Home business licence in Sharjah: Eitimad guide (2026)

What is the Eitimad licence in Sharjah?

Eitimad is one of SEDD's five main licence types, alongside the commercial and e-commerce licences. SEDD describes it as a licence "for citizens willing to run their business from home", with no physical store needed and low fees, and gives sewing, cooking, handicrafts and e-services as example activities (SEDD FAQ, English).

It exists because a standard Sharjah licence cannot be used from home: SEDD's FAQ says a regular licence requires a physical business location. For a business run from home, SEDD lists two routes: a business licence for citizens (Eitimad) or an e-commerce licence (SEDD FAQ, English).

The federal portal described it the same way: a licence for home based and social media businesses, open to ages 18 and above, restricted to UAE nationals residing in Sharjah, with no recruitment of staff (u.ae, archived 30 May 2025). That u.ae page returned a 404 on 23 August 2026; only the archive remains.

For all seven emirates, start with the pillar guide at the home business licence guide for every emirate.

Who can apply for Eitimad?

The current SEDD FAQ lists these conditions (SEDD FAQ, Arabic):

You are a UAE national residing in the Emirate of Sharjah.
You are at least 18 years old.
You have a home project or an idea that can be carried out.
If you rent, you have the landlord's approval.
For food or beauty activities, you sign an undertaking from the municipality.
You hold membership of Ruwad, the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Foundation.
The activity suits a home and causes no nuisance or environmental impact.

Two points need care.

Age: 18. SEDD's live Arabic FAQ sets the minimum at 18 ("ألا يقل العمر عن 18 سنة") (SEDD FAQ, Arabic), and the u.ae page said "ages 18 and above" before it was taken down (u.ae, archived 30 May 2025). If you read 21 somewhere, it comes from SEDD's older Eitimad portal (Eitimad applicant conditions, archived 26 January 2021), whose FAQ also asked younger applicants for a court no-objection letter (Eitimad FAQ, archived 9 June 2022). That rule is out of date.

GCC nationals are not eligible. SEDD's archived Eitimad FAQ says so directly (Eitimad FAQ, archived 9 June 2022).

Which home business activities are allowed, and what are the food rules?

SEDD's current permitted list for Eitimad (SEDD FAQ, Arabic):

Food: traditional cooking, sweets, spice packing
Beauty: home or mobile services
Tailoring and embroidery
Perfumes, bakhoor and natural products
Gifts and flower arranging
Design and printing
Photography and editing
E-commerce
Remote consultations and lessons
Accessory design
Organising events

The older Eitimad portal was more specific on food: direct consumption foods (hot and cold cooking), hospitality services including food, and long shelf life packaged foods, the last marked "subject to special terms and conditions" (Eitimad activities, archived 29 November 2020).

Food conditions

If you cook, bake or pack food, expect these on top of the licence:

A signed undertaking from the municipality, required for food and beauty activities (SEDD FAQ, Arabic).
All municipality requirements before you sell: a site inspection, a health card, and a training course. The live SEDD FAQ says only "the municipality"; the 2022 Eitimad FAQ named Sharjah City Municipality (Eitimad FAQ, archived 9 June 2022). In Khorfakkan, Kalba or Dibba Al Hisn, ask SEDD which municipality handles your case.
Extra fees from any other authority whose approval your activity needs; SEDD's archived FAQ says these sit on top of the licence fee (Eitimad FAQ, archived 9 June 2022).
Inspection visits. SEDD reserves the right to inspect food and cosmetics activities at the home, with prior internal approval and the residents' permission, per the archived conditions (Eitimad legal conditions, archived 26 October 2020).

Ask the municipality directly for the current steps.

General restrictions

The archived legal conditions set out what a holder may not do (Eitimad legal conditions, archived 26 October 2020):

No work permits and no imported labour. Non-citizens may not have a direct role, except existing household helpers on a temporary, intermittent basis.
The licence cannot be leased to anyone else.
No emissions, noise, odour, crowds or extra traffic at the house.
No signage on the house and no goods stored outside it.
No storage of medicines, toxic materials or food harmful to public health.

How much does Eitimad cost, and how do you apply?

SEDD's own Eitimad portal, in snapshots from 2020 to 2022, gave these figures: issuance AED 1,200; validity one year; renewal AED 1,000 per year; a fine of AED 200 for each month of delay if you renew more than a month after expiry; cancellation AED 570 (Eitimad documents and fees, archived 26 October 2020 and Eitimad FAQ, archived 9 June 2022).

The live SEDD FAQ says only "low fees" and gives no number. It does list a 100% discount on licence fees for the first three years and 50% in years four and five under the Ruwad umbrella (SEDD FAQ, Arabic). Eitimad requires Ruwad membership, but SEDD does not say the discount applies to it. Do not assume it is free: treat AED 1,200 as the last published figure and ask SEDD for the current one.

