Hamriyah Free Zone company setup, costs and visas
Sharjah’s deep-water industrial zone for oil and gas services, steel, maritime and heavy trading, with its own port berths. An alternative to JAFZA for physical operations; it publishes no tariff, so get written quotes from both.
Hamriyah Free Zone in numbers
Estimate as of 27 Jul 2026. The zone publishes no tariff. This figure is our market estimate; the zone confirms the fee in writing when you apply.
Who Hamriyah fits and who overpays here
Hamriyah is a physical-operations zone first and a licence second. It earns its keep for founders who move, make or store something heavy: oil & gas service contractors, steel fabrication and metals, maritime and offshore support, building materials, and commodity traders who need a berth and a yard rather than a business-centre address. The 14-metre deep-water port and industrial land are the real product; the trade licence is the wrapper around them.
If your business is a consultancy, a holding structure, an agency or anything that lives on a laptop, Hamriyah is the wrong tool. You would pay for infrastructure you never touch and sit in Sharjah when a cheaper desk-only zone would serve you better. For that profile, look at SAIF Zone or a low-cost Dubai option and compare the numbers in our setup-cost calculator before committing to an industrial zone you don’t need.
What the AED 11,000 licence includes and what sits beyond it
The headline from AED 11,000 buys the licence itself for a base activity, with one visa allocation and the standard registration. That figure is realistic for a lean service or trading licence, but it is only the entrance fee for a physical operation.
The real budget for a Hamriyah project sits in the facility. Warehouse or land lease, industrial/manufacturing licence class, EHS and port approvals, labour accommodation and per-facility rent all land on top of the licence and dwarf it. Additional visas scale with the space you lease, not with the base package. Treat the AED 11,000 as the floor for a paper presence and model the facility separately.
Office, land and visas in Hamriyah Free Zone
Office is required here, quoted per facility: you take real space (executive office, pre-built warehouse, or a land plot on long lease), and your visa headroom is tied to that space rather than to a fixed package number. The base allocation is one visa; scaling to a workforce means leasing more area and upgrading the establishment card.
Formation itself is quick (roughly 3–7 working days for the licence once documents and activity approvals are clean) but the physical side (land handover, construction, utilities, EHS sign-off) runs on its own timeline. Bank onboarding for a genuine industrial operation with substance is generally smoother than for a shell; see our corporate bank account notes. With 2,000+ approved activities, most industrial and trading combinations are available under one licence.
Hamriyah vs SAIF Zone vs JAFZA
The useful comparison is with two neighbours. SAIF Zone is the other Sharjah option, airport-based, tuned to air-freight and light industrial. JAFZA is the premium Dubai port zone: bigger scale, stronger brand, higher cost. Hamriyah is the budget deep-water play between them.
| Zone | Emirate | Best for | Positioning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamriyah | Sharjah | Deep-water industry, oil & gas, steel, maritime | Budget port + land |
| SAIF Zone | Sharjah | Air-freight, light industrial, trading | Airport-linked |
| JAFZA | Dubai | Scale, logistics, prestige | Premium, higher cost |
Pick Hamriyah when you need a deep-water berth and industrial land at a lower burn than Dubai and can live with a Sharjah base. Pick JAFZA when scale, the Jebel Ali ecosystem or the Dubai address carry weight. Weigh them side by side in our zone comparison.
How to set up a company in Hamriyah Free Zone
Activities and trade name
Choose the licensed activities and reserve a trade name. The activities decide which approvals you need, how banks read your file and whether your income can qualify for the 0% QFZP rate.
Documents and KYC
Passports, application forms and a clear account of where the money comes from. Free zone companies can be 100% foreign-owned, so no local sponsor is needed.
Licence and establishment card
The zone issues the licence (typically 3–7 business days). The immigration establishment card comes next and opens visa processing.
Visas and bank account
Each visa holder needs an entry permit, a medical test and an Emirates ID. The corporate bank account is opened in parallel and is usually the slowest step.
Hamriyah Free Zone: questions founders ask
Is Hamriyah cheaper than JAFZA?
Can I set up in Hamriyah without a physical office or warehouse?
How many visas does the base Hamriyah licence include?
Does a Hamriyah company give me a Dubai address?
Hamriyah or JAFZA for industrial operations?
Can I start small at Hamriyah without a plot?
Where does the AED 11,000 figure come from?
Can this company do business on the UAE mainland?
Does 0% corporate tax apply here?
This is general information on UAE rules. It is not legal, tax or immigration advice for your situation. Rules and government fees change; we confirm the position for your facts in writing before you act.