SPC Free Zone company setup: license from AED 5,750 a year
SPC Free Zone in Sharjah licenses a company from AED 5,750 a year, with the license expected in a day. Set up by us, the company and its license cost from $7,000.
SPC Free Zone Sharjah
- from AED 5,750 SPC license fee a year
- 1 day From payment to license, as SPC states
- 5 Activity groups inside the license fee
SPC Free Zone: what Sharjah Publishing City is and who owns it
2017Sharjah Publishing City
SPC stands for Sharjah Publishing City. The Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, founded it by decree in 2017 as the first free zone built for printing and publishing. It is a subsidiary of the Sharjah Book Authority, and its own authority issues every license.
65,000Square metres in Al Zahia
The site covers 65,000 square metres on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, the E311, in Al Zahia. By SPC's count the airports of Dubai and Sharjah and the ports of Khalid and Hamriyah are each a 15-minute drive away.
100%FZE, FZC or branch
One owner registers an FZE, two or more an FZC, and an existing company a branch. Each is 100% foreign-owned, and SPC asks for no paid-up share capital. One license holds up to 100 owners, and the first 7 are inside the fee.
SPC licenses more than 2,000 activities, and publishing is now one part of the list.
What an SPC license includes: activities, owners, desk and visas
General trading, professional services, IT, e-commerce, administrative and marketing services, and publishing. A regulated activity adds its regulator's approval: we prepare that application and file it.
The fee covers every activity in your first 5 groups. Each activity from a further group adds AED 2,200.
Seven owners, people or companies, cost nothing extra, and each further one AED 1,000 a year. One license holds 100 at most.
The license arrives with the certificate of formation, the memorandum, the share certificate and a lease or co-working agreement for the registered address.
Unfurnished offices start from AED 750 per square metre, furnished ones from AED 900, shell-and-core space from AED 550, and retail units, storage and warehouses from AED 480.
Investors, partners and employees take residence visas on a flexi-desk license. A visa is ready in 5 to 10 working days and a dependant's visa in 7 to 9.
What clients write about Legarithm
4.8 on Google from 26 reviews.
We had long been looking for someone to register a company in the UAE and help with the account. With Legarithm it went as it should: a clear process, help with the documents, no red tape.
Everything is well coordinated and clear. Half an hour of the first meeting was more useful than two weeks of trying to work it out myself.
What an SPC Free Zone company costs
The company with its license and the accounting are our prices, before VAT. Every dirham line is a fee SPC publishes.
SPC company and license, set up by us
from $7,000Get a quote- License, a year: e-commerce, IT, marketing services
- from AED 5,750
- License, a year: general trading
- AED 6,875
- License with the first visa
- from AED 13,175
- Investor or partner visa
- from AED 4,495
- Employment visa
- from AED 5,665
- Dependant's visa
- AED 5,000
- Change of status inside the UAE
- AED 700
- Accounting, a month
- from $350
First year and renewal of an SPC license in figures
What SPC charges in the first year depends on the visas you take.
Company with no visa
- First year
- from AED 5,750
- What SPC charges for
- License
One owner with an investor visa
- First year
- from AED 13,175
- What SPC charges for
- License, establishment card, e-channel, visa, medical test and Emirates ID
The owner and one employee
- First year
- from AED 18,840
- What SPC charges for
- The same, with one employment visa
2 linesThe first visa brings and later visas skip
The first visa brings 2 lines that later visas skip: the establishment card at AED 640 and the e-channel at AED 2,280. The investor visa is AED 1,600 for the allocation, AED 2,530 for the visa with the Emirates ID and AED 365 for the medical test. With the license these lines come to AED 13,165, and SPC prints its price with a visa from AED 13,175.
20%Less for 10 years at once, or by instalments
After the first year you pay the license fee again. Paid for 2, 3, 5 or 10 years at once, it costs 10%, 15%, 17% or 20% less at today's fee. SPC splits its fees into 3, 6 or 12 monthly instalments without interest, and each visa can be added later with no amendment fee.
