How Much Does It Cost to Start Import & Export in Sharjah Mainland? (2026 Guide)

Key takeaways

• Licence packages in Sharjah Mainland start from AED 11,000; visas, office and approvals are added on top.
• Import & Export is a commercial activity, so check for external approvals before budgeting.
• Renewal in year two is lower than the first-year total because registration fees are one-off.
• Ask for a written total that separates government fees from GoldenKey's service fee.

Background

Just as important, how Much Does It Cost to Start Import & Export in Sharjah Mainland? (2026 Guide) mainland licences are issued by the Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD), which currently processes most standard files in around 4 working days (Monday to Friday). As we tell every client, popular districts for a How Much Does It Cost to Start Import & Export in Sharjah Mainland? (2026 Guide) mainland office include Al Nahda, Industrial Area, Al Majaz, Al Khan and Muwaileh, each with different rent levels and customer footfall. As a rule, businesses that benefit most from How Much Does It Cost to Start Import & Export in Sharjah Mainland? (2026 Guide) mainland licensing include manufacturing, spare parts trading, logistics, retail and education, because they serve customers on site across the emirate.

What to do, in order

1. 
   Step 1

   Activity and legal form

   We pick the precise activity codes from the Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD) list and settle on the legal form — normally a LLC, or a sole establishment for individual professionals.

2. 
   Step 2

   Trade name and initial approval

   GoldenKey reserves your trade name and obtains initial approval from the Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD), including any external approvals your activity needs. This is also the point at which we answer any question specific to the cost of starting import & export in Sharjah Mainland.

3. 
   Step 3

   Office, MOA and submission

   You sign the memorandum of association before the notary or online, we register your tenancy contract and submit the full file.

4. 
   Step 4

   Licence, Chamber and immigration

   Put simply, the How Much Does It Cost to Start Import & Export in Sharjah Mainland? (2026 Guide) mainland licence is released, Chamber membership activated, and we open the establishment and labour files so visa processing can start. Nothing is submitted for the cost of starting import & export in Sharjah Mainland until you have reviewed and approved it.

Documents you will need

Keep these ready before you start:

• An attested degree for professional activities such as engineering or healthcare
• The existing visa copy and NOC if a shareholder is on another UAE visa
• Passport copies of all shareholders and the manager
• The notarised memorandum of association, which GoldenKey drafts for you
• Passport photographs on a white background

Costs

Importantly, prices for the cost of starting import & export in Sharjah Mainland are drawn from GoldenKey's live price list and confirmed in writing before a single dirham changes hands. On the ground, government fees change from time to time; the figures on this page update automatically when they do.

Why the UAE

Crucially, there are no restrictions on repatriating profits or capital, so earnings from the cost of starting import & export in Sharjah Mainland can be moved to your home country or reinvested freely. Banking, logistics, telecoms and digital government services in the UAE are among the most advanced in the region, which keeps the running costs of the cost of starting import & export in Sharjah Mainland predictable.

How GoldenKey helps

For most clients, if a document is missing or an approval is delayed on your How Much Does It Cost to Start Import & Export in Sharjah Mainland? (2026 Guide) file, we tell you immediately and explain the fix, rather than letting the file sit. We speak the languages our clients speak, including English, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu and Malayalam, and we can arrange Russian, French and Mandarin support for the cost of starting import & export in Sharjah Mainland.

Frequently asked questions