Route in Sharjah	Who can apply	Run from home?	Published fee	Authority
Eitimad licence	UAE nationals living in Sharjah, 18+	Yes	AED 1,200 to issue, AED 1,000 a year to renew (archived SEDD pages, 2020 to 2022; confirm with SEDD)	SEDD
E-commerce licence	Citizens and residents	No physical location required (virtual)	Not given on the SEDD FAQ page; use SEDD's fee calculator	SEDD, plus TDRA approval
Standard commercial licence	Citizens and residents, subject to SEDD rules for the activity	No, needs business premises	Not covered here; ask SEDD	SEDD

Table sources: SEDD FAQ, English; Eitimad FAQ, archived 9 June 2022; u.ae eCommerce.

Documents

The archived SEDD list (Eitimad documents and fees, archived 26 October 2020):

Licence application form
Passport copy
ID copy
House plan
Title deed
Lease, if the house is rented
No objection certificate, if the house is rented or if the licence is for a first-degree relative living in the house

Step by step

Join Ruwad. Membership of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Foundation is a condition of the licence (SEDD FAQ, Arabic).
Sort out the house. Landlord's approval if you rent, plus the title deed or lease.
Sign the municipality undertaking if your activity is food or beauty.
Apply through SEDD. The dedicated portal at eitimad.sedd.gov.ae was unreachable on 23 August 2026, so start at sedd.ae.
Complete the municipality food steps (inspection, health card, training) before your first sale, if you sell food.
Renew every year. Renew within a month of expiry to avoid the monthly fine (Eitimad FAQ, archived 9 June 2022).

Can a resident run a home business in Sharjah without being a UAE national?

Eitimad is closed to you. SEDD's route for residents is the e-commerce licence: for online sales and social media platforms, no physical location required, lower fees, "available to citizens and residents" (SEDD FAQ, English). Free zone options, published prices and the food rules for residents are in the Sharjah home business licence guide for expats.

Three caveats:

The SEDD FAQ page does not give the e-commerce licence fee; use SEDD's fee calculator for an estimate (SEDD FAQ, English).
SEDD's FAQ does not say whether food can be prepared at home under an e-commerce licence, so ask SEDD and the municipality (SEDD FAQ, English).
Every e-commerce licence in the UAE also needs approval from the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) (u.ae eCommerce page).

The legal position is the same across the UAE: you must hold the appropriate licence for eCommerce, and Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2023 requires anyone trading through websites, social media or apps to obtain the necessary approvals and licences from the competent authority (u.ae eCommerce page; Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2023, Article 5).

Ajman's Reyada home licence is also citizens only, aged 21 or over (Ajman DED, Reyada Program); see the Ajman home business licence guide.

How do you start selling on KLU?

Licensing is between you, SEDD and the municipality. KLU does not require a licence to join. It is a UAE marketplace for home businesses, free to join, with no listing, subscription or setup fees. You pay 5% commission on completed orders plus 2% card processing on card payments, and you are paid weekly to a UAE bank account.

Every seller gets a storefront link; buyers order on the iOS app, the Android app or that link on the web. Orders can be pickup or delivery, delivery is arranged at checkout and the buyer pays the delivery fee. Onboarding is in English and Arabic. See how delivery works for a home business for delivery.

For what to charge, see pricing a home business.

Frequently asked questions

Can an expat get the Eitimad licence in Sharjah?

No. Every official source restricts Eitimad to UAE nationals residing in Sharjah (SEDD FAQ, Arabic), and SEDD's archived Eitimad FAQ excludes GCC nationals too. SEDD's alternative for residents is the e-commerce licence, with no fee given on the SEDD FAQ page and nothing said there about preparing food at home.

Can I hire staff on an Eitimad licence?

No. The licence allows no work permits or imported labour, and non-citizens may not have a direct role beyond existing household helpers on a temporary, intermittent basis (Eitimad legal conditions, archived 26 October 2020).

Can I sell to buyers in Dubai or Abu Dhabi with a Sharjah Eitimad licence?

SEDD's archived Eitimad FAQ said holders may operate across the UAE (Eitimad FAQ, archived 9 June 2022). That page is no longer live and the current FAQ is silent, so confirm with SEDD before you advertise outside Sharjah. Sellers based in Dubai or Abu Dhabi have their own routes: see selling food from home in Dubai and selling food from home in Abu Dhabi.

Is the minimum age 18 or 21?

SEDD's current Arabic FAQ says the applicant must be at least 18, and the federal u.ae page said the same before it was removed. The 21, with a court no-objection letter for younger applicants, comes from SEDD's older Eitimad portal and no longer applies.

Do I need to register for VAT as a home business?

Only once your taxable supplies and imports pass AED 375,000 in the previous 12 months or the next 30 days. You may register voluntarily above AED 187,500 (Federal Tax Authority, Registration for VAT).

What happens if I sell from home in Sharjah without a licence?

SEDD says the project is exposed to an "illegal selling" violation and the social media account to immediate closure by Etisalat (Eitimad FAQ, archived 9 June 2022). SEDD publishes no dirham amount. For questions about selling on KLU, see the KLU FAQ.

Sources

Last verified: 3 October 2026.