Before you read further

SPC may not fit 3 things you're probably after.

If any of these apply to you, the linked alternative will save you a week. Close this tab before you waste it.

Not for crypto / Web3
→ Compare launch routes
Virtual-asset activities need a VARA / FSRA / DIFC licence; this zone doesn't issue one.
Not for F&B
→ Mainland
Restaurants, cafés, cloud kitchens need a mainland DED foodservice licence. Free zones don't issue these.
Not for clinics
→ DHCC
DHA-regulated medical/clinical activity requires Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC).

Sharjah · Free Zone

First-party verified

Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone

AED 5,750 flat licence. 70% Sharjah utility subsidy. Pay-As-You-Go activity combination.

1d est.

Licence pace

Visa quota

1500+

Activities

6/10

Bank score

SPC Free Zone publishes a flat AED 5,750 Zero-Visa Licence across Trading / General Trading / Service / E-Commerce / Industrial / Media — one of the cheapest published channel-partner rates in the UAE. AED 9,250 with 1+ visa (the cheapest bundled-visa licence in the channel-partner grid). Pay-As-You-Go from AED 6,875 lets you combine activities across sectors on a single licence. 70% Sharjah Government subsidy on water + electricity — unique in the UAE free-zone landscape. World's first exclusive publishing free zone (est. 2017), now multi-sector with 1,500+ activities. 400,000 sqm Sharjah campus. Up to 20 visas per package with unlimited upgrade. 24-hour express licence for selected activities.

Starting from

Verified

AED 5,750

SPC Zero-Visa · 24-hour express · 1 year

With 1 visa~AED 9,445

Includes: Zero-Visa Licence — Trading / General Trading / Service / E-Commerce / Industrial / Media; 1,500+ activities; flexi-desk; 70% Sharjah utility subsidy

Start with SPC →💬 WhatsApp us

First-party verified · channel-partner rate

AED 5,750 licence · 70% utility subsidy · Pay-As-You-Go from AED 6,875

Established 2017 under H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi as the world's first exclusive publishing free zone, now multi-sector with 1,500+ activities. 400,000 sqm Sharjah campus with 60,000 sqm of equipped facilities, 70% Government of Sharjah utility subsidy, 24-hour express licence issuance, and up to 20 visas per package with unlimited upgrade. Every figure channel-partner verified.

SPC Free Zone published rates · Sharjah utility subsidy

AED 5,750 Zero-Visa · AED 9,250 with 1 visa

SPC publishes a AED 5,750 flat licence across Trading, General Trading, Service, E-Commerce, Industrial, and Media — one of the cheapest published channel-partner licences in the UAE. Add a visa for AED 9,250. The Pay-As-You-Go model at AED 6,875 lets you combine activities across sectors under a single licence and scale as the business grows. Every figure below is channel-partner verified.

What does SPC Free Zone cost in 2026?

From AED 5,750

SPC publishes 5 core packages — Zero-Visa (cheapest entry), Entrepreneur (lease included), Pay-As-You-Go (flexible multi-sector), Licence + 1 Visa (cheapest bundled visa in the channel-partner grid), and the all-inclusive 2-Year Visa bundle. Pick by commitment level below.

Flagship

Zero-Visa Licence

Licence only — 0 visa, remote / holding entities

AED 5,750

Published SPC annual rate

1,500+ activities

Lease agreement included

Entrepreneur Package

1-year licence + lease + 0 visa

AED 6,500

Published SPC annual rate

1,500+ activities

Scales with the business

Pay-As-You-Go

Flexible — combine activities across sectors

AED 6,875

Published SPC annual rate

Multi-activity combo

Cheapest 1-visa channel-partner

Licence + 1 Visa

Licence with 1+ visa entitlement

AED 9,250

Published SPC annual rate

1,500+ activities

2-year visa bundled

Licence + 2-Year Visa

All-inclusive bundle — licence + 2-year visa

AED 14,290

Published SPC annual rate

1,500+ activities

Visas & residency

AED 3,000–AED 7,000 per visa · residency in 5 days

Employment visas run AED 3,000–AED 7,000 each (excluded from licence packages). Standard packages support 0–6 visas; select packages support up to 20 with unlimited upgrade as the business grows. UAE residency processes in as few as 5 working days. Investor, partner, employee, and family sponsorship routes all supported.

Workspace · 3 office tiers + 3 warehouse packages

Flexi-desk included · AED 400–1,100 per sqm office · pre-built warehouses AED 60,000–AED 160,000

Flexi-desk is included in most licence packages. Office rental: AED 1,100/sqm/yr furnished, AED 980/sqm/yr unfurnished, AED 400/sqm/yr open plan / shell & core. Three pre-built warehouse tiers: 125 sqm (AED 60,000/yr), 250 sqm (AED 110,000/yr), 400 sqm (AED 160,000/yr) — each with attached office space. Custom storage at AED 480/sqm/yr.

The Sharjah utility advantage

70% water & electricity subsidy — unique to Sharjah Government free zones

The Government of Sharjah subsidises approximately 70% of water and electricity costs for SPC tenants. No other channel-partner zone has this structural benefit. Combined with lower Sharjah rental rates versus Dubai, SPC materially reduces the total cost of running an office or warehouse.

All-inclusive bundle

AED 14,290 for licence + 2-year visa

The Licence + 2-Year Visa bundle is the single-payment option for founders who want everything settled upfront — AED 14,290 covers the SPC licence and a 2-year UAE residence visa. Entrepreneur Package at AED 6,500 covers the same 0-visa scope with a lease agreement added on top.

