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The lowest Sharjah free zone license cost on official prices is AED 3,999 for SRTIP's SPARK Starter, a licence with co-working and no visa, sold as a limited-time offer. SPC Free Zone follows at AED 4,999 for online publishing and AED 5,750 for e-commerce, then Shams at AED 5,760 for media. The other zones print no current prices, though Hamriyah's old official FAQ survives in a web archive.
What is the cheapest Sharjah free zone licence with no visa?
| Free zone | Package | Price a year | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| SRTIP | SPARK Starter | AED 3,999 | 1 shareholder, up to 3 activities, no corporate tax registration help. Limited time |
| SPC Free Zone | E-Publishing | AED 4,999 | Online publishing activities only |
| SPC Free Zone | Publishing / E-commerce | AED 5,750 | Up to 5 activities, co-working lease |
| Shams | Media Package | AED 5,760 | Up to 5 media activities, flexi desk, VAT included |
| SRTIP | SPARK Growth | AED 6,499 | Up to 5 shareholders and 5 activities, corporate tax registration included |
| SPC Free Zone | Standard | from AED 6,875 | Trading, consulting and commercial activities |
| Shams | Standard Package | AED 6,885 | Any 5 activities, flexi desk, VAT included |
Source: SRTIP Start Your Business page, SPC Free Zone licence pages and Shams packages page, checked .
The order depends on what you do. If your activity is not publishing or media, SPC's E-Publishing licence and the Shams Media Package are off the table. A general trading or consulting company then starts at SRTIP's SPARK Starter, SPARK Growth at AED 6,499, SPC Standard from AED 6,875 or Shams Standard at AED 6,885.
Agencies price SRTIP's no-visa licence at about AED 5,500 to AED 6,510 (published prices of 4 setup agencies, checked ). They are quoting SRTIP's earlier Zero Visa package, not the SPARK promotion, and the higher end adds bank help and company documents.
What is the cheapest Sharjah free zone package with a visa?
| Free zone | Package | Price | What the visa part covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| SRTIP | SPARK Starter, 1 visa | AED 10,990 | Security approval, immigration card, e-channel, entry permit, Emirates ID |
| SPC Free Zone | Publishing / E-commerce, 1 investor visa | AED 13,165 | Visa allocation, establishment card, e-channel, investor visa with Emirates ID, medical |
| SRTIP | SPARK Growth, 1 visa | AED 14,010 | As Starter, plus change of status and medical |
| SPC Free Zone | Standard, 1 investor visa | AED 14,290 | Same visa chain as above |
| SRTIP | SPARK Elite, 1 visa | AED 16,010 | Growth plus bookkeeping for up to 25 transactions a year |
Source: the same SRTIP and SPC pages, checked .
SPC shows how its one-visa price is built, which helps you compare. On top of the AED 5,750 licence come the AED 1,600 visa allocation, the AED 640 establishment card, the AED 2,280 e-channel, AED 2,530 for the investor visa with Emirates ID and AED 365 for the medical. Health insurance is extra, from AED 450 a month on SPC's figure.
Shams publishes only the AED 1,600 visa allocation, not a one-visa total. Setup agencies publish a Shams first year with one visa at about AED 14,285 to AED 15,055 (published prices of 3 agencies, checked ). That puts Shams close to SPC's Standard tier with one visa.
If you are choosing between those two, see Shams vs SPC.
Which Sharjah free zones do not publish a price?
- SAIF Zone at Sharjah airport has no current fee table. Five setup agencies publish starting prices of about AED 10,800 to AED 15,000 a year (checked ), and three of them agree on AED 10,800 for a flexi desk with a 3 visa quota, visa fees extra. SAIF's office sets the visa quota: 3 with a SAIF Office, 5 with an Executive Office and 8 with a SAIF Suite.
- Hamriyah Free Zone had its site under maintenance when we checked. HFZA's own FAQ, archived in , put a basic licence at AED 11,000, and two setup agencies still quote AED 11,000 for a package with a 1 visa quota (checked ). It is an old figure, so get a current quote.
- Sharjah Healthcare City prices each licence by type and premises.
- COMTECH Sharjah, created by decree in Kalba, has no public prices or website yet.
What does a Sharjah free zone company cost beyond the licence?
- Share capital. SPC needs zero paid share capital. Shams sets a default of AED 100,000, with no proof needed at that level. SAIF asks AED 150,000 for an FZE or FZC.
- Visa cancellation deposit. Shams lists a refundable AED 2,100 deposit when the last shareholder visa is cancelled.
- Rejected visas. Shams charges a AED 1,050 admin fee when a visa application is rejected.
- Federal fees. If the package does not bundle them, ICP charges AED 100 a year for the residence permit, AED 100 per year for the Emirates ID, and AED 500 for a change of status inside the UAE.
Trade-offs between the cheap Sharjah zones
SRTIP is cheapest on paper, but SPARK Starter allows one shareholder and three activities, and it leaves out corporate tax registration. Its SME Office allows up to 8 visas when you grow.
SPC Free Zone publishes every fee line, sets no cap on visas for a flexi desk and offers 10% off for 2 years, rising to 20% off for 10 years. Its cheapest licence fits online publishing only.
Shams includes VAT in its prices, needs no UAE residency to set up and allows up to 50 visas with a business plan and financial proof. Its cheapest package fits media activities only. Multi-year licences get 2% off for 2 years, rising to 10% for 10 years.
SAIF Zone and Hamriyah cost more to enter but have warehouses, land and VAT designated zone status, which matter if you store or move goods.
For the whole emirate, see the Sharjah free zones hub. To compare Sharjah with Ajman and Umm Al Quwain, read the cheapest free zone in UAE.
Ask for current Sharjah packages
Sharjah zones change their promotions often. Use the form on this page to send your activity, shareholders and visas, and we forward it to the Sharjah zones that fit or to a licensed partner. UAEFreeZoneDirectory.com is an independent site that partners pay for referrals. It is not SRTIP, SPC, Shams or any other zone.
Where to get a written quote
A published price is only the start. To see what a setup agency adds on top, compare written quotes from two or three firms in the directory of 497 Dubai setup consultants, and ask each to show government fees and service fees on separate lines.
Sources
- SRTIP SPARK packages: https://lp.srtip.ae/start-your-business/
- SPC Free Zone pay as you go fees and cost calculator: https://www.spcfz.ae/pay-as-you-go/ and https://www.spcfz.ae/cost-calculator/
- SPC Free Zone health insurance note: https://www.spcfz.ae/blogs/why-spc-free-zone/
- Shams packages and terms: https://shamsfz.ae/business-setup/packages/ and https://shamsfz.ae/terms-and-conditions/
- SAIF Zone business set up and FAQ: https://www.saif-zone.com/
- SAIF Zone agency prices: https://emirabiz.com/sharjah-airport-international-freezone/ and https://noblecoreventures.com/saif-zone-company-setup/
- Hamriyah archived FAQ: http://web.archive.org/web/20221006005118/https://hfza.ae/faq/
- Hamriyah agency prices: https://www.shuraa.com/hamriyah-free-zone-company-formation/ and https://emirabiz.com/hamriyah-free-zone-company-formation/
- Invest in Sharjah, Sharjah free zones: https://investinsharjah.ae/sharjah-freezones/
- ICP residence permit fees: https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details/?serviceid=64afe3c1035448005bd52e64
