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Tier 1 · Sharjah

Sharjah Research Technology & Innovation Park (SRTI Park)

University City, Sharjah · Est. 2016 · SRTIP Authority

AED 5,500/ yr
high confidenceVerified 18 Jul 2026official ↗
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Best for

Tech and R&D-driven startups, consultants and light e-commerce firms wanting the UAE's cheapest credible licence plus a genuine innovation ecosystem, university talent access and a mainland-expansion option.

Not ideal for

Trading businesses needing warehouses or VAT designated-zone benefits, firms wanting a prestigious Dubai address, and founders who need large visa quotas or tier-1 private banking hand-holding.

01Capability profile

Six independent dimensions, scored from official zone data.

?
Banking10/15
?
Visa scale5/15
?
Cost (lower=better)18/20
?
Activity breadth4/25
?
Workspace options9/15
?
Location6/10
02Where SRTIP sits

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

Year 1 cost← lower is better

SRTIP: 87th percentile (AED 5,500) · Licence + registration, AED.

Setup time← lower is better

SRTIP: 65th percentile (7 days) · Total estimated days from application to operational.

Visa caphigher is better →

SRTIP: 16th percentile (10 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

SRTIP: Moderate · Corporate bank account opening difficulty. Each cell is one zone.

03Costs

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

5,500
Year 1 minimum · AED
AED 23,805 less than DMCC
mid tier
Show in
Base licence
AED 5,500
Registration
AED 0
Renewal (year 2+)
AED 5,500
3-year total
AED 16,500
2-year visa cost
AED 2,950
Hidden & one-off costs
Establishment card
AED 1,500
Cancellation fee
AED 1,500
Visa renewal
AED 2,500
Visa cancellation
AED 500
Emirates ID (per visa)
AED 370
Dependent / spouse visa
AED 3,000
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
10
Flexi-desk cap
3
Office cap
8
Family sponsorship
Available
Freelancer permit
Available
Medical required
Yes
Processing time
~5 days
Workspace options
Virtual office
Yes
Flexi-desk
Yes
Coworking
Yes
Dedicated office
Yes
Executive office
No
Warehouse
No
Industrial unit
No
Land plot
Yes
Ejari issued
No
Parking
Yes
Dedicated office cost
AED 25,000/yr
05Banking & setup

Banking difficulty, partner banks, and setup timeline.

Banking
Difficulty
Moderate
Time to account
~21 days
Minimum deposit
AED 10,000
Corp tax rate
0%
Audit cost (est)
AED 4,000
UBO filing
Required
AML / KYC
standard
Partner banks
Emirates NBDSharjah Islamic BankRAKBankADCB
Setup timeline
  1. Registration mode
    Fully online — no in-person visit required
  2. Documents & application
    Passport, visa, business plan — ~3–5 days
  3. Licence issued
    ~2 business days after submission
  4. Bank account active
    Additional ~21 days · Moderate banking
  5. Operational
    Typically ~7 days, up to ~10 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
Startup License – 0 VisasBest value0AED 5,500AED 5,500
Startup License – 1 Visa1AED 10,000AED 8,000
Innovation Office – 2 Visas2AED 15,000AED 12,000
R&D Office – 5 Visas5AED 28,000AED 22,000
07Permitted activities

Activity categories, restrictions, and approval flags.

1500+ activitiesMainland selling: Yes

Up to 5 mixed activities (commercial + services) on one licence

Special-activities tier for regulated categories (higher fee band)

R&D partnerships with universities

Dual licence (freezone + mainland)

Categories
Business SetupInnovation EcosystemPrototypingBusiness AccelerationBusiness AngelsEvents and Hubs
Matched industry clusters
tech
Restricted
Certain activities may require special approvals*
Require approval
["'Special activities' category carries a distincthigher price tier (implies extra approvals); specifics not published"]
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 substancehigh
Inferred · 2026-07-18

This zone is Tier-1 with dedicated office and warehouse options under regulator supervision — substance is straightforward to demonstrate but the bar is high (regulator-grade evidence).

Focus: Technology, R&D, Innovation

10000 companiesmedium communityNetworking events: YesIncubator: Yes
Notable companies

uSky Transport (Unitsky String Technologies - test & certification centre on-site), CAFU (R&D project)

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

11 strengths · 4 caveats.

Strengths
  • ["One of the UAE's cheapest entry points: 0-visa licence AED 5
  • 500 incl. lease & MOA
  • 5 activities
  • up to 5 shareholders"
  • 'Dual licensing (freezone + mainland) - rare among UAE free zones'
  • 'Real R&D infrastructure: SoiLab prototyping lab
  • SAIA accelerator
  • SBAN investor network
  • AUS/University City talent pipeline'
  • 'No minimum or paid-up share capital; no NOC for most founders'
  • 'Fast setup (official FAQ: ~5 working days) with 4-installment payment plans']
Caveats
  • Pricing not published on the official site - figures come from authorised partners and vary between resellers
  • Visa quotas modest at entry level (0-2 package visas; ~3 coworking, 8 SME office)
  • Not a VAT designated zone; no warehouses - unsuitable for goods-heavy trading
  • Medical, Emirates ID and status-change fees excluded from headline packages

Not ideal for: Trading businesses needing warehouses or VAT designated-zone benefits, firms wanting a prestigious Dubai address, and founders who need large visa quotas or tier-1 private banking hand-holding.

10Recent developments

2 policy and pricing updates on record.

  1. Q2 2025SRTIP launched Phase 2 of its SoiLab prototyping centre, adding advanced robotics and AI hardware testing stations available to all park licensees on a subscription basis.
  2. Q4 2024SRTIP signed a collaboration agreement with the University of Sharjah and American University of Sharjah to co-develop joint commercialisation pathways for faculty-led research projects.
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 SRTIP.

13Similar zones in Sharjah

3 comparable zones in the same emirate.

14About this data

Last verified 2026-07-18 · high confidence.

SRTIP 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
University City, Sharjah
Established
2016
Authority
SRTIP Authority
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.

3.8★32 reviewsGoogle

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16Take the next step

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