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Tier 3 · Sharjah

Sharjah Healthcare City

Sharjah Healthcare City Free Zone

Al Rahmaniya (Mazairah/Mezairah), adjacent to Sharjah International Airport · Est. 2012 · Sharjah Healthcare City (independent body regulated by the Sharjah Health Authority); SHA chairman also chairs SHCC

AED 10,000/ yr
high confidenceVerified 18 Jul 2026official ↗
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Best for

Healthcare operators - clinics, day-surgery centres, labs, rehab/wellness centres, pharma and medical-equipment companies - that want a Sharjah base with an integrated health regulator and airport-adjacent campus, and are comfortable with quote-based pricing.

Not ideal for

Non-healthcare businesses, budget/virtual-office seekers, founders who need transparent published pricing, and anyone needing a large ready-made business community or fast commodity-style licensing.

01Capability profile

Six independent dimensions, scored from official zone data.

?
Banking10/15
?
Visa scale15/15
?
Cost (lower=better)17/20
?
Activity breadth20/25
?
Workspace options12/15
?
Location6/10
02Where Sharjah Healthcare City sits

Tick marks for every zone, Sharjah Healthcare City highlighted. The shape of the field, not just the rank.

Year 1 cost← lower is better

Sharjah Healthcare City: 60th percentile (AED 10,000) · Licence + registration, AED.

Setup time← lower is better

Sharjah Healthcare City: 40th percentile (10 days) · Total estimated days from application to operational.

Visa caphigher is better →

Sharjah Healthcare City: 40th percentile (50 visas) · Absolute maximum visa allocation. Values above 500 clipped to the right edge so the bulk of the distribution stays readable.

Banking ease← better
Easy
4
Moderate
73
Difficult
15
Very difficult
1

Sharjah Healthcare City: Moderate · Corporate bank account opening difficulty. Each cell is one zone.

03Costs

Year-one license, renewals, and 5-year totals in AED.

10,000
Year 1 minimum · AED
AED 19,305 less than DMCC
mid tier
Show in
Base licence
AED 10,000
Registration
AED 0
Renewal (year 2+)
AED 15,000
3-year total
AED 40,000
2-year visa cost
AED 3,000
Flexi-desk per year
AED 14,500
Hidden & one-off costs
Establishment card
AED 1,900
Cancellation fee
AED 3,500
Visa renewal
AED 2,950
Visa cancellation
AED 600
Emirates ID (per visa)
AED 370
Dependent / spouse visa
AED 2,500
Year-on-year fee tracking begins 2026 — changes appear here as they accrue.
Indicative, from published ratesOfficial fee schedule ↗Verified 2026-07high confidence

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04Visas & workspace

Visa caps, workspace options, and family-sponsorship rules.

Visa allocation
Maximum visas
50
Flexi-desk cap
3
Office cap
2
Family sponsorship
Available
Freelancer permit
Not available
Golden visa
Available
Green visa
Available
Medical required
Yes
Processing time
~7 days
Workspace options
Virtual office
Yes
Flexi-desk
Yes
Dedicated office
Yes
Executive office
Yes
Warehouse
Yes
Industrial unit
No
Land plot
Yes
Ejari issued
No
Parking
Yes
Dedicated office cost
AED 20,000/yr
05Banking & setup

Banking difficulty, partner banks, and setup timeline.

Banking
Difficulty
Moderate
Time to account
~14 days
Minimum deposit
AED 15,000
Corp tax rate
0%
Audit cost (est)
AED 15,000
UBO filing
Required
AML / KYC
enhanced
Partner banks
Contact zone authority for banking guidance
Neo-bank options
Wio Business
Setup timeline
  1. Registration mode
    In-person visit required at some stage
  2. Documents & application
    Passport, visa, business plan — ~3–5 days
  3. Licence issued
    ~5 business days after submission
  4. Bank account active
    Additional ~14 days · Moderate banking
  5. Operational
    Typically ~10 days, up to ~30 days
06Package pricing

4 packages from official fee schedules.

All figures in AED, from official fee schedules. Visa and health-insurance costs are additional.

PackageVisasYear 1Renewal
Clinic License – Flexi – 2 VisasBest value2AED 25,000AED 25,000
Medical Consultancy Office – 3 Visas3AED 40,000AED 32,000
Clinic/Day-Surgery Unit – 5 Visas5AED 75,000AED 60,000
Pharmaceutical/Medical Trading License – 2 Visas2AED 35,000AED 28,000
07Permitted activities

Activity categories, restrictions, and approval flags.

20 activitiesMainland selling: No

Hospitals

Clinics

Day-surgery Centres

Medical Laboratories

Diagnostic Centres

Pharmaceutical and Medical Equipment Trading

Wellness Centres

Physiotherapy

Rehabilitation Clinics

Healthcare Consultancies

Research Organizations

Telemedicine

Healthcare IT Service Providers

Biotechnology

Light Manufacturing Healthcare Supporting Industries

Categories
Hospitals & ClinicsDiagnostic & LaboratoriesPharmaceuticalsMedical Equipment TradingWellness & RehabilitationMedical TourismService LicenseTrading LicenseIndustrial LicenseResearch LicenseHealthcare ProfessionalConsultancy ProfessionalCommercialBiotechnologyTraditional Healing CentersCAM CentersYoga and Wellness Centers; SpasCounselling and De-addiction CentresRehabilitation Centres and Old Care Nursing HomesRepresentative Offices of Hospitals and Healthcare InstitutionsStorage and Trading of Medical Equipment and DisposablesHousing UnitsHospitality Centres
Matched industry clusters
consultingtechtradinghealthcareindustrial
Restricted
Activities unrelated to healthcare and healthcare support

Some activities require additional approval from the zone authority.

