Sharjah Unveils AED 1,000 Licence to Empower Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Mohammed Fathy

Last updated 30-01-2026

2 min

Sharjah launches a new AED 1,000 “Business Establishment licence” for aspiring founders.

The licence debuts at the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival 2026, running January 31 and February 1.

It targets early-stage startups in six sectors, including sustainability, health tech, and creative industries.

The scheme aims to lower early costs and “make life easier” for first-time entrepreneurs.

Limited in timing and scope, it still sends a strong welcome to new founders.

Sharjah is rolling out a new commercial licence priced at AED 1,000, a move designed to make life easier for aspiring founders who are just getting started. The announcement comes ahead of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival 2026, where the scheme will make its public debut, and honestly, it feels like a small but spot on step in the right direction.

The licence, known as the Business Establishment licence, will be launched during the ninth edition of the festival, taking place on January 31 and February 1 at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park. According to details shared around the event, it will be available for the first time, and exclusively, across those two days. Miss it, and you’ll likely have to wait… which is a bit of a faff if you ask me.

It’s aimed squarely at early-stage startups that meet certain conditions, including operating in one of six focus sectors: sustainability, creative industries, edtech, advanced manufacturing, health tech, and transport. Those categories aren’t random picks either. They mirror where Sharjah has been quietly placing its bets over the past few years, especially around future-ready industries.

The initiative sits within the emirate’s broader push to reduce the barriers facing new businesses and to strengthen an economy built on innovation. I’ve seen founders across the MENA region stall at the licence stage, not because of lack of ideas, but because costs stack up fast. When I speak to entrepreneurs in the Arageek community, this is the moment they usually wince, so a lower entry point could be a real confidence boost.

That said, it’s not a magic wand. The licence is limited in scope and timing, and it won’t solve every challenge a startup faces. On the flip side, as symbolic gestures go, this one matters. It tells first-timers they’re welcome, and that someone has thought about their earliest hurdles, which, believe it or not, can make all the difference when you’re deciding whether to take the leap or stay on the sofa with the idea scribbled in a notebook, definately.

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