Invoice transparency · SPC

What lands on your invoice. Line by line.

Every fee, in the order it hits. No “admin” tax, no hidden markup — Formenzo's margin is the zone's channel-partner commission, not a line on your invoice.

0 visas · licence only

SPC licenceAED 5,750
Gov + authority adminBundled
Formenzo partner supportIncluded

TotalAED 5,750

1 visa · founder

SPC licenceAED 5,750
Entry permit × 1AED 3,000
Medical + EID × 1AED 695
Gov + authority adminBundled
Formenzo partner supportIncluded

TotalAED 9,445

2 visas · partners

SPC licenceAED 5,750
Entry permit × 2AED 6,000
Medical + EID × 2AED 1,390
Gov + authority adminBundled
Formenzo partner supportIncluded

TotalAED 13,140

Visa bundle uses SPC-standard rates. Final visas stamped per applicant; typing-centre and translation fees are only added when they actually occur and billed at cost (usually AED 0 for English-passport applicants, AED 100–200 otherwise).

Banking reality · SPC

The real bank-approval picture for a SPC licence.

Channel-partner outcomes by passport bucket, over the last 90 days. “Limited” means the bank rarely approves this combo — we'll re-route you rather than waste your time.

Bank	IN / UK / PH Low friction	PK / BD / NG Enhanced DD	RU / IR / SY Sanctions screen	US FATCA disclosure	Days
Wio	Strong	Limited	Limited	Standard	5–7
Mashreq NeoBiz	Strong	Enhanced DD	Enhanced DD	Standard	10–14
Emirates NBD	Standard	Enhanced DD	Limited	Enhanced DD	14–21
RAKBANK	Strong	Enhanced DD	Limited	Standard	12–18

Outcomes are directional channel-partner patterns, not a guarantee for any specific applicant. “Days” = typical bank review time after licence issuance and clean KYC documents.

Banking partners

Banking routes commonly reviewed for SPC companies, with final decisions subject to each bank's KYC and risk review.

🏦 Mashreq🏦 WIO🏦 Emirates NBD🏦 RAKBANK

Banking-review estimate

21 days

after licence issuance; subject to KYC

Formenzo setup timeline

Day-by-day what we deliver end-to-end, from signed engagement to bank-file routing.

Day 1-2

Initial approval

We file your application with the Free Zone authority.

~0 days

Day 1-1

License issued

Trade license + Establishment Card in hand. You can sign contracts.

~1 day

Day 2-5

Investor visa

Entry permit → medical → Emirates ID → stamping.

~4 days

Day 6-21

Bank file routed

Clean KYC pack prepared and routed; final onboarding remains subject to bank review.

~16 days

SPC — frequently asked questions

Quotable, answer-first, optimized for AI search (Perplexity, ChatGPT, Google AI Mode).

How much does a SPC license cost in 2026?

A Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone (SPC) starts from AED 5,750 in 2026. Zero-Visa Licence — Trading / General Trading / Service / E-Commerce / Industrial / Media; 1,500+ activities; flexi-desk; 70% Sharjah utility subsidy. Add one investor visa and the customer-facing 1-visa route is AED 9,445 before any case-specific authority extras.

How long does SPC company setup take?

SPC publishes a typical licence-issuance estimate of 1 business day after initial approval (0 day). A residency visa adds an additional immigration stage. Banking preparation and review add another case-specific stage. Timelines vary by authority, immigration, document readiness, and bank risk review.

How many visas can I get with SPC?

SPC default package includes 3 visas, and the maximum allowed per license is 20. A 1-visa customer route is approximately AED 9,445 based on the current pricing schedule.

Which UAE banks open accounts for SPC companies?

SPC companies primarily bank with Mashreq, WIO, Emirates NBD, and RAKBANK. Formenzo prepares the KYC pack, identifies missing items, and routes the application to a suitable bank. Bank outcomes vary by nationality, activity, source of funds, and full risk review.

What business activities does SPC allow?

SPC permits approximately 1,500 business activities. It is best suited for content creator, freelance, media, consulting. Activities not allowed include restaurant, construction — these require a UAE Mainland license.

Can I form a SPC company without visiting the UAE?

Yes — SPC formation is fully remote through Formenzo. We handle document collection, trade name reservation, MOA drafting, and submission without a UAE visit. You only come to the UAE for one day to complete the medical fitness test and Emirates ID biometrics — and only if you want a residency visa. The trade license itself can be issued with zero travel.

Is SPC eligible for 0% UAE Corporate Tax?

Yes. SPC is a recognized UAE Free Zone, so companies qualifying as a Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) can maintain a 0% Corporate Tax rate on qualifying income. Non-qualifying income is taxed at the standard 9% above AED 375,000. SPC companies must register with the Federal Tax Authority within 3 months of incorporation — Formenzo handles this filing.

Why choose SPC over other UAE Free Zones?

AED 5,750 flat licence. 70% Sharjah utility subsidy. Pay-As-You-Go activity combination.. Zero-Visa Licence flat AED 5,750 across 6 licence types. Licence + 1 Visa AED 9,250 — cheapest bundled-visa channel-partner. Banking readiness score: 6/10. Published licence pace: 1 days, subject to document and authority review. Starting cost: AED 5,750. Run Formenzo's 60-second match to compare SPC against indexed UAE formation options based on your nationality, budget, and business activity.

Side-by-side comparisons