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The Shams Free Zone license cost starts at AED 5,760 a year. That is the Media Package: an LLC licence with up to 5 media activities, a flexi desk and a lease agreement, VAT included, with no visa. Shams is the Sharjah Media City free zone in Al Messaned. It suits content creators, media consultants and small online businesses that want a low entry price and can run the company from a phone.
How much does a Shams license cost?
Shams shows two packages on its packages page. Both are for one year, both register you as an LLC with no NOC needed, and neither includes a visa.
| Package | Price a year | Monthly option | Activities | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media Package | AED 5,760 | AED 480 x 12 | Up to 5 media activities | LLC licence, flexi desk, lease agreement, no visa |
| Standard Package | AED 6,885 | AED 573 x 12 | Any 5 activities | LLC licence, flexi desk, lease agreement, no visa |
Source: Shams business setup packages page (prices read from the package images), checked .
Both prices include VAT and say "from", with terms and conditions. The e-channel registration is charged on top. You need it before any visa, so a founder who plans to live in the UAE pays it in year one.
The monthly line for the Standard Package does not add up exactly to the headline price. Treat the yearly figure as the price and confirm the instalment total when you get your invoice.
What does a Shams visa cost?
Shams does not print a one visa package. It prints one fee, the visa allocation at AED 1,600 per visa, and leaves the rest of the chain off its official pages. Establishment card, e-channel, entry permit, medical and Emirates ID are not priced there.
Setup agencies fill that gap. They put a Shams licence with 1 visa at AED 14,285 to AED 15,055 for the first year (published prices of 3 setup agencies, checked ). These are agency totals, not Shams prices, and one agency adds its own service fee on top. Compare that with the next door option: SPC Free Zone publishes its own one visa package price.
Shams visa rules
The visa quota is the strong point here. Shams allows up to 50 visas on one licence, but it asks for more paperwork as the number grows:
- Up to 10 visas: the standard application.
- Above 10: a business plan and bank statements.
- Above 20: an audited financial report as well.
Before anyone applies, the company needs a valid e-channel, an immigration card and a visa allocation. Each allocation renews every year with the licence at the same AED 1,600.
Two fees in the terms catch people out. If an application is rejected, Shams keeps an admin fee of AED 1,050. When you cancel the last shareholder visa on the licence, Shams takes a deposit of AED 2,100. After biometrics, the Emirates ID takes 7 to 10 working days according to the Shams FAQ.
For how visa costs stack up across zones, see free zone visa cost.
How does the Shams freelance visa work?
People search for a Shams freelance visa, but the Shams pages we read sell company licences, not freelance permits. In practice a solo founder opens an LLC on the Media or Standard Package, holds 100% of the shares and takes one visa allocation as the investor. The licence carries your company name with "LLC" at the end. Shams says it registers companies without the "FZ" suffix.
If you want a true freelance permit, compare the options in our freelance licence guide.
What office options does Shams offer?
Both packages come with a flexi desk and a lease agreement, which is what the licence needs. Shams also offers shared desks, dedicated desks, shared offices and dedicated offices for teams that want a fixed seat. Prices for those are not on the packages page. Ask for them in your quote if you need a real address for staff.
Which licence types and company forms does Shams offer?
The Shams terms set default share capital at AED 100,000. You do not have to show proof at that level or below. Declare more and Shams asks for a bank statement.
You can register:
- an LLC, with up to 50 shareholders
- a local branch of a UAE company
- a foreign branch of an overseas company
Licence types are Service, Trade and Light Industrial. Each licence holds up to 5 activities, either 1 activity group plus 4 classes or 5 classes. The full activity list loads on the Shams site by script, and Shams does not state a total count.
What does Shams license renewal cost?
Shams does not publish a renewal price for the licence itself. What it does publish is that each visa allocation renews at AED 1,600 a year.
Multi-year licences get a discount, but the two Shams pages disagree on how much. The terms and conditions give 2% off for 2 years, rising 1% a year to a maximum of 10% for 10 years. The packages page banner says "up to 20% off" multi-year plans. Ask Shams which rate applies to your term before you pay for several years at once. Our page on free zone licence renewal explains how renewals work in other zones.
How do you set up a company in Shams?
- Choose the Media Package (media activities only) or the Standard Package (any 5 activities).
- Pick up to 5 activities and a company name ending in "LLC".
- Upload a signed passport copy for each shareholder, plus Emirates ID for UAE residents.
- Pay by credit card, Tabby or monthly instalments.
- Receive the licence. Shams says this takes under 60 minutes.
- For a visa: register the e-channel, get the immigration card, buy the visa allocation, then apply.
What documents does Shams ask for?
- Passport copy with the holder's signature, for every shareholder and manager
- Emirates ID if you already live in the UAE
- A photo to the spec in the Shams FAQ
- For more than 10 visas, a business plan and bank statements
How do Shams companies open a bank account?
Once registered, Shams gives you a list of recommended partner banks. It does not promise an account. Banks make their own decision, so have your business plan and source of funds ready. Our notes on a corporate bank account cover what UAE banks tend to ask.
How do I log in to the Shams portal or contact Shams?
Existing Shams companies sign in through the Shams portal. It is the zone's own online channel for company requests after setup.
The zone publishes its own business activity list. Check your exact activity there before you pick a package, because the activity decides the licence type and sometimes the price.
For a question only the zone can answer, such as the status of a file, use the official Shams contact page. We are a directory, not the zone, so we cannot see your portal account.
Pros and cons of Shams
Pros:
- Low published entry price, VAT already in it
- Monthly payment by credit card or Tabby
- Up to 50 visas on one licence
- No UAE residency needed to own the company
- No share capital proof up to AED 100,000
Cons:
- No official one visa package price
- Licence renewal fee not published
- E-channel and establishment card fees not on official pages
- Media Package limited to media activities
- Conflicting multi-year discount figures
For the other Sharjah zones see the Sharjah free zones hub. A full side by side with SPC sits on Shams vs SPC, and best free zone for media sets Shams against media zones in other emirates.
Ask Shams for a price through us
Fill in the form on this page with your activities, the number of shareholders and the visas you want. We are an independent directory with no link to Sharjah Media City. We send your request to Shams or to a licensed setup partner, and they reply to you with the full figure.
Setup consultants that work with Shams
Several setup consultants name Shams on their own websites. The highest ranked of them by weighted Google score are Zenesis Corporation, GenZone Business Setup and Creative Zone. Zenesis Corporation is based in JLT. Check any quote against Shams's own price on this page, and browse every firm in the directory of Dubai setup consultants.
Sources
- https://shamsfz.ae/business-setup/packages/ : Media and Standard Package prices, instalments, multi-year banner
- https://shamsfz.ae/terms-and-conditions/ : visa allocation fee, rejection fee, last visa deposit, share capital, multi-year discount, documents
- https://shamsfz.ae/knowledge-hub/faqs/ : visa quota rules, residency, Emirates ID time, partner banks, payments
- https://shamsfz.ae/company-formation/ : licence types
- https://shamsfz.ae/business-setup/business-activities/ : activities per licence
- https://shamsfz.ae/about-us/ : founding decree, location and size
- https://investinsharjah.ae/sharjah-freezones/ : office types and launch date
- Agency one visa totals: Arnifi, Avyanco and businessdubai.ae
- https://portal.shams.ae/: portal, activity list or contact page, checked
- https://shamsfz.ae/contact-us/: portal, activity list or contact page, checked
