Sharjah Airport International — a veteran cargo-side zone for trading and light industrial with warehouse stock and 24/7 customs.
The numbers
Licence fromAED 10,800
Visa quotascales with office size
Activities1,500+
Officerequired (desk min.)
Setup time3–7 business days
LAST VERIFIED: 21 JUL 2026 · The authority publishes no public tariff — figure is a market-indicative estimate, confirmed in writing on application.
Who SAIF Zone actually fits — and who should look elsewhere
SAIF Zone sits inside Sharjah International Airport, so its real edge is air cargo: perishables, electronics, spare parts, e-commerce stock and light assembly that move by air and clear customs around the clock. If your model is physical — you import goods, hold them in a warehouse and re-export — the zone earns its keep and its long trading pedigree shows.It fits far less well for people with no goods to move. A solo consultant, agency or software founder is paying for cargo-side infrastructure they will never touch; a flexi-desk zone in the same emirate will cost less. And if your work needs deep-water berths — steel, oil-field equipment, bulk cargo — the sister zone Hamriyah is the honest choice, not SAIF.
What the AED 10,800 licence covers — and what sits beyond it
The headline AED 10,800 is the licence line only. A working setup adds a mandatory facility lease (a desk is the minimum), an establishment card to sponsor staff, and per-person visa costs. Warehouse or land rental is quoted separately by size — and for an industrial user that, not the licence, is where the real budget lives.
Cost layer
What to expect
Trade / service licence
from AED 10,800/yr (the headline figure)
Facility
desk minimum — mandatory, priced up from there
Establishment card
required before you can sponsor any visa
Residence visa
per person; medical + Emirates ID on top
Warehouse / land
quoted by size — the true industrial cost
Office, visa and substance mechanics
Because a desk is mandatory, every SAIF Zone company has a genuine registered footprint from day one. That helps with bank onboarding and with the economic substance a free-zone company needs if it wants to defend Qualifying Free Zone Person status under UAE corporate tax.Visa allocation is tied to the facility, not fixed by the licence: a desk supports a small headcount, while a warehouse or executive office lifts the quota accordingly. Formation itself is quick — typically 3–7 working days once your documents and name approval are in — which is why the zone still competes for straightforward trading setups.
SAIF Zone vs the obvious alternatives
Against Hamriyah, SAIF trades seaport and heavy-industry land for airport speed and lighter trading — choose by cargo mode, not by price, since both are Sharjah-affordable. Against Dubai's JAFZA, SAIF is materially cheaper but carries a Sharjah address and airport logistics rather than Jebel Ali seaport scale. Against pure flexi-desk zones like Shams or SPC, SAIF only wins when you genuinely need the warehouse — otherwise you are over-buying.The decision is rarely about the licence fee; it is about cargo mode and how much physical space you actually use. Put the shortlisted zones side by side on our compare tool before committing.
Setting up in SAIF Zone
01
Activity & name
Pick licensed activities and reserve a trade name. Activity choice drives approvals, banking and whether your income can be QFZP-qualifying.
02
Documents & KYC
Passports, application forms and a clean source-of-funds story. No local sponsor is needed — free zone companies are 100% foreign-owned.
03
Licence & establishment card
The zone issues your licence (typically 3–7 business days), then the immigration establishment card that unlocks visa processing.
04
Visas & bank account
Entry permit, medical, Emirates ID for each visa holder; corporate account opening runs in parallel — this is usually the slowest step.
Straight answers
How much does a SAIF Zone licence cost?
The licence starts from AED 10,800 per year. A working setup adds a mandatory facility (a desk is the minimum), an establishment card and per-person visa costs, while warehouse or land is quoted separately by size — so budget on the all-in figure, not the licence line.
Can I register a SAIF Zone company with no office?
No. Unlike pure flexi-desk zones, SAIF Zone requires at least a desk lease, so every company has a real registered address. If you want a zero-facility option you should compare other Sharjah zones such as Shams or SPC instead.
How many visas can a SAIF Zone company get?
The quota is tied to your facility rather than fixed by the licence: a desk supports a small headcount, while a warehouse or executive office raises the allocation. You also need an establishment card before sponsoring any residence visa.
SAIF Zone or Hamriyah — which is right for my business?
Choose by cargo mode. SAIF Zone suits airport / air-cargo trading and light industrial; Hamriyah, with its own deep-water berths, suits seaport logistics, steel, oil & gas and bulk. Both are Sharjah-affordable, so decide on logistics, not price.
Is the “from AED 10,800” price real?
It is the official entry-tier licence figure (re-verified against the zone tariff before every update) — without visas, establishment card or add-ons. Our estimate above shows a realistic first-year floor; anything quoted below it usually hides a fee.
Can this company do business on the UAE mainland?
A free zone licence covers business inside the zone and abroad. Selling onshore generally needs a mainland distributor, a branch, or a dual-licence arrangement where offered — we flag which applies before you commit.
Does 0% corporate tax apply here?
Free zone companies pay 0% only on qualifying income under the QFZP regime — substance, audited accounts and de-minimis limits included. Otherwise the standard 9% above AED 375k applies. We model this in the corporate tax calculator.
Tell us what you're building.
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