Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF FTZ)

The Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF Zone) project is the free zone economic area with special status, which is located on the territory of the International airport in the Sharjah Emirate. The main attraction of this Free Zone for the foreign investors is the location in the vicinity of the Dubai, availability of the airport and attractive prices.

The SAIF FTZ free trade economic area was founded at the beginning of 1995, and it is one of the earliest Governmental projects of the Sharjah Emirate, which are designed to stimulate the development of the national economy. It should be noted that it is the first industrial centre in the region which has the necessary modern infrastructure, which allows to increase the economic efficiency of all production processes.

More than 5 thousand companies from all over the world are registered on the territory of the SAIF FTZ jurisdiction. These companies carry out their business activities in such economic sectors as industry and commerce, information technologies and professional consulting, international logistics and tourism, service, etc.

SAIF Free Zone: services for investors and partners

Business partners and clients of the SAIF Zone free economic area can count on the friendly attitude of the administration and the maximal assistance of the governmental bodies on the issues of company registration, obtaining business licenses and issuing visas for founders and employees. Potential investors and business partners are offered the following services:

• Modern office premises: premises which are equipped with the advanced means of communication and include all the necessary amenities (furniture, air conditioning systems and etc.);
• Vast storage facilities: equipped warehouses of different sizes are available for storing goods and raw materials. There are offices attached to the warehouses, and Temporary Storage Warehouse for customs clearance;
• Land lots allotted for the investment construction;
• Residential buildings for employees.

There is the established urban and social infrastructure, on the territory of the SAIF FTZ economic zone, which is necessary for a comfortable residence and work. There is a developed banking system with the currency exchange facilities, ATMs and etc.

Advantages of the SAIF FTZ jurisdiction for building and development the business

If to ask the question, what are the advantages of this jurisdiction, in contrast to the other similar areas, then the world-class infrastructure and competitive business possibilities can be singled out. Several key factors which attract more and more foreign entrepreneurs and investors can be singled out among the number of opportunities of the jurisdiction, in particular:

• Minimal costs for energy resources, what allows to minimize the production costs and to earn more profit;
• Simplified procedure of registration of the business, which allows to save a lot of time (registration or incorporation of the company is carried out during the couple of days). Besides, the governmental  runaround and bureaucratic barriers are eliminated;
• Availability of the new regional and international markets. The simultaneous access to the Persian Gulf and the Indian ocean, provides the effective solutions in the field of logistics for the development of new markets in the Middle East, India, Africa, and Asia;
• Tax and customs privileges for international companies;
• No restrictions on the involvement of the foreign labour force, including highly qualified labour reserves. The registration of a company on the territory of the Free Zone and renting of the  office, allows to issue a residence visa not only for the founders, but also for the foreign employees of the registered company;
• Loyalty of the government bodies and flexible corporate legal framework. The administration of the SAIF FTZ economic area treats the foreign business with respect and understanding, in order to attract more investors. Each partner can count on the consulting and legal support of the administration in any issues.

SAIF FTZ: licensing of economic and commercial activity

The following types of the state licenses are provided for carrying out the legal business activity on the territory of the SAIF Zone:

• Industrial License: industrial business license;
• Trade License: business license for carrying out the trading operations;
• Services License: service business license;
• Aviation License: license for companies whose activity is associated with aviation.

It is important to note that the validity of the state license is limited to the territory of the jurisdiction, and the validity period is one year (the license is renewed each year).

It is allowed to register the following types of international companies in SAIF FTZ to obtain a state business license:

• Free Zone Establishment: a legal form, which implies the sole shareholder, whose liability is determined by the size of the charter capital. Both companies and private entities can serve as the founders;
• Free Zone Company: the number of founders of such a company is from 2 to 5 entities (physical or legal). The liability of founders is ascertained, and it is proportional to the share in the charter capital;
• Branches, representative offices of operating foreign or local companies.

The registration of international companies and their further economic activity is carried out under the following conditions on the territory of the SAIF Zone:

• Possibility of a 100% foreign ownership of the company, without the involvement of the local sponsor;
• The founders distribute the gained profits independently;
• No restrictions on the transferring or withdrawal of the investment assets outside the jurisdiction;
• The international companies are provided with the long-term tax holidays and customs benefits (zero import and export duties);
• Long-term contracts and lease of land lots with the possibility of renewal.

Business registration in the SAIF Zone jurisdiction

You need to prepare a set of required documents and to apply to the registration authority for the registration of the international company on the territory of the SAIF zone. It should be noted that the minimum statutory fund for international companies, in this FTZ is at least 150 thousand Dirhams. There are no requirements to the statutory fund for branches and representative offices of the operating companies.

Contact our staff to simplify the registration process to the maximum and to receive the qualified legal assistance. Entrust your worries to our experts and get the guaranteed result.