# IFZA or Sharjah Publishing City

> Compare IFZA's Dubai address and multi-activity packages with Sharjah Publishing City's publishing-focused zone. The decision is whether the Dubai address is worth the difference in package scope.

- Canonical: https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/ifza-vs-spc
- Updated: 2026-10-09
- Method: https://dubaisetupindex.com/methodology

## Verdict

IFZA publishes the faster residency visa, 1–2 business days against 5 business days for Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone. IFZA and Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone both show starting figures, but they cover different scopes, so neither is the cheaper route on this evidence.

Read from the same published figures as the table. Activity eligibility, approvals and the full first year still decide the route.

## Side by side

Package figures cover their stated inclusions only. Activity eligibility, the full first-year cost and renewal still need confirmation for your case.

| Metric | IFZA (Free zone) | Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone (Free zone) |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| From, no visa | AED 12,900 (12 months · current package) | AED 5,760 (12 months · calculator output) |
| From, one visa | AED 20,650 (12 months · current package) | AED 14,345 (12 months · calculator output) |
| From, two visas | AED 26,400 (12 months · current package) | AED 20,010 (12 months · calculator output) |
| Lowest package price | AED 12,900 (12 months · current package) | AED 5,760 (12 months · calculator output) |
| Licence issued in | 3–5 business days | Same day |
| Residency visa in | 1–2 business days | 5 business days (The authority advertises UAE residency in five working days.) |
| Renewal price | AED 12,900 (No visa; AED 17,100 with one visa, AED 19,100 with two (card included)) | Not published |
| Licence types | Commercial, Professional, Industrial | Publishing, Printing, Related media |
| Facility options | Flexi desk, Smart office, Office | Office, Publishing facilities |
| Visa options | Investor or partner visa against the licence for shareholders, Employment visas up to the allocation in the package, priced from zero to two visas, Dependant sponsorship once the primary residency and Emirates ID are issued, Establishment card is issued first and gates every visa that follows | Not published |
| Remote paperwork | Yes | Yes |
| Activity guides catalogued | 823 | Not published |

Each figure comes from the same source as its guide page.

### Not published

- Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone · Renewal price: Normal renewal pricing was not completed in this pass.
- Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone · Visa options: No visa options recorded for this jurisdiction.
- Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone · Activity guides catalogued: We have not published authored activity guides for Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone. Confirm the selected licence line and approvals with the authority.

## Check before choosing

### IFZA

- The lowest possible first-year cost, where Ajman is materially cheaper
- Warehouse, land or industrial operations that need real premises
- Activities carrying a third-party approval before licence issuance, which breaks the fast timeline

[Read the IFZA guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ifza)

### Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone

Confirm activity restrictions, premises and visa requirements for your case.

[Read the Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/spc)

## Frequently asked questions

### Dubai or Sharjah on the licence?

IFZA licences carry a Dubai address; Sharjah Publishing City licences carry Sharjah. Both let you serve clients across the UAE through the usual free-zone channels.

### How are the prices compared?

Only package prices at the same visa count and term are ranked against each other. A calculator output, a licence-only estimate or a product flagged as not like for like is shown in the table but never used to name a cheaper side.

### Which costs less on published figures, IFZA or Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone?

IFZA publishes the faster residency visa, 1–2 business days against 5 business days for Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone. IFZA and Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone both show starting figures, but they cover different scopes, so neither is the cheaper route on this evidence.

## Related

- [IFZA guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ifza)
- [Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/spc)
- [All comparisons](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare)

## Machine-readable

- [IFZA or Sharjah Publishing City (JSON)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/data/comparisons/ifza-vs-spc.json)

## Citation

Required when quoting any figure from this page. Copy one of these verbatim — the link is not optional.

Dubai Setup Index. “IFZA or Sharjah Publishing City.” Updated 2026-10-09. https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/ifza-vs-spc

[Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/ifza-vs-spc). “IFZA or Sharjah Publishing City.” Updated 2026-10-09.

Licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any use or transformation of the data carries: Source: Dubai Setup Index (dubaisetupindex.com), licensed CC BY 4.0. https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/ifza-vs-spc, updated 2026-10-09.

Licensed CC BY 4.0: any use or transformation carries the attribution text, with its link and date. Quoting any figure from this record requires a resolvable link to url. Keep the figure's unit, what it covers (licence only, package, government fee) and the updated date with it. A starting price is not a total setup cost, and an unknown amount stays unknown. A figure sourced from a third party (Invest in Dubai, DET, a free zone authority or a partner's quote) keeps its source citation — the source named in the record, with its URL and checked date — alongside the licence attribution.