A SHAMS licence through SwiftHub starts at AED 5,750. SHAMS publishes its own rates, and it publishes three of them: from AED 5,760 for a media or e-commerce licence, AED 6,500 for the Trader Package covering e-commerce plus general trading, and AED 11,000 for a trading or service licence with no visa quota.
Three published prices for one zone confuses people more than a single price would. They are not tiers of the same thing. They describe different licences with different activity scopes, and the cheapest is not the entry-level version of the dearest.
Which of the three you actually need
| SHAMS publishes | Price | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Media or e-commerce licence | From AED 5,760 | A single narrow activity, typically media, publishing or selling online without stock |
| Trader Package | AED 6,500 | E-commerce plus general trading, which is the combination most online sellers actually need |
| Trading or service licence, no visa quota | AED 11,000 | A licence deliberately issued without visa allocation, for someone who already has residency elsewhere |
Our side, itemised
| Line | Cost |
|---|---|
| SHAMS licence through SwiftHub | From AED 5,750 |
| Corporate tax and VAT registration | AED 600 |
| Bank account assistance, standard activity | AED 1,000 |
| Residence visa, our fees per person | AED 200 typing, AED 300 unemployment insurance, AED 300 portal access, health cover from AED 500 |
Government immigration charges — entry permit, status change, medical, Emirates ID — are billed at cost on top and depend on nationality and where the applicant is applying from.
What SHAMS is for
Media, publishing, e-commerce and creative work. It is Sharjah Media City, and the activity list reflects that origin even though it has widened considerably. If you are a designer, a content business, an agency or an online seller, this is a zone built for you rather than one tolerating you.
SHAMS also runs its own public cost calculator, which is unusual and worth using alongside ours. A zone willing to publish its numbers is easier to plan around than one that is not — IFZA publishes nothing at all, for contrast.
Where it costs you
- Sharjah, not Dubai. For most businesses this is irrelevant. For a few clients it is not, and only you know which you have.
- Activity fit. The wider the licence you need, the more the price moves. The AED 5,760 figure is the entry price for a narrow scope.
- Mainland customers. Same constraint as every free zone: reaching them means a distributor or a mainland licence.
Renewal
Annual for the licence, two years for visas. SHAMS publishes setup pricing but not a renewal schedule, so ask for the renewal figure in writing before you commit to year one. Ajman Media City publishes renewals alongside setup prices and is worth comparing if year-two predictability matters to you.
Against the alternatives
SPC Free Zone starts lower at AED 4,999 and caps visas differently. RAKEZ costs more but has warehousing. The cheapest free zone licences compares on price alone, and the free zone comparison compares on everything else.
SHAMS cost questions
Because they are three different licences, not three tiers. An entry licence for media or e-commerce work, a Trader Package bundling e-commerce with general trading, and a trading or service licence issued without visa quota.
Usually the Trader Package at AED 6,500, because e-commerce alone often is not enough once you are buying and reselling goods. Describe what you will actually sell and we will confirm before you pay for the wrong scope.
Someone who already has UAE residency through a spouse, a golden visa or another employer, and needs a company rather than a visa. It costs more than the entry setup and deliberately carries no visa allocation.
It is Sharjah Media City, so yes by design. The activity list started with media and publishing and has widened from there, which is different from a general zone adding media activities to a list.
The entry packages are built around shared facilities rather than private offices. What you need depends on your activity and your visa count, and it is worth settling before you compare prices between zones.
Prices last reviewed 22 October 2026. SHAMS's published rates were checked on its own site: its start page and its e-commerce cost guide give the entry licence from AED 5,760 (two older SHAMS articles still say AED 5,750), and its Trader Package announcement gives AED 6,500 for the Trader Package and AED 11,000 for a licence with no visa quota. They are attributed to SHAMS. Our figures are indicative rather than an offer, and your quote is confirmed in writing before anything is filed.
