Hamriyah Free Zone (HFZA)
A heavy-industry and maritime powerhouse with its own deep-water port.
What HFZA is actually known for
Hamriyah is heavy industry with a deep-water port attached. It is the second largest industrial free zone in the UAE and it exists for the businesses no commercial zone can accommodate — oil and gas services, petrochemicals, steel fabrication, maritime engineering and bulk processing. It has its own port with a deep-water channel and an inner harbour, land plots measured in hectares rather than square metres, and industrial utility capacity that a Dubai office tower cannot supply at any price.
Established in 1995, Hamriyah Free Zone is a large, industry- and logistics-focused Sharjah free zone built around its own deep-water and inner-harbour ports. It's a heavyweight for manufacturing, oil & gas, petrochemicals, steel and maritime, offering extensive land plots, warehouses and port access, while still catering to trading and service companies.
Key benefits
- 100% foreign ownership; 0% personal/qualifying-income corporate tax
- Deep-water port and dedicated harbour access
- Large industrial land plots and warehouses at competitive rates
- Exemption from import/export duties within the zone
- Entry packages include a small furnished office
- 1-day company registration when requirements are met
Business activities & licenses
HFZA supports a range of license types and activities, including:
- Industrial (manufacturing, oil & gas, petrochemical, steel, maritime)
- Commercial / trading
- Service / professional
The clusters that exist here
Activity lists look similar across every free zone. What differs is which industries have genuinely concentrated in one — the counterparties, the suppliers and the people you end up sitting next to.
- Oil, gas and petrochemicals
- A genuine oilfield-services cluster, with fabrication yards, chemical blending and storage terminals operating from the zone.
- Steel and heavy fabrication
- Structural steel, pipe fabrication and heavy engineering with the crane capacity and yard space the work requires.
- Maritime and offshore services
- Ship repair, offshore supply and marine engineering, served by the zone's own port and inner harbour.
- Bulk commodity processing
- Storage tanks and processing facilities for liquid and dry bulk.
- Building materials manufacturing
- Cement, aggregates and construction products serving UAE and regional demand.
Infrastructure and institutions
The things HFZA has that a competing zone would have to build from scratch:
- Hamriyah Port with a deep-water channel and a separate inner harbour for shallower vessels
- Industrial land plots available for long-term lease at scale
- Pre-built warehouses and executive office suites for smaller requirements
- Heavy-duty utility infrastructure for industrial power and water demand
- On-site labour accommodation for large workforces
- Oilfield-services cluster with an established local supply chain
Ownership & visas
100% foreign ownership — no local sponsor required.
Entry 'office' packages typically allow a limited number of visas; larger quotas come with bigger offices, warehouses or land.
Cost & timeline
Basic licence cost
| Product / charge | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic licence | AED 11,000USD 3,000 |
Important: Confirm what the selected package covers: legal form and shareholder count, office or e-office, visa eligibility, registration, establishment card, immigration, P.O. box and renewal conditions.
Source: hfza.ae
Get a written quoteTypical timeline: Registration in as little as 1 working day; visas add time.
Is HFZA right for you?
Manufacturers, industrial operators, oil & gas, petrochemical, maritime and heavy-trading businesses needing port access, land and warehousing at a lower cost than Dubai.
Choose HFZA if
- You need industrial land, a fabrication yard or bulk storage
- Your business is in oil and gas, petrochemicals, steel or marine services
- You need sea access for project cargo or bulk without Jebel Ali pricing
- You employ a large industrial workforce and need accommodation nearby
Look elsewhere if
- You are a service business, consultancy or agency — nothing here is built for you
- You need a commercial address for client meetings
- You want a quick, light-touch licence with no physical footprint
What people get wrong about HFZA
The things that surprise founders after they have already signed — worth knowing before you do.
- Industrial approvals are substantive
- Environmental permits, civil defence approval and municipality sign-off apply to industrial operations and take real time. Treat the free zone licence as one step of several.
- Land leases are long commitments
- Industrial plots come with multi-year lease terms and development obligations. This is a capital decision, not a licence decision.
- Port draft matters
- Hamriyah's main channel and inner harbour have different depth capabilities. If your vessels have specific draft requirements, confirm berth suitability before committing.
What makes HFZA different
- Has its own deep-water port and inner harbour — rare among UAE zones.
- Long-established (1995) industrial powerhouse.
Compare alternatives
How HFZA compares
| Free zone | Emirate | License from* | Typical timeline | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HFZA This page | Sharjah | AED 11,000/yr | Registration in as little as 1 working day; visas add time | Manufacturing · Oil & gas |
| SHAMS → | Sharjah | AED 5,750/yr | Registration in as little as 24 hours; add visa processing time | Cheapest · Freelancers |
| SPC → | Sharjah | AED 5,750/yr | Often same-day to a few working days for the license | Cheapest · Dual license |
| DAFZA → | Dubai | Quote required | ~2–4 weeks | Import/export · Logistics |
* Published entry prices from each authority, verified 1 August 2026 — not quotes, and not directly comparable products. Compare all 17 zones
HFZA — frequently asked questions
01How much does it cost to set up in HFZA?＋
Confirm what the selected package covers: legal form and shareholder count, office or e-office, visa eligibility, registration, establishment card, immigration, P.O. box and renewal conditions. Figures are the authority's own published prices as last verified — confirm current pricing before committing.
02Can I own 100% of my HFZA company?＋
100% foreign ownership — no local