SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free ZoneSetup cost, licence types and visa rules
Sharjah
Airport-adjacent Sharjah free zone with on-site customs and warehousing.
SAIF Zone sits on the Sharjah International Airport site and has been operating since 1995, hosting more than 8,000 companies from around 165 countries. It combines airport-adjacent warehousing and on-site customs facilities with road access to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi ports, which is the practical reason traders base distribution there rather than in Dubai. Space options run from the flexi-style SAIF Office and the roughly 21 square metre SAIF Suite through warehouses with built-in offices to land plots of 2,500 square metres and up, plus dedicated Jewellery Park units. Visa allocation is tied to facility type, and the authority publishes the visa counts attached to its office packages even though it does not publish their prices. It is a VAT Designated Zone, and financing is available through a partnership with Emirates Development Bank.
Visit Official Website"Not scored" means we found no evidence for that dimension, not that the zone scored zero. Compare zones against each other, not against 10.
How much does SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone cost?
SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone does not publish its pricing. That is the finding, not a gap in our data.
SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone does not publish its pricing
We checked on 22 August 2026 and found no published figure. That is a finding about SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone, not a gap in our data: every "from AED …" number you will see for this zone elsewhere is a consultant's quote presented as an authority price. We would rather show you nothing than show you that.
What its site does show: Consultancy sites quote around AED 10,800 to set up and AED 13,350 to renew at SAIF Zone. Neither figure traces back to any SAIF source. What SAIF does publish: two tiers — SAIF Office, which carries a 3-visa quota, and SAIF Suite, which carries an 8-visa quota — both offered with a payment plan across four instalments. Pricing itself is given on a scheduled call with a business advisor rather than published.
Get a quote for SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free ZoneWhat licence types does SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone issue?
SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone publishes 2 licence types: Standard License and Multi-Activity License. The licence you hold sets which activities you may carry out, and in most zones it also drives the visa allocation and the workspace you are required to take.
Permitted activities
How many visas does a SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone licence carry?
SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone publishes a maximum allocation of 8 residence visas. There is no federal quota: every zone sets its own, and the number is normally tied to a package tier or to the floor area you lease rather than to the licence type.
- Maximum published allocation
- 8
What office options does SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone offer?
SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone publishes 5 workspace options: SAIF Office (flexi-style), SAIF Suite (executive suite ~21 sqm), Warehouse with built-in office, Land plot (2,500+ sqm), Jewellery Park unit. SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone requires a physical presence in the zone, so the workspace cost is part of the real entry price rather than an optional extra.
Published workspace options: SAIF Office (flexi-style), SAIF Suite (executive suite ~21 sqm), Warehouse with built-in office, Land plot (2,500+ sqm), Jewellery Park unit. Important: a virtual address or flexi-desk satisfies the free zone's own licensing rule but is a separate question from the adequate-substance test that a Qualifying Free Zone Person must meet to claim the 0% Corporate Tax rate. Setup timeline as published by the zone: Marketed as up and running in 1 hour via a 3-step process. What the published entry price covers, as stated by the source: Consultant-quoted (Emirabiz) figure for an Office / Standard Licence plus flexi-desk, 1 year, 3 visas. SAIF's own site publishes no package prices and uses a contact-for-quote model.
Tax and compliance at SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone
SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone publishes no blanket audit obligation of its own. Separately, every free zone company in the UAE falls under Federal Decree-Law 47 of 2022: the 0% rate applies only to the qualifying income of a Qualifying Free Zone Person, and a QFZP must file audited accounts at any revenue under Ministerial Decision 84 of 2025. Non-qualifying income is taxed at 9%.
- Regulatory authority
- Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority (SAIF)
- Zone-level audit requirement
- Not published as a blanket requirement
Tax treatment the authority publishes
- 0% Corporate Tax on Qualifying Income for a Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) - conditional, not automatic
- 9% Corporate Tax on any income that is not Qualifying Income; the AED 375,000 zero-rate band does not apply to a QFZP
- 0% personal income tax in the UAE
- 100% repatriation of capital and profits, with no UAE exchange controls
- QFZP status requires adequate free zone substance, arm's length pricing, transfer pricing documentation, audited accounts and non-qualifying revenue within the de minimis limit (lower of AED 5,000,000 or 5% of revenue)
- Small Business Relief is NOT available to a Qualifying Free Zone Person
- VAT Designated Zone: goods entering from outside the UAE or moving between Designated Zones are generally outside the scope of 5% VAT (goods only - services are taxed normally)
Substance requirements
Federal position (applies to every UAE free zone): to claim the 0% Qualifying Free Zone Person rate a company must maintain adequate substance in the free zone - core income-generating activity carried out there, plus adequate assets, an adequate number of qualified full-time employees and adequate operating expenditure relative to that activity (Cabinet Decision No. 100 of 2023, Art. 8). Under Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025 every Qualifying Free Zone Person must prepare audited financial statements regardless of revenue; a free zone company that is not a QFZP needs audited accounts only where revenue exceeds AED 50,000,000. Economic Substance Regulations notifications and reports were cancelled for financial years ending after 31 December 2022 by Cabinet Decision No. 98 of 2024, so ESR is no longer a live annual filing. UBO disclosure under Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023 does still apply. Zone-level audit position: the research found only conditional evidence for this zone (an approved-auditor programme or published exemption rules) and no directly quoted primary regulation. The audit_required flag is therefore recorded as false because the field cannot express 'conditional' - it does not mean an audit is never required here. The federal rules above apply in any case.
