID renewal, and AED 365 for the required medical test. Your total renewal cost will be between AED 10,000 – AED 20,000, depending on things like office size and the scale of your business.
5. What’s the cheapest way to get a Sharjah free zone license?
The Publishing/E-commerce tier is our lowest starting price, from AED 5,750. It covers a narrower activity range than our Standard tier, so it suits a focused, single-activity business best. Adding one visa raises this to around AED 12,500 to AED 13,165 depending on which add-ons you need, and the full package with a visa and a flexi-desk starts from AED 14,290.
