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SharjahSHAMS
FREE ZONE · SHARJAH

Sharjah Media City

Setup: Pre-approval 3-5 working days, licence 1-2 working days (price list).Remote setup possibleOfficial site

Sharjah free zone for media and creative businesses in Al Messaned, established in 2017.

Packages

Year-1 prices as published. The agency confirms the final price.

Licence only · Media package, 0 visasIncludes: Business licence, share register, lease agreement, memorandum, incorporation. Any 5 media activities.Not included: None unless visas are added.
5,750 AEDOfficial
Licence only · Standard package, 0 visasIncludes: Business licence, share register, lease agreement, memorandum, incorporation. Mix of any 5 activities.Not included: None unless visas are added.
6,875 AEDOfficial
Licence + 1 visa · Media package, 1 visa allocationIncludes: Business licence, share register, lease agreement, memorandum, incorporation. Any 5 media activities; 1 visa allocation (1,600).Not included: Immigration card 640 (2 years), e-channel registration 2,280, visa 2,200 investor or 3,700 employee (2 years), medical 365, Emirates ID typing 330, change of status 700 if applicable, health insurance paid to insurer.
7,350 AEDOfficial
Licence + 1 visa · Standard package, 1 visa allocationIncludes: Business licence, share register, lease agreement, memorandum, incorporation. Mix of any 5 activities; 1 visa allocation.Not included: Immigration card 640 (2 years), e-channel registration 2,280, visa 2,200 investor or 3,700 employee (2 years), medical 365, Emirates ID typing 330, change of status 700 if applicable, health insurance paid to insurer.
8,475 AEDOfficial
Licence + 2 visas · Media package, 2 visa allocationsIncludes: Business licence, share register, lease agreement, memorandum, incorporation. Any 5 media activities; 2 visa allocations.Not included: Immigration card 640 (2 years), e-channel registration 2,280, visa 2,200 investor or 3,700 employee (2 years), medical 365, Emirates ID typing 330, change of status 700 if applicable, health insurance paid to insurer.
8,950 AEDOfficial
Licence + 2 visas · Standard package, 2 visa allocationsIncludes: Business licence, share register, lease agreement, memorandum, incorporation. Mix of any 5 activities; 2 visa allocations.Not included: Immigration card 640 (2 years), e-channel registration 2,280, visa 2,200 investor or 3,700 employee (2 years), medical 365, Emirates ID typing 330, change of status 700 if applicable, health insurance paid to insurer.
10,075 AEDOfficial

Fees not in the package price

Change of status (if required)
700 AEDOfficial

What each residence visa adds

Fees on top of the licence, as the zone publishes them. "Per visa" is paid for each person, "per company" once.

Additional visa allocationper visa
1,600 AEDOfficial
Immigration (establishment) card, 2 yearsper company
640 AEDOfficial
Investor visa, new, 2 yearsper visa
2,200 AEDOfficial
Employee visa, new, 2 yearsper visa
3,700 AEDOfficial
Medical (normal, Al Taj)per visa
365 AEDOfficial
Emirates ID application typingper visa
330 AEDOfficial
Change of status (if required)per visa
700 AEDOfficial
E-channel registrationper company
2,280 AEDOfficial

Renewal

Media package. Standard is 6,875. PDF says the price stays the same for the life of the company if nothing changes. E-channel renewal 1,840 and immigration card update 605 are listed separately.
5,750 AED a yearOfficial

The licence

Office. Lease agreement (flexi desk) is part of the package. shams.ae says up to 12 visas on a shared desk. Visas without an office: up to 12.

Activities. Media. Media package: any 5 media activities. Standard package: mix of any 5 activities; sectors not listed on the pages read.

Bank account. Shams FAQ says it gives a list of banks; Sharjah Islamic Bank and RAK Bank representatives sit in the Shams office. An agency page says the Shams calculator adds AED 2,000 for bank assistance.

Side by side

Know before you choose

  • Prices are from the 2025 price list; no 2026 list was found.
  • E-channel conflict: the official list shows AED 2,280. Agency pages show 2,525, 2,735, or about 7,150 including a refundable AED 5,000 deposit. The official 2,280 is recorded; none of the agency figures were confirmed.
  • The visa allocation in the package is a quota. The 1-visa and 2-visa prices cover the allocation only; visa, card, e-channel, medical and Emirates ID are extra.
  • Mandatory health insurance is paid to the insurer separately.
  • The PDF is hosted on a GoDaddy file host and branded SHAMS.
  • An earlier SHAMS page (shamsfz.ae, 2025) said up to 20 or 50 visas; not re-read today.

Not published

We could not find these on the sources we read: the rules for trading on the mainland, the number of visas without an office.

Sources

Read on 2 Oct 2026.