SPC compared with Shams, Ajman Free Zone and Umm Al Quwain
| Compared | SPC Free Zone | Shams | Ajman Free Zone | Umm Al Quwain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emirate | Sharjah | Sharjah | Ajman | Umm Al Quwain |
| License a year, from | AED 5,750 | AED 5,760 | AED 5,555 | AED 5,500 |
| With the first visa, from | AED 13,175 | AED 11,760–14,760 | AED 14,000 | AED 12,500 |
| On one license | Every activity in 5 groups | 5 activities | By license type | 3 different activities or 10 similar |
| Visas | No cap | 50 at most | 15 at most | 1 in the package, more with an office |
| Time to the license | 1 day | 1 to 3 working days | 1 to 2 working days | 1 to 2 working days |
Shams free zone company setup Ajman Free Zone company formation Umm Al Quwain Free Zone company setup
The businesses SPC Free Zone suits, and when to take another zone
E-commerce is licensed at AED 5,750 a year. For imports SPC obtains the customs code that ties each shipment to your license. How the routes for an online shop compare: e-commerce license in Dubai.
IT, marketing and administrative services start at the same fee, and one license joins activities from 5 groups.
General trading costs AED 6,875 a year and needs no warehouse. Storage in the zone starts from AED 480 per square metre.
Print and electronic publishing are the trade the zone was founded for, under the Sharjah Book Authority.
SPC sets no cap on visas, so one license takes the founder now and the staff as you hire.
A studio fits Shams, Sharjah's media city. A factory or a yard at the quay belongs in Hamriyah Free Zone. An owner abroad pays less in Umm Al Quwain, AED 5,500, and least at Creative City in Fujairah, AED 3,999.
How we set up an SPC Free Zone company
- day 11
Activities and trade name
From your description of the business we find the activities on SPC's list, see which fee group each falls in and run the name check.
- day 1 or 22
Online application
Passport copies go into your account. We fill in SPC's application with the shareholders and the visas, and pay the fees.
- 1 day3
License
SPC issues the license with the company documents and the desk agreement, expected within a day of a complete application.
- 5–10 working days4
E-channel and visas
The establishment card and the e-channel come first, then each visa. One visit to Sharjah covers the medical test and the fingerprints.
- usually 2–4 weeks5
Tax number and bank file
Our team registers the company for tax and takes the application to the bank.
Corporate tax, VAT, bank account and mainland sales of an SPC company
0% and 9%One return a year
SPC companies fall under UAE corporate tax: one return a year to the Federal Tax Authority, 0% on taxable income of AED 375,000 or less and 9% on the part above. Where a free-zone company passes the Ministry of Finance's tests for a Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP), its qualifying income is taxed at 0%. The tests are in corporate tax in the UAE.
5%VAT rate, with registration from AED 375,000
VAT registration in the UAE is compulsory once taxable turnover passes AED 375,000 in twelve months and voluntary from AED 187,500, and the rate is 5%. The returns are part of our accounting, from $350 a month.
10 banksPartners of SPC, account usually in 2 to 4 weeks
SPC works with 10 partner banks, among them Emirates NBD, Mashreq, RAKBANK and Wio Bank. We build the file for the business bank account in the UAE, you meet the bank's officer once, and 2 to 4 weeks is the usual time to an open account.
2 routesTo customers on the Sharjah mainland
An SPC company invoices clients abroad and other free-zone companies under its own license. For customers on the Sharjah mainland it has 2 routes: a distributor or a mainland branch, which we set up.
Documents for SPC Free Zone company formation
Documents
Each shareholder and the manager
- Passport copy
- UAE visa and Emirates ID copy, for residents
- Entry stamp page, if you are in the UAE
- Two passport photos, for the visa
- Utility bill or bank statement, where SPC asks for one
A company as shareholder
- Certificate of formation
- Memorandum of association
- Certificate of incumbency or good standing
- Board resolution to open the SPC Free Zone company
- Degree certificate, for an activity that requires one
You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.
See the platformQuestions about SPC Free Zone company setup
What does SPC Free Zone stand for?
Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone. The Ruler of Sharjah founded it in 2017 under the Sharjah Book Authority as a free zone for publishers.
Is SPC a free zone?
Yes: a free zone in Sharjah with its own licensing authority, where a foreigner owns all of the company and the company sponsors residence visas.
What are the activities of SPC Free Zone?
More than 2,000: general trading, e-commerce, IT, publishing, and professional, administrative and marketing services. The fee includes every activity of your first 5 groups.
Is SPC the cheapest free zone in the UAE?
No: Fujairah Creative City charges AED 3,999 a year, Ajman NuVentures AED 4,888 and Ajman Media City AED 4,999. SPC charges AED 5,750, and Shams follows at AED 5,760. A visa changes the order: see the cheapest free zones in the UAE, with and without a visa.
How much does an SPC Free Zone visa cost?
An investor visa costs from AED 4,495 and an employment visa from AED 5,665, each with the medical test and the Emirates ID. The first visa adds the establishment card and the e-channel, AED 2,920 together.
How do I renew an SPC Free Zone license?
Once a year through SPC's customer portal, at that year's license fee. We file it before the license date.
Get a quote for your UAE company
Book a 30-minute call about your company
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- 30 minutes, free, no obligation to order.
- After the call we email you the checklist of documents for your country.
We reply by the end of the next working day with the cost and the dates for your case. The first call is free and confidential.
Other free zones and emirates
Dubai
from $7,000 Company formation in Dubai
Business setup in Abu Dhabi
from AED 1,200 ADDED license with 6 activities
ADGM company formation
$1,900 ADGM's fees to register a holding SPV
Ajman Media City
AED 4,999 Business Club license for a year
Ajman NuVentures
AED 4,888 Zero-visa package for a year
Ajman Free Zone
from AED 5,555 E-commerce license package a year
Dubai CommerCity
In your quote Company with its license
Fujairah Creative City
AED 3,999 Media package for a year, no visa
Dubai Airport Free Zone
from AED 15,000 Trade or service license a year
DIFC company setup
$12,000 Commercial license a year, non-retail
DMCC Free Zone
AED 35,484 Basic Biz package: license and flexi-desk
Dubai South Free Zone
AED 12,500 License with a flexi-desk, a year
DWTC Free Zone
from AED 12,000 DWTC license, valid one year
Fujairah Free Zone
from $7,000 Company with its license, through us
Hamriyah Free Zone
AED 11,000 Basic cost of a license, as the zone states
IFZA Free Zone
about AED 12,500 License a year with a flexi-desk
JAFZA offshore company
AED 10,000 JAFZA fee to register, paid once
JAFZA Free Zone
from AED 5,000 JAFZA license fee a year
KEZAD Free Zone
from AED 9,450 Start-up package a year, VAT included
Masdar City Free Zone
AED 7,000 Startup package: license, 2 activities
Meydan Free Zone
AED 12,500 Meydan's license fee a year, desk included
RAK ICC offshore company
AED 3,250 Registry fee to incorporate, first year
RAKEZ Free Zone
AED 6,000 Basic license a year: 1 activity, no visa
SAIF Zone
In your quote Company with its license
Shams Free Zone
AED 5,760 Media license a year, VAT included
Sharjah free zones
from AED 5,750 Free-zone license a year
Umm Al Quwain Free Zone
AED 5,500 UAQ LYTE: license a year, no visa
Compare the free zones
Cost, visas and office, side by sideAlso for a company in the UAE
Investor visa in Dubai and the UAE
A 2-year residence visa through your company, from AED 3,000, 1 to 3 weeks after the license
OpenBusiness bank account in the UAE
Six accounts compared by balance and fee, 2 to 4 weeks from a complete application
OpenAccounting services in Dubai and the UAE
IFRS books, VAT and corporate tax returns from $350 a month
OpenCompany formation in the UAE
Free zone from $7,000, mainland from $8,000, offshore from $3,000
OpenGuides to a company in the UAE
All guides to a company in the UAE
Updated 13 October 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
