# Sharjah Media City or Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone > Compare Sharjah Media City and Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone on the same rows: starting packages at each visa count, licence and residency-visa timelines, renewal, facilities and remote paperwork. Every figure is read from the two guide pages. - Canonical: https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/shams-vs-uaq-ftz - Updated: 2026-10-09 - Publication: below the publication gate (No decision value beyond the activity name) - Method: https://dubaisetupindex.com/methodology ## Verdict No like-for-like starting price is published for Sharjah Media City, so the cost side of this comparison is open. Decide on activity fit, location and an itemised quote for your case. 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 | Sharjah Media City (Free zone) | Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone (Free zone) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | From, no visa | Not published | AED 5,500 (12 months · published package) | | From, one visa | Not published | AED 12,500 (12 months · published package) | | From, two visas | Not published | Not published | | Lowest package price | AED 6,875 (starting price) | AED 5,500 (12 months · published package) | | Licence issued in | Not published | 1–2 calendar days (The authority states company incorporation normally takes one to two days.) | | Residency visa in | Not published | Not published | | Renewal price | Not published | AED 5,500 | | Licence types | Media, Freelance, Services, E-commerce | Commercial, Professional, Industrial | | Facility options | Flexi desk, Office | Flexi desk, Office, Warehouse | | Visa options | Not published | 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 - Sharjah Media City · From, no visa: Checked 2026-10-09: A multi-step cost calculator exists on startwith.shams.ae. In this browser test the dummy-data contact step did not advance or return a price, and the page displayed PHP warnings. AED 5,750 Media and AED 6,875 Standard are headline prices, not newly verified 0/1/2-visa totals. - Sharjah Media City · From, one visa: Checked 2026-10-09: A multi-step cost calculator exists on startwith.shams.ae. In this browser test the dummy-data contact step did not advance or return a price, and the page displayed PHP warnings. AED 5,750 Media and AED 6,875 Standard are headline prices, not newly verified 0/1/2-visa totals. - Sharjah Media City · From, two visas: Checked 2026-10-09: A multi-step cost calculator exists on startwith.shams.ae. In this browser test the dummy-data contact step did not advance or return a price, and the page displayed PHP warnings. AED 5,750 Media and AED 6,875 Standard are headline prices, not newly verified 0/1/2-visa totals. - Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone · From, two visas: A 2-visa product is published, but it does not confirm included visas or is not a like-for-like package. It is listed under other published prices. - Sharjah Media City · Licence issued in: No published company-formation or licence-issuance time was found. - Sharjah Media City · Residency visa in: No published residency-visa processing time was found for this zone. - Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone · Residency visa in: No published residency-visa processing time was found for this zone. - Sharjah Media City · Renewal price: Marketing states a fixed lifetime renewal cost subject to terms, but no exact renewal total was found. - Sharjah Media City · Visa options: No visa options recorded for this jurisdiction. - Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone · Visa options: No visa options recorded for this jurisdiction. - Sharjah Media City · Activity guides catalogued: We have not published authored activity guides for Sharjah Media City (Shams). Confirm the selected licence line and approvals with the authority. - Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone · Activity guides catalogued: We have not published authored activity guides for Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone. Confirm the selected licence line and approvals with the authority. ## Check before choosing ### Sharjah Media City Confirm activity restrictions, premises and visa requirements for your case. [Read the Sharjah Media City guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/shams) ### Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone Confirm activity restrictions, premises and visa requirements for your case. [Read the Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/uaq-ftz) ## Frequently asked questions ### 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, Sharjah Media City or Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone? No like-for-like starting price is published for Sharjah Media City, so the cost side of this comparison is open. Decide on activity fit, location and an itemised quote for your case. ## Related - [Sharjah Media City guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/shams) - [Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/uaq-ftz) - [All comparisons](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare) ## Machine-readable - [Sharjah Media City or Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone (JSON)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/data/comparisons/shams-vs-uaq-ftz.json) ## Citation Required when quoting any figure from this page. Copy one of these verbatim — the link is not optional. Dubai Setup Index. “Sharjah Media City or Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone.” Updated 2026-10-09. https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/shams-vs-uaq-ftz [Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/shams-vs-uaq-ftz). “Sharjah Media City or Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone.” 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/shams-vs-uaq-ftz, 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.