SPC Free Zone company setup

Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone opened in 2017. It is connected to the Sharjah Book Authority and was the world's first free zone made for the printing and publishing industry. Sharjah really is a leader in Arabic publishing, built over many years, and SPC grew from that.

Like SHAMS, it has grown beyond its first industry. It now covers general trading, e-commerce, IT and consulting, as well as publishing, printing and media. You can combine activities from different industries on one licence.

It offers offices, warehouses, storage and co-working space. This makes it different from zones that only give you a licence and a registered address. If your publishing or print business needs space for its goods, this matters.

The main reason many people choose SPC is its dual licence. This is a free zone licence and a Sharjah mainland licence together, instead of setting up two separate companies.

This solves one of the most common problems in UAE company setup. A free zone licence lets you own 100% of your company and trade with other countries. A mainland licence lets you sell directly to customers inside the UAE as a local supplier. Businesses that need both usually end up with two companies, two sets of accounts, two renewals and complicated tax questions between them.

A dual licence puts this into one company. It needs approval and has conditions. It is not right for everyone, and you must decide before you set up the company, not after. But when it fits, it works well, and very few UAE free zones offer it.

It suits publishers, printers, content and rights businesses, and the media companies around them. This is the industry it was built for, and it has the right facilities. It suits general trading and e-commerce businesses that want Sharjah's lower costs with the option to sell on the mainland. It suits IT and consulting businesses for the same reason. And because of the dual licence, it suits any business that really trades both abroad and inside the UAE.

It does not suit a business that needs a Dubai address for business reasons. It does not suit anything that needs approval from a Dubai authority. And the dual licence is not a shortcut. It is a real mainland licence with real mainland rules. If you do not need the mainland side, do not pay for it.

We apply directly. For SPC, the most useful thing we give you is an honest answer about the dual licence. It is the feature most often oversold, because it sounds like two things for the price of one. It is not. It is one company with two sets of rules, and it is only worth it if your business really works on both sides.

We work with zones in six emirates, including six in Dubai. So when we recommend a Sharjah zone, we could just as easily have set you up in Dubai. That is why our advice means something.

Our free zone company setup has a confirmed starting price, shown on this page with what is not included. The visa, Emirates ID and medical are charged for each person.

The dual licence costs more and is priced separately, because it includes a mainland licence, and mainland licences are priced by business activity. Other websites often hide this behind a low headline price. We give you a written price, with each cost listed, before you commit.

Both are Sharjah free zones that opened in 2017, and both have grown well beyond their first industry. For a simple consultancy or e-commerce business, either one will do the job.

SPC is better when you need physical space, like offices, warehouses or storage, or when you need the dual licence. SHAMS is better for people working for themselves, because of the freelance permit, and for media and creative work.

If neither of these applies to you, the choice depends on how your activity is classified and how many visas you need. We will compare both before we recommend one.