SEDD Sharjah Economic Development Department - Industrial Area 18 Branch

No appointment is required for the Industrial Area 18 branch. Walk-ins are served through a queue ticket dispenser at the entrance during all working hours. For complex transactions such as partner exits, share transfers or activity reclassifications, SEDD recommends pre-filing through the e-services portal at sedd.ae and visiting only to collect the renewed licence. Online filing through the SEDD portal or the Sharjah Government Smart Application typically reduces the counter visit to a five-minute pick-up. UAE PASS authentication unlocks the full digital catalogue including renewals, amendments and certified extracts.

Ramadan hours are 09:00-13:30 from Sunday to Thursday, with the centre closed Friday and Saturday. The ticket dispenser stops 30 minutes before counter close to allow staff to clear the queue before Iftar. SEDD announces final Ramadan timings on its official website and X account each year. Plan to file new licence applications during the first week of Ramadan because Sharjah Municipality inspections can take up to seven working days during the holy month, versus three working days outside it. Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha closures follow the UAE Cabinet calendar and the first three working days after each Eid are the busiest of the year.

Yes for routine activities. The SEDD Invest Easy and Sharjah Business Set-up portals support end-to-end LLC formation including name reservation, initial approval, Memorandum of Association drafting and licence issuance. A counter visit remains necessary only when the Memorandum requires notarisation at Sharjah Notary Public or when an industrial activity requires an in-person Sharjah Municipality inspection. Standard commercial activities such as trading, consultancy and IT services are now fully digital, with the licence delivered electronically and certified copies dispatched by Emirates Post within 48 hours.

A first-year mainland commercial licence with a single activity, one shareholder and a small office tenancy typically costs AED 12,000-18,000 all-in. The breakdown is approximately AED 5,200 SEDD fees, AED 3,000 Chamber membership, AED 2,000 Ejari and tenancy authentication, AED 1,000 Memorandum notarisation, AED 600 trade name reservation, and AED 500-1,000 in initial approvals depending on the activity. Industrial and food-handling activities add AED 5,000-10,000 in sector approvals. Add visa file opening (AED 2,000) and a single establishment immigration card (AED 1,200) if staff visas will be sponsored.

Yes, following the 2021 federal commercial companies law amendment. Foreign nationals can hold 100 per cent of mainland Sharjah LLCs for most commercial and industrial activities, subject to a published negative list that retains Emirati majority requirements for activities such as fishery, telecommunications and some government contracting. The branch confirms eligibility against the negative list at the initial approval stage. Strategic sectors still require a local services agent arrangement governed by a notarised agreement. The 100 per cent ownership applies to share capital and profit distribution; bank-account KYC and customs files are unaffected.

SEDD licences allow trading directly across the UAE mainland market and authorise the holder to win government tenders and bid for public-sector contracts. Free-zone licences issued by SAIF Zone, Hamriyah, SRTIP or Sharjah Publishing City restrict trading to the free zone, require a UAE-mainland distributor for onshore sales, and benefit from streamlined visa quotas and 100 per cent customs duty exemption on re-exports. The Industrial Area 18 branch handles only mainland licences; free-zone matters must be filed at the respective free-zone authority. Many investors run parallel structures - a free-zone licence for international trade and an SEDD mainland licence for onshore sales.

Adding a routine commercial activity takes 20-30 minutes at the counter or one working day online provided the activity is within the licensed category. Activities requiring external approvals - such as health (Sharjah Health Authority), education (Sharjah Private Education Authority) or food handling (Sharjah Municipality) - take 5-10 working days because SEDD must wait for the regulator's endorsement. The typing fee is AED 100 and government fees range from AED 200 to AED 1,500 per activity. Activities on the federal negative list require additional Ministry of Economy clearance, adding two to three weeks.

SEDD launched a structured instalment plan in 2024 in partnership with selected Sharjah-licensed banks. Licence holders renewing for a full year can split the SEDD portion into four equal monthly payments at 0 per cent interest if they hold a current account with the partner bank. The Chamber membership portion is paid upfront. Counter staff process the instalment authorisation in real time. The plan does not apply to initial licence issuance or to activities under government suspension. Tabby and Tamara consumer-credit options are not accepted for licence fees.

Expired licences attract a graduated penalty of AED 250 per month for the first six months and AED 500 per month thereafter, capped at AED 5,000. Licences expired by more than a year are automatically referred to SEDD's compliance committee for cancellation review. The committee typically reinstates licences in good standing on payment of all penalties and a written commitment to file renewals on time. Visa files attached to the licence are frozen during the expiry period, so dependants risk overstay fines from MOHRE and ICP.

Yes. The SEDD freelance permit, launched under the Sharjah Permit programme, is issued at the Industrial Area 18 counter and at the SEDD headquarters in central Sharjah. It authorises individuals to invoice clients for over 100 listed professional activities without holding a full trade licence. The annual fee is AED 2,200 including Chamber affiliate membership. Applicants need a no-objection letter from their current employer or a UAE residency status not tied to employment. Freelance permits do not include staff visa quotas but the holder can self-sponsor through the GoFreelance equivalent under SEDD's Sharjah Permit category.

Yes. Customs code registration links a Sharjah mainland licence to the Federal Customs Authority's WAJEB system, allowing the company to import and export through any UAE port. The annual fee is AED 100 and the application is processed in under 30 minutes at the counter once a copy of the licence, the Emirates ID of the authorised signatory and the bank guarantee letter (for high-value importers) are presented. Renewal must happen each year alongside the trade licence. Sharjah Industrial Area 18 companies typically import through Khalifa Port Abu Dhabi or Hamriyah Port Sharjah; the customs code is interchangeable across both.

Both branches process the same mainland transactions under identical fee schedules, but the workflows differ. SEDD HQ at Buhairah Corniche handles a higher volume of professional and trading licences, hosts the Investor Council for strategic licence decisions, and is closer to Sharjah Notary Public for Memorandum signing. Industrial Area 18 is purpose-built for industrial, manufacturing and warehousing files and houses on-site Sharjah Municipality liaison desks for plot zoning and Civil Defence specialists for storage-classification approvals. Factory owners save half a day by filing at Industrial Area 18; pure-services licences are quicker at the HQ.

The most direct alternative is the SEDD headquarters at Buhairah Corniche or the SEDD Al Dhaid branch for licences in the eastern enclaves. For fully digital transactions including renewals, activity amendments and trade-name reservations, use the SEDD e-services portal or the Sharjah Government Smart Application authenticated via UAE PASS - no visit required. The federal Ministry of Economy's Invest Easy platform at investeasy.gov.ae handles cross-emirate filings including Sharjah mainland licences for select activities. For Notary services, the Sharjah Notary Public operates from multiple locations including the Sharjah courts complex and Buhairah Corniche.