08Jurisdiction & ecosystem

Legal framework, tax status, audit requirements, and zone focus — every value sourced.

Common lawNo
VAT designated zoneNo
QFZP eligible (0% tax)Yes
Inferred · 2026-07-18
Mainland permitYes
Inferred · 2026-07-18
Audit requiredNo
Inferred · 2026-07-18
Economic substancestandard
Inferred · 2026-07-18

This zone offers physical-office options sufficient for a standard QFZP substance posture, though the bar still applies at the entity level (CTGFZP1).

Focus: Healthcare, Medical Services, Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, Medical Tourism, Wellness

unknown companiessmall communityNetworking events: YesIncubator: No
Notable companies

American Center for Psychiatry & Neurology FZ-LLC, BinSina Pharmacy (Al Khayyat Investments Group), Sunny Wellness Center (Sunny Healthcare Group), Digital Dental Center FZ-LLC, Derma Art Clinic FZ-LLC, Dr. Nawal Al Mutawa Endocrine & Diabetes Clinic, Inaya (pharma distribution HQ & drug-processing centre - MoU Nov 2024, under construction)

QFZP, audit, mainland-permit and substance values are sourced where the zone authority or FTA publishes them, and inferred from published zone characteristics otherwise. How we determine these values.

09Strengths & limitations

5 strengths · 4 caveats.

Strengths
  • The only healthcare-dedicated free zone in Sharjah: commercial licence + Sharjah Health Authority clinical regulation under one roof (single-window licensing)
  • 100% foreign ownership, full capital repatriation, 0% corporate tax on QFZP qualifying income
  • Purpose-built 4.5M m2 campus next to Sharjah International Airport with clinical units, offices, warehouses and hospital plots
  • Broad healthcare activity scope incl. day surgery, CAM, rehab/old-care, biotech research and telemedicine
  • Zone is demonstrably active: new facilities opening (Sunny Wellness, Jul 2025) and AED 50M Inaya pharma HQ investment (Nov 2024)
Caveats
  • No published fee schedule - all license, lease and visa pricing is quote-only; third-party estimates conflict (AED 10K-50K Year 1)
  • Very small operating tenant base (6 patient-facing facilities in the official directory), so cluster effects are still nascent
  • Physical clinical/office lease mandatory - no virtual or flexi-desk entry product
  • Clinical setups carry dual licensing (company + SHA facility/practitioner), extending timeline and compliance burden

Not ideal for: Non-healthcare businesses, budget/virtual-office seekers, founders who need transparent published pricing, and anyone needing a large ready-made business community or fast commodity-style licensing.

10Recent developments

2 policy and pricing updates on record.

  1. Q3 2024Sharjah Healthcare City entered discussions with the Sharjah Health Authority to create a streamlined dual-approval process for new clinic applicants, aiming to reduce the combined free zone and health authority licensing timeline.
  2. Q1 2025A wellness and rehabilitation cluster within Sharjah Healthcare City was reported to be in development, targeting yoga studios, physiotherapy centres, and CAM practitioners as anchor tenants.
11Tax considerations

4 tax questions relevant to this zone.

Questions to raise with your tax advisor

  1. Does your planned revenue qualify under the QFZP qualifying-income rules?

    QFZP 0% only applies to qualifying income. Mainland trading or revenue from non-free-zone clients is generally non-qualifying and taxed at 9%.

  2. Will you need audited accounts even if this zone doesn't require them?

    FTA corporate-tax filing typically expects audited accounts for revenue above AED 50M, and banks often request them at much lower thresholds.

  3. How much of your revenue will come from mainland UAE customers, and how does that affect QFZP and 5% VAT obligations?

    Mainland revenue beyond ad-hoc levels can disqualify QFZP and triggers full 9% corporate tax plus standard VAT on supplies.

  4. Do any of your customers, suppliers, or shareholders meet the FTA's related-party definition?

    Related-party transactions need transfer-pricing documentation and may push otherwise-qualifying income into the 9% bracket.

These prompts are due-diligence questions, not tax advice. Confirm every answer with a UAE-licensed tax advisor before incorporating.

12Frequently asked

4 common questions specific to Sharjah Healthcare City.

13Similar zones in Sharjah

3 comparable zones in the same emirate.

14About this data

Last verified 2026-07-18 · high confidence.

Sharjah Healthcare City data is sourced from official zone authority publications, government fee schedules, and where available, verified against direct communications with the zone. All figures in AED.

Location
Al Rahmaniya (Mazairah/Mezairah), adjacent to Sharjah International Airport
Established
2012
Authority
Sharjah Healthcare City (independent body regulated by the Sharjah Health Authority); SHA chairman also chairs SHCC
Last verified
2026-07-18
Confidence
high
Methodology
How we score →
Cited source
Fee data sourced from the official fee schedule, fetched 2026-07-18. View source ↗
Per-field citations
How we verify every zone →
15Founder reviews

What founders who've registered here say.

4.8★32 reviewsGoogle

Founder reviews

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16Take the next step

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