Sharjah SEDD licence fees and renewal

Other government entities' fees are charged on top, and general trade, contracting, engineering consultancy and real estate carry extra fees.

Unlike emirates that publish a flat fee per licence category, the Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD) states its main licence charge as a percentage. Its FAQ, under the heading License Issuance and Renewal Fees, gives two rates:

• All UAE national partners: issuing and renewing a licence costs 8% of the lease, site area or activity basis;
• Partners of other nationalities: issuing and renewing a licence costs 13% of the lease, site area or activity basis.

The FAQ words the base as 'the lease / site area / depending on activity'. It does not explain how SEDD chooses between rent and area, or which activities use a different base, so ask SEDD for a fee estimate on your actual lease before you sign it.

The same answer adds two warnings. First, fees for other government entities related to the licence are charged in addition. Second, additional fees are charged for four activity groups: general trade, contracting, engineering consultancy and real estate. If your activity falls into one of these, the percentage is not the whole bill.

Because the charge is linked to the lease, the same business can pay very different SEDD fees depending on the premises it chooses. Budget the licence and the lease together.

SEDD lists the same document sets for limited liability companies, general and limited partnerships, sole proprietorships and service agent licences. For a new licence it asks for:

• a trade name certificate;
• copies of passport and Emirates ID for local investors, and for foreign investors where required;
• approval from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs;
• a no objection letter for a foreign investor who works for a government or federal entity in Sharjah;
• court permission for minors under 18, if relevant;
• a technical evaluation report from the Commercial Control Section;
• a certified copy of the lease contract and title deed, where required;
• approvals from official entities linked to the activity, and the presence of the parties or their legal representatives.

Renewal is shorter: copies of investors' passports and IDs where required, a certified lease and title deed where required, and any activity approvals. In practice the lease is the document that matters most at renewal, because it drives the 8% or 13% fee. If the rent has changed, expect the fee to change with it.

SEDD lists flat fees for changes to an existing licence:

• register amendment: AED 500, 1,000, 1,500 or 2,000 depending on legal status;
• printing: AED 300;
• adding an activity: AED 300 per activity;
• technical evaluation: AED 150;
• adding a partner or service agent: AED 500 per partner;
• removing a partner or service agent: AED 500 per partner;
• billboard: AED 200.

The Legal Affairs section of the same FAQ adds a commercial mortgage registration fee of AED 1,500. Changing a trade name or activity also requires an advertisement in a daily local newspaper for seven days, which is a separate cost.

The FAQ does not price everything. Signboard fees, for example, are described as calculated from the content, logo, background colour and height, plus any additional panel, screen or electronic display. Promotional permits are priced by the number of months selected. For anything not listed, ask SEDD or a Tasheel centre for an estimate.

If your company also needs a branch elsewhere in the UAE, see our guide to opening a branch in another emirate.

SEDD's fee list for cancellation shows what an expired licence can cost. The FAQ lists:

• cancellation declaration fee: AED 350;
• commercial registration clearance fee: AED 500 where the licence expired less than one year ago;
• AED 1,000 where the licence has been expired for one or two years;
• AED 1,500 where it has been expired for more than two years.

The same block then states that 25% of the total fees due for the licence are paid in addition to the delay penalties, with a maximum of AED 3,000 per licence. The FAQ places this line under the cancellation heading without saying exactly when it applies, so confirm with SEDD how it would be calculated for your licence.

Two other FAQ answers matter here. A licence that has been expired for more than five years is administratively cancelled. And a licence can be frozen if it has been issued for more than two consecutive years, the business still carries on its licensed activity, and there is no dispute before a judicial body.

Cancelling also needs the establishment card cancelled at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. For the tax side of closing, see our Sharjah SEDD licence cancellation tax steps.

SEDD also issues the Eitimad domestic licence, a home-based licence for UAE nationals residing in Sharjah. According to the Eitimad section of the FAQ:

• issue costs AED 1,200 and annual renewal AED 1,000;
• social assistance beneficiaries get a 50% discount on issue or renewal;
• the licence lasts one year, and a fine of AED 200 applies if it is not renewed within one month of expiry;
• cancellation costs AED 570;
• food activities need Sharjah City Municipality requirements, a site inspection, a health card, a training course and a Public Health Administration fee of AED 880.

Applicants must be at least 18, reside in Sharjah and provide the property owner's approval. Eitimad holders may work in all emirates but may not bring in workers. GCC citizens' eligibility is listed as under consideration. The licence can be renewed through the SEDD website or eitimad.sedd.gov.ae.

The figures on this page come from SEDD's English FAQ as archived by the Internet Archive on 17 July 2025. We could not load sedd.ae directly when checking in October 2026, so treat them as the most recent SEDD-published list we could read, not as a confirmed 2026 schedule.

Before you rely on them:

1. ask SEDD or a Tasheel centre for a written fee estimate based on your lease and activity;
2. check whether your activity is in the general trade, contracting, engineering consultancy or real estate groups that carry extra fees;
3. add the fees of other government entities the FAQ mentions, such as activity approvals;
4. renew on time, because clearance fees rise with the length of expiry.

For the accounting and tax set-up that follows the licence, see our Sharjah company setup and accounting guide.

• Issue and renewal: 8% of the lease, site area or activity basis where all partners are UAE nationals; 13% where any partner is of another nationality.
• On top: fees of other government entities, plus extra fees for general trade, contracting, engineering consultancy and real estate.
• Amendments: priced per item, such as AED 300 per added activity and AED 500 per partner added or removed.
• Late renewal: clearance fees of AED 500, 1,000 or 1,500 rise with the length of expiry.
• Eitimad home licence: AED 1,200 to issue and AED 1,000 to renew, for UAE nationals residing in Sharjah.
• Before you budget: the figures are SEDD's FAQ list as archived in July 2025, so ask SEDD or a Tasheel centre for a written estimate on your lease.