Shams Free Zone company setup (Sharjah Media City)

A Shams license starts at AED 5,750 per year for the Media package (any 5 media activities, no visas) and AED 6,875 for the Standard package (a mix of any 5 activities). Each visa added to the allocation increases the license price by AED 1,600 — for example, a Standard license with 2 visas is AED 10,075 per year. Establishment card, e-channel and per-person visa fees are additional. Renewal is locked at the same price if nothing changes on the license.

The Media package with zero visas, at AED 5,750 per year. It suits founders who don't need UAE residence — for example, non-resident owners running a media, content or creative services business internationally. If you need to live in the UAE, budget for at least a 1-visa package plus immigration costs.

Pre-approval takes 3–5 working days, and the license itself is issued within 1–2 working days of approval and payment — in straightforward cases the formation documents are released within hours, so a Shams company can realistically be running within a week. Residence visas add around 2–4 weeks (entry permit, medical, Emirates ID and stamping), with paid urgent processing available for the entry permit and visa stamping.

No. Shams incorporation is fully digital and shareholders are not required to be physically present in the UAE to incorporate. You will need to enter the UAE if you take a residence visa — the medical test and Emirates ID biometrics happen in person — and visa holders must then enter the country at least once every 180 days to keep the visa valid.

Standard shared-desk packages carry allocations from 0 up to 10 visas, with each slot costing AED 1,600 on the license. Larger allocations are possible with bigger facilities. A 2-year investor visa costs AED 2,200 and an employee visa AED 3,700, plus medical, Emirates ID and (if applicable) change-of-status fees.

Shams licenses service, trading, industrial and media activities — from consultancy, marketing, IT and e-commerce to production, publishing and manufacturing. You can combine up to 5 activities on one license, and on the Standard package they can come from different activity groups, which few UAE free zones allow. Stevva confirms your exact activity codes against the Shams list before you apply.

Yes. Shams has a dedicated Social Media Influencer license for individuals or companies that earn revenue through their social media accounts. It includes the media permit required by the UAE government for paid promotional content, and it's one of the most affordable routes for creators to invoice brands legally from the UAE.

A Shams company can serve customers internationally and within free zones, but selling directly into the UAE mainland generally requires a mainland distributor or a mainland branch. Service businesses often work with mainland clients on a B2B basis, but if most of your revenue will come from onshore UAE customers, a mainland license is usually the better structure — we'll tell you honestly which fits.

No. Shams is a non-designated free zone, so normal UAE VAT rules apply to your supplies — there is no special VAT treatment for goods inside the zone. VAT registration becomes mandatory once your taxable supplies exceed AED 375,000 in a 12-month period.

Every Shams company must register for UAE corporate tax and file an annual return. A Shams company can qualify for the 0% rate on qualifying income as a Qualifying Free Zone Person if it meets the substance and income conditions; otherwise the standard 9% rate applies to taxable income above AED 375,000. The right answer depends on your customer base — Stevva's tax team assesses this as part of setup.

For individual shareholders: a colored full-page passport copy valid for at least 7 months, a UAE entry stamp or visa copy if applicable, and two passport photos. Corporate shareholders add their certificate of formation, incumbency/good standing, memorandum and a board resolution. Some nationalities require a security pre-approval, and some activities (legal, education, finance) need a degree certificate, CV or short business plan.

The default share capital is AED 100,000, but no bank deposit or proof of funds is required — it's a declared figure in the incorporation documents. You can request a different amount during formation.

Renewal costs the same as your original license price, locked for the life of the company if nothing changes. Mid-year amendments cost AED 2,200 (license) or AED 605 (immigration card). Cancellation costs AED 2,100 for the license and AED 630 per visa. If you neither renew nor cancel, penalties start at AED 1,100 in the 14th month plus AED 100 per month after — so always close a dormant company properly.

It depends on what you're optimising for. Shams is typically the price leader with strong media coverage and mixed-activity flexibility; IFZA offers a Dubai address with broad packages; SPC (Sharjah Publishing City) competes closely on price for publishing and services. Banking, activity fit and visa needs usually decide it — Stevva works across all of them and will recommend the zone that fits your model, not the one paying the highest commission.

Yes — Shams companies open accounts with UAE banks routinely, but banks assess each file on substance: your activity, residency, expected flows and documentation. A clear business profile and a residence visa materially improve approval odds. Stevva prepares your bank file and supports the account opening as step five of our process.