SPC Free Zone, also known as Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone (SPCFZ), operates under the Sharjah Book Authority and is favored by entrepreneurs and foreign investors due to its flexible and business-friendly infrastructure. SPCFZ supports over 1,500 niches and business activities, making it an attractive destination for investors seeking to invest in the UAE’s sustainable economy. As the world’s first publishing free zone, SPCFZ offers tax-free, 100% ownership corporate structures for publishing enterprises, with access to a planned community and prime international reach. SPCFZ boasts a 65,000 square meter footprint, complete with workspaces, IT systems, and various commercial and support services, providing everything necessary for a successful business establishment.
Sharjah is the 3rd largest and most densely populated state of the UAE with its boundaries occupying the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. The entire geographical area of Sharjah comprises 2,600 square Kms that experience an overwhelming flux of around 5 million investors and tourists each year. The geostrategic positioning of Sharjah makes it closer to Africa, Europe, and Central Asia. Being one of the most significant port cities of the UAE with a rich industrial population, it offers remarkable growth opportunities for businesses of all scales.
Recently, Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone (SPCFZ) opened a new opportunity portal for foreign investors after business-friendly amendments in the UAE’s corporate law. The UAE government is committed to taking more business-friendly initiatives to welcome overseas investors and let them enjoy the perks of booming UAE’s economy.
Whether they are Investor-first economic policies or highly-supportive corporate laws, your business setup in Sharjah is destined to reach its summit at a rapid pace. If you want to experience fast-paced business growth with a highly sustainable business ecosystem, a business setup in SPC Free Zone is your perfect decision to date.
This blog post will shed light on some of the crucial aspects that make business setup in the SPC Free Zone vital for any overseas investor and how you can set up a business in the SPC Free Zone.
How to Setup Business in SPC Free Zone?
Wondering how to set up a business in Sharjah Publishing City? Below are the crucial steps necessary to create a business setup in SPC Free Zone:
Step 1: Choose Your Business Activity
Begin by opting for the type and niche for your business activity. The legal liabilities and SPC license cost depend upon the business activity you are going to choose. Different business activities draw different paths of your business setup drive in SPC Free Zone in terms of documentation, legal and regulatory compliances, options of office space, availability of warehouse location, application processing time, etc.
Step 2: Select a Tradename
Choose a unique tradename or brand name as your business identity. Your tradename must reflect your company’s niche, mission, vision, and values. This is the first step in creating your brand identity that will remain the same throughout your business lifecycle. Before opting for a tradename for your business setup in the SPC Free Zone, check out the availability of your desired name in the Department of Economic Development (DED). It will help you discover whether the name you choose as your brand identity is available or follows the legal & moral obligations of the UAE. You cannot choose a tradename with inappropriate hints or words, a linkage with any religious or sectarian group, and the one already occupied by any other business.
Step 3: Apply for SPC Free Zone Trade License
As we have discussed earlier, the process and requirements of an SPC license are subjective to the business activity you opt for. For instance, your target market, niche or industry, products, and services that you are going to include as key pillars in your business model. Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone entertains over 1,500 different business activities. Your SPC trade license is your ultimate portal to create a business setup in SPC FreeZone.
Step 4: Select your office space
SPC Free Zone ensures flexibility of choice when it comes to selecting and finalizing your office location. You can purchase or rent both furnished and unfurnished office spaces based on your needs. Again, your office space and its location are based on the type and scale of your business activities. SPC Free Zones offer a range of office spaces in different locations with different dimensions and availability of particular utilities.
Step 5: Final Approval
The entire registration and approval process of creating a business setup in the SPC Free Zone is seamless and straightforward. Fulfill all your documentation, meet all prerequisites, and complete all the above steps before initiating the registration process for your business setup in SPC Free Zone.
SPC Free Zone Company Formation Requirements
Company formation in SPC Free Zone requires you to fulfill some legal liabilities as per the UAE’s legislature. You need to fulfill the following documents required for company formation in SPC Free Zone.
- Initiate a business registration application with the DED
- Providing your business’s memorandum of association
- Acquiring the Trade License,
- Submitting an application for an establishment card to the Ministry of Labor (issued by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs). The documents required for the said case include:
- Emirates ID
- Passport of UAE sponsor/shareholder (in case of shared partnership in Mainland – Shared partnership is not Obligatory after 2020)
- Old Immigration card
- A valid Trade License
- Copy of Passport with valid visa page of all partners for Free Zone Company
- Confirmed and potential employees must be registered with the Ministry of Labor, with the documents required as under:
- UAE’s Residence Visa/Work Visa
- Copy of Passport with valid visa page
- Employment Agreement
- Labour card
- Emirates ID
Benefits of Setting up a Business in SPC Free Zone
If you are gearing up to start a business setup in SPC Free Zone, you are going to leverage some mindblowing advantages such as:
- Hassle-free license application process with ETA for license delivery of up to 45 minutes
- Quick issuance of Residence visa within 5 business days
- Liberty to integrate up to 5 business activities under the umbrella of a single company
- Flexibility to apply for up to 100 employees visas under a single trade license
- Seamless and quick account opening facility
- 100% ownership of business by foreign investors without any need for a local sponsor
- Most budget-friendly Freezone at the heart of Sharjah with direct access to the infamous Sheikh Zayed Road leading to Dubai
- Zero corporate and personal tax for overseas investors
License Cost in SPC Free Zone
The license cost in Sharjah Publishing City is AED 15,000 with 1-year license validity and a 2-year of business visa and lease contract. You have the liberty to apply with any two business activities of your choice for a single license agreement.
Types of Licenses for Company Setup in SPC Free Zone
The category of licenses issued by the concerned authorities in the SPC Free Zone include:
Cost to Setup Business in Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone
Being the least expensive Emirate in the UAE, the cost of setting up a business in Sharjah is comparatively much lower than in other UAE states. The business setup cost in Sharjah Publishing City (SPC) only includes the SPC license cost and visa fee. You don’t need to show any capital upfront for your business setup in SPC Free Zone. The estimated cost to set up a business in Sharjah ranges from AED 5,000 to AED 30,000 based on your industry, business activities, and scale of business.
Consult Airzone to get linked with experienced business setup professionals who can help you calculate the accurate estimate of the initial investment you require to set up a business in the SPC Free Zone.
Best Businesses to Start in SPC Free Zone
You can ensure maximum growth opportunities in various niches and industries for your business setup in SPC Free Zone. Some of the most promising and convincing niches for business setup in the SPC Free Zone include:
- Digital Marketing Agency
- Books Publishing
- Videography/Photography
- Trading
- eCommerce
- Accounting & Tax consultancy
- Educational activities
Business Activities Allowed & Restricted in SPC Free Zone
You can create a business setup in SPC Free Zone belonging to different niches and scales. The UAE’s Legal framework primarily permits Limited Liability Companies (LLC) of sole or share ownership. Local or You can also open branches of your company based in other Free Zones of UAE.
SPC Freezone gives you the flexibility of adding up to 5 business activities under one SPC Free Zone trade license. Some of the business activities allowed in the SPC Free Zone that you can opt for include:
- Camping & Picnic parks
- Courier services
- Educational support services
- Food & Hospitality
- Metallurgy
- Clothing, Jewelry & Lifestyle
- Digital Media Publishing and Arts
- Transport services
- Personal services like Day Care, Old homes
- Retail trade of books and other stationary items
- Software house
- Warehouses and Inventory hubs
Business activities that do not align with the moral and ethical values of the UAE are not allowed in SPC Free Zone such as:
- Gambing/Casinos
- Selling Alcoholic Beverages
- Selling or publishing of magazines or flyers with inappropriate visuals or content.
Facilities Available in SPC Free Zone
SPC Freezone is known for its high-end office locations, enormous warehouses, easy-to-access inventory locations, etc. Another dominating feature of SPC Freezone is the availability of a Dual License as a combo of a Freezone & Mainland License, issued by the Freezone. A dual license is a perfect deal and one of the most attractive facilities in SPC for businesses that focus on trading, eCommerce, financial services, etc.
Some tangible facilities offered by SPC Free Zone include:
- Coworking spaces – To allow young entrepreneurs to work in shared office spaces or hackerspaces without investing too much in a separate office space for your small business or startup.
- Dedicated office spaces – For mid-sized businesses or enterprises, business owners can rent or buy dedicated office spaces of different sizes. Either they can choose to acquire furnished or unfurnished office spaces. Furnished offices come with all the necessary furniture and office equipment.
- Retail – For retail trade businesses, SPC Free Zone offers retail shops with enough space and facilities required to run day-to-day activities.
- Warehouse spaces – Enterprise-scale businesses can acquire warehouse spaces to stock the inventory of all scales to ensure quick delivery of services. The warehouse options available in SPC Free Zone are specifically built for smooth logistic operations in richly communicated geolocations.
- Storage spaces – You can also rent or buy office spaces with dedicated storage spaces suitable to stock in-house inventory or other necessary types of equipment. For instance, a film production company can rent an office space with a connected storage area to store their cameras and other filmmaking equipment.
Can I Transfer My Company From SPC Free Zone to Another Free Zone in UAE?
You cannot transfer your company from one Free Zone to another but open another branch in any of the Free Zone of your choice in other UAE states. But you can also open a branch of your SPC Free Zone business in UAE mainland regions.
The only way possible to relocate your business to another Free Zone in Sharjah or another UAE state is to abandon your existing company and trade license in SPC Free Zone. Then, go through the entire process of tradename approval, business activities approval, new budgeting, trade license process, etc. Therefore, it is recommended to opt for opening a branch of your existing SPC Free Zone business setup in your desired Free Zone.
FAQs About Bussines Setup in SPC Free Zone
What is Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone?
Do I Need to Have a Local Partner to Start My Company in SPC?
Sharjah Publishing City is a Free Zone in Sharjah and offers you 100 percent ownership of your business without any need for local sponsors or shareholders.
How Many Days Would It Take To Get My License for My Business in SPC?
From the day you apply for your license in SPC Free Zone, SPC FZ takes just 45 minutes to process your SPC business license.
How Airzone Can Help You Set up a Business in SPC?
Airzone can make the right information and resources regarding company formation in SPC Free Zone or elsewhere in the UAE easily accessible to you. We are committed to serving our client base by helping them get on board with our trusted business formation service providers to help them accelerate their process of company formation in the SPC Free Zone.
With the right and dedicated support of our trusted company formation partners, you can set up a business in SPC Free Zone in a hassle-free manner. Feel free to get connected with Airzone to get in touch with our trusted partners in Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone. Acquire your trade license, open your Free Zone bank account, set up your business in SPC Free Zone, and gain exposure to the booming UAE economy.
SPC is famous for offering sustainable business growth and remarkable opportunities for local and overseas investors. Free Zones in UAE are the eye candy of overseas investors and entrepreneurs gearing up to set up their businesses in this amazing land of opportunities. Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone is among the top business destination in the UAE and attracts a gigantic flux of overseas investors by offering a range of privileges. Connect with Airzone to begin your business setup in SPC Free Zone and leverage the perks of zero tax, 100 percent business ownership, and other facilities in SPC discussed above.