Company Setup with Sharjah Media City (Shams) in Sharjah
Sharjah · Freezone
Originally built for media and creative industries, Shams has expanded well beyond that and now covers consulting, e-commerce, education, and technology businesses. Sharjah government backing helps with UAE bank account applications, and its track record with local banks is better than many zones at a similar price point.
A Sharjah freezone licence from AED 5,750 a year: media, marketing, e-commerce and more
Set up a Sharjah Media City (Shams) company from AED 5,750 per year (indicative), and get a real UAE trade licence with a Sharjah address, government backing behind your bank application, and a route to residence visas. We handle the whole thing (licence, documents and bank introductions) so you get a working company, not a pile of forms.
Your exact figure depends on your activity, the number of visas you need and your office option, so treat AED 5,750 as the starting point. We will price your specific setup precisely in one free call.
Get your exact Shams price and the fastest route to a live bank account: one free call, no obligation. Get my quote
What Shams licenses
Shams began as a home for media and creative businesses, and it still licenses activities across media, marketing and design. But it has grown well past that. It now covers consulting, e-commerce, education and technology businesses too. If your activity sits in any of these areas, Shams is worth putting on the shortlist.
One of its real strengths is banking. Sharjah government backing helps with UAE bank account applications, and Shams has a stronger track record with local banks than many zones at a similar price point. That matters more than a small difference in licence fee. A cheap licence you cannot get a bank account behind is a false economy.
How long it takes and what you will need
Most freezone setups complete in 3 to 15 working days after your documents are submitted, depending on the package and visa count. To start, you will typically need passport copies for each shareholder, passport photos, and your chosen business activity and company name. We confirm the exact list for your case before anything is submitted, so nothing bounces back.
How we handle it
We have started 1,400+ companies over 19+ years, so this is routine work for us. We prepare and check your file to the authority's exact specifications, submit it, and manage it through to your licence being issued. Then we move straight into the bank account. This is where our track record earns its place: we have named contacts at 10+ UAE banks and have opened 1,000+ accounts, so we know exactly what each bank's compliance team will ask before they ask it.
Approval always rests with the bank and the authority. No honest consultant guarantees it. But a clean, correctly-built file is what makes approval straightforward in practice, and that is the part we control.
See how free zone company formation works, or read about bank account opening if that is your priority.
Get your exact price
Tell us your activity and how many visas you need, and we will give you the precise Shams cost, a realistic timeline, and the bank most likely to say yes to your profile.