Customs treatment
This zone is recorded as a VAT Designated Zone. Goods imported into it from outside the UAE, and goods moved between Designated Zones, are generally outside the scope of 5% VAT while the conditions in the VAT Executive Regulations are met; goods released into the UAE mainland are treated as an import and attract 5% VAT plus applicable customs duty. Designated Zone status covers GOODS only - services supplied to UAE customers are subject to 5% VAT exactly as on the mainland. Designated Zone status derives from Cabinet Decision No. 59 of 2017 as amended and should be re-checked against the FTA's current list.
Profit repatriation
The UAE imposes no exchange controls and no restrictions on repatriating capital or profits from a free zone company, and there is no personal income tax on distributions to individuals. Corporate Tax is assessed on the company, not on the remittance.
Ownership
100% foreign ownership is permitted. No UAE national shareholder, local sponsor or service agent is required.
- Local partner
- Not required
Why there is no banking section
We publish no per-zone bank lists, acceptance rates or account-opening timelines, here or anywhere else on the site. No bank and no regulator publishes that data by free zone. Account opening is a decision each bank makes on your shareholders and your activity — it is not a property of the zone you register in, and any site that scores it per zone is inventing a fact.
Who SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone suits
Every line below is a restatement of something SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone publishes, not a recommendation we were paid to make. We are not a reseller for any zone on this site, which is why the right-hand column exists at all.
Consider it if
- You want 100% foreign ownership with no local partner.
- You need to sponsor up to 8 people — that is the published maximum allocation.
Don't pick this if
- You are not ready to lease space: a physical presence in the zone is required.
- You want a firm number before you talk to anyone: this zone publishes none, so you will have to request a quote.
Key benefits, as SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone states them
These are the selling points the authority publishes about itself. We reproduce them; we do not endorse them.
Common questions about SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone
Does SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone publish its setup cost?
SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone does not publish its pricing. That is the finding, not a gap in our data. Consultancy sites quote around AED 10,800 to set up and AED 13,350 to renew at SAIF Zone. Neither figure traces back to any SAIF source. What SAIF does publish: two tiers — SAIF Office, which carries a 3-visa quota, and SAIF Suite, which carries an 8-visa quota — both offered with a payment plan across four instalments. Pricing itself is given on a scheduled call with a business advisor rather than published.
What licence types does SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone issue?
SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone publishes 2 licence types: Standard License and Multi-Activity License.
How many visas does a SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone licence carry?
SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone publishes a maximum allocation of 8 residence visas. Allocation is set by the zone, not federally, and is usually tied to a package tier or to the workspace you lease.
Can a foreign investor own 100% of a company in SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone?
100% foreign ownership is permitted. No UAE national shareholder, local sponsor or service agent is required.
What tax treatment applies to a SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone company?
SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone publishes the following: 0% Corporate Tax on Qualifying Income for a Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) - conditional, not automatic, 9% Corporate Tax on any income that is not Qualifying Income; the AED 375,000 zero-rate band does not apply to a QFZP, 0% personal income tax in the UAE, 100% repatriation of capital and profits, with no UAE exchange controls, QFZP status requires adequate free zone substance, arm's length pricing, transfer pricing documentation, audited accounts and non-qualifying revenue within the de minimis limit (lower of AED 5,000,000 or 5% of revenue), Small Business Relief is NOT available to a Qualifying Free Zone Person and VAT Designated Zone: goods entering from outside the UAE or moving between Designated Zones are generally outside the scope of 5% VAT (goods only - services are taxed normally). The 0% federal rate applies only to the qualifying income of a Qualifying Free Zone Person; other income is taxed at 9%.
Where is SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone located?
SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone is a free zone in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Compare SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone against
- HFZA - Hamriyah Free ZoneAlso in Sharjah · Not published
- Shams - Sharjah Media CityAlso in Sharjah · AED 6,500
- SPC Free Zone - Sharjah Publishing CityAlso in Sharjah · AED 5,750
- ADAFZ - Abu Dhabi Airports Free ZoneAlso publishes no pricing · Not published
- ADGM - Abu Dhabi Global MarketAlso publishes no pricing · Not published
Guides that cover Sharjah and this zone's situation
- UAE Free Zone Hidden Costs: The 19 Zones That Won't Tell You What They Charge
We tried to price all 40 UAE free zones. Nineteen still publish nothing usable. Here is exactly what blocks each one, and how to get a written quote.
- 0% Free Zone Corporate Tax: The Eight QFZP Conditions as a Checklist
Free zone 0% corporate tax has eight conditions, and all must be met. The full checklist, including the audit rule with no revenue threshold.
- Ministerial Decision 229 of 2025: Qualifying Activities, and Why MD 265 Content Is Stale
Ministerial Decision 229 of 2025 repealed MD 265 of 2023 retroactively from June 2023. The current qualifying activities list and what expanded.
Cost data for SAIF Zone - Sharjah Airport International Free Zone was last checked against Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority's own site on 22 August 2026. We publish no figure for this zone rather than repeat one we cannot source. We do not charge to be listed, to be listed accurately, or to be ranked. If something here is wrong or out of date, send us the page that says so and we will correct it and re-date the record.