Free zone company
Company setup in SAIF Zone, the Sharjah Airport free zone
SAIF Zone is the Sharjah Airport International Free Zone, set up in 1995 next to Sharjah International Airport. It issues trade, service and industrial licences and leases offices, warehouses and land. It suits trading, logistics and light manufacturing companies that want air cargo access and storage space. Caliph prepares the application and deals with the authority for you.
At a glance Fact sheet
- Emirate
- Sharjah
- Authority
- Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority
- Location
- Adjacent to Sharjah International Airport
- Known for
- Trading, logistics, light and medium manufacturing, jewellery manufacturing
- Ownership
- 100% foreign ownership
- Office options
- Furnished and unfurnished offices, pre-built warehouses, land plots, a jewellery park
Overview
SAIF Zone has been licensing companies since 1995, which makes it one of the longer-established free zones in the UAE. It sits beside Sharjah International Airport and a few kilometres from Sharjah's seaports, so goods can arrive by air and leave by sea or road. The authority says the zone hosts more than 8,000 companies from 160 countries.
It is a working zone more than an office address. Alongside furnished offices you find pre-built warehouses, plots of land for your own warehouse or factory, container parking and staff accommodation inside the zone. There is also a dedicated park for jewellery manufacturing.
SAIF Zone uses three licence types and three main legal forms. A company with one owner is a Free Zone Establishment, a company with several owners is a Free Zone Company, and an existing business can open a branch. Which combination fits depends on your activity, and your Caliph consultant confirms what applies to you.
What SAIF Zone gives a trading or industrial business
Air cargo next door
The zone is adjacent to Sharjah International Airport, so air shipments reach your warehouse without a long road leg.
Sea and air from one base
Sharjah's ports are close by, which helps if you bring goods in by sea and send them out by air, or the reverse.
Warehouses ready to use
Pre-built warehouses come in several sizes, so a trading company can start storing goods without building anything.
Land when you outgrow a unit
Plots are available for companies that want to build their own warehouse or factory.
Services inside the gate
Customs, immigration, banks and staff accommodation operate within the zone, which keeps routine tasks close.
What to have ready for SAIF Zone
- Passport copies of the owner or shareholders and the manager
- The licence type you need: trade, service or industrial
- The products or services you will deal in
- Your choice of facility: office, warehouse or land
- Proposed company names
- For a branch, the parent company's licence, incorporation documents and a board resolution
- For an industrial licence, details of the production process for the zone's health and environment review
SAIF Zone publishes a document list for each company type. Your consultant checks your file against the current version.
How setup in SAIF Zone works
Choose the licence
Trade for import, export and storage, service for a named service, or industrial for manufacturing and assembly.
Choose the facility
An office for a trading or service firm, a warehouse if you hold stock, or land if you plan to build.
Choose the legal form
A Free Zone Establishment for one owner, a Free Zone Company for several, or a branch of an existing company.
Submit the application
Caliph completes the forms, attaches the documents and files them with the authority.
Lease and licence
You sign the lease and the company documents, and the authority issues the licence.
Visas and customs
We arrange residence visas within the allocation for your facility and help you register with customs if you trade goods.
Good to know
- A trade licence in SAIF Zone covers a limited number of similar product lines. If your range is wide, raise this early so the licence is set up correctly.
- Industrial licences need clearance from the zone's health and environment department.
- Visa allocation is tied to the facility you lease, so the office or warehouse you pick affects how many people you can sponsor.
Questions people ask
What does SAIF Zone stand for?
SAIF Zone is the Sharjah Airport International Free Zone. It was established in 1995 and is run by the Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority. The zone is in the emirate of Sharjah, next to Sharjah International Airport.
Which licences can I get in SAIF Zone?
The authority issues three types. A trade licence covers import, export, distribution and storage. A service licence covers the specific service named on it, such as consultancy or freight forwarding. An industrial licence covers manufacturing, processing, assembly and packaging, and needs a health and environment clearance.
What is the difference between an FZE and an FZC?
Both are limited liability entities with their own legal identity. A Free Zone Establishment has a single owner, who can be a person or a company. A Free Zone Company has more than one shareholder. If you already run a business elsewhere, you can open a branch instead.
Can I rent a warehouse or land in SAIF Zone?
Yes. The zone offers pre-built warehouses in several sizes and plots of land where you can build your own warehouse or factory. It also has container parking, staff accommodation and a jewellery manufacturing park. Your consultant checks current availability with the authority.
How does SAIF Zone compare with a Dubai free zone?
The model is close to an airport or port zone in Dubai: full foreign ownership, duty exemptions and space inside a gated area. The difference is location. SAIF Zone uses Sharjah's airport and ports, and it suits companies whose staff and suppliers are in Sharjah or the northern emirates. Caliph compares both against your routes.
Can a SAIF Zone company sell to customers on the UAE mainland?
A free zone company trades inside its zone and internationally. To supply mainland customers it normally works through a mainland distributor or sets up a mainland branch, and goods leaving the zone for the local market pass through customs. Tell your consultant if local sales are part of the plan.
Reviewed by Caliph Business Solutions on . Rules differ by activity and by authority. Your Caliph consultant confirms what applies to you.
Ready to establish your company in the UAE?
Book a free consultation. Tell us what you want to open and we come back with the route, the documents and the cost.
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