# Meydan Free Zone or Sharjah Publishing City > Compare Meydan Free Zone's Dubai professional and trading licences with Sharjah Publishing City's publishing-focused zone. The emirate on the licence and each package's scope are the main differences. - Canonical: https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/meydan-vs-spc - Updated: 2026-10-09 - Method: https://dubaisetupindex.com/methodology ## Verdict Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone publishes the faster licence, Same day against 24 hours for Meydan Free Zone. Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone publishes the faster residency visa, 5 business days against 5–7 business days for Meydan Free Zone. Meydan Free Zone 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 | Meydan Free Zone (Free zone) | Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone (Free zone) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | From, no visa | AED 12,520 (12 months · calculator output) | AED 5,760 (12 months · calculator output) | | From, one visa | AED 19,870 (12 months · calculator output) | AED 14,345 (12 months · calculator output) | | From, two visas | AED 25,220 (12 months · calculator output) | AED 20,010 (12 months · calculator output) | | Lowest package price | AED 12,520 (12 months · calculator output) | AED 5,760 (12 months · calculator output) | | Licence issued in | 24 hours (Regular: typically within 24 hours, conditional) | Same day | | Residency visa in | 5–7 business days (Visa processing typically takes five to seven working days after company incorporation.) | 5 business days (The authority advertises UAE residency in five working days.) | | Renewal price | Not published | Not published | | Licence types | Commercial, Professional | Publishing, Printing, Related media | | Facility options | Flexi desk, Office | Office, Publishing facilities | | Visa options | Employment visas, priced in the official calculator for zero to two visas, Investor or partner residence for shareholders, confirmed by the setup team with the quotation | Not published | | Remote paperwork | Yes | Yes | | Activity guides catalogued | Not published | Not published | Each figure comes from the same source as its guide page. ### Not published - Meydan Free Zone · Renewal price: No published renewal price, term or penalty was found. - 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. - Meydan Free Zone · Activity guides catalogued: We have not published authored activity guides for Meydan Free Zone. Confirm the selected licence line and approvals with the authority. - 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 ### Meydan Free Zone - Warehouse, land or industrial operations that need physical premises - Companies with several owners that want the Fawri route, which needs one person in every role [Read the Meydan Free Zone guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/meydan) ### 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? Meydan licences carry a Dubai address; Sharjah Publishing City licences carry Sharjah. Decide whether that matters for your clients and banking before comparing packages. ### 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, Meydan Free Zone or Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone? Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone publishes the faster licence, Same day against 24 hours for Meydan Free Zone. Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone publishes the faster residency visa, 5 business days against 5–7 business days for Meydan Free Zone. Meydan Free Zone 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 - [Meydan Free Zone guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/meydan) - [Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/spc) - [All comparisons](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare) ## Machine-readable - [Meydan Free Zone or Sharjah Publishing City (JSON)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/data/comparisons/meydan-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. “Meydan Free Zone or Sharjah Publishing City.” Updated 2026-10-09. https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/meydan-vs-spc [Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/meydan-vs-spc). “Meydan Free Zone 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/meydan-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.