Sharjah is the third largest Emirate and a sea full of possibilities. This growing Emirate shares its borders with well-established Dubai and Abudhabi. Sharjah is the only Emirate country which has immediate access to the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf on either side. Sharjah has a favourable pace of development and contributes to a fair share of the GDP of the UAE.
Sharjah has been in the constant run to realign its policies to enhance better structural development by making it favourable for the access of both entrepreneurs and investors.
Types of Business Structures in Sharjah
- Limited Liability Company: A limited company is where the stakeholders liability is limited to the extent to which they have proposed to give. The minimum number of partners in a limited liability company is 2, and the maximum is 50.
- Partnership Company: A partnership company is where two or more companies come together as partners and jointly share the liability.
- Business Partnership License: It is formed and owned by one person to carry out economic activities. As it is a one-person administered company, all the financial liability will be limited to him.
- Foreign Company Branch: It is an extension of an already established company of some other nationality.
- Local Company Branch. An already established company having business in another emirate.
- Public or Private shareholding company: In a public shareholding company, shareholders have limited liability and possess equally-valued shares. Whereas, Private shareholding companies have a set of rules that has to be followed under the purview of the emirate. Any person who has signed the MoA becomes the founder of the company, and there should be at least 10 founders for a private shareholding company.
Types of Licences Required for doing Business in Sharjah
- Commercial or General Trading Licence: This helps you to consolidate, store, warehouse, import and export specified goods. The Sharjah Economic Development Department has the authority to issue this licence.
- Service Licence: It is required to carry out specific services listed under the licence.
- Manufacturing or Industrial Licence: It requires approvals from the Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Economy and Commerce and various other departments for the granting of this licence.
The first step to doing business in Sharjah is to know where you plan to set up your business; Mainland or Free Zones. Business setup in Sharjah mainland means he or she has the flexibility to do business anywhere in the UAE. According to the new amendments, entrepreneurs can set up a business with one-hundred per cent foreign ownership. It also does not levy any taxes and has zero limitations on employment visas. Free zones also provide world-class infrastructure, tax exemptions, full foreign ownership etc. By choosing a free zone for setting up your business, you can get better access to strategic locations, closer to warehousing facilities, cargo airports and seaports.
The ease of doing business in Sharjah is one of the many reasons why investors and entrepreneurs flock to Sharjah.
Some of the reasons are:
- The growth of Sharjah is exponential and it gives a solid ground for businesses to flourish. The industrial areas in Sharjah prove the reason for the same; it contributes a fair good percentage of UAE’s GDP.
- Sharjah is home to many international banks and is technically well-advanced. How to
- Sharjah is a tax haven. The industries established in Sharjah have not levied any taxes.
- Sharjah offers alluring government incentives to investors.
- There are multiple entry visa options for entrepreneurs
- It’s a hub of efficient infrastructure development.
- Companies can deliver their products directly to their customers.
- Certain LLCs in Sharjah need not conform to the rules and regulations on minimum capital requirements.
Process/ How to Set Up a Business Easily in Sharjah?
- The business setup is the first and foremost decision to be made while planning to establish a business in Sharjah.
- Register the business with Sharjah Economic Development Department and fill out an application form from the website of Sharjah Chambers of Commerce.
- Apply for the respective business license in Sharjah.
- Registration of the trade name is the next step. The name chosen should be unique and should not represent any existing business. The business also needs to acquire municipality approval.
- The next step is to draft the MoA of the company with all the relevant details after that, it has to be notarized.
- A lease agreement which denotes hiring local employees and physical rented space has to be submitted.
- The final step is the payment of the licence fee and the registration process is completed
Following these steps efficiently will help you enjoy the vast benefits and perks Sharjah has to offer. Its ideal location placement and easy-to-access policies make it a well-sought-after space for giving the heads up for your business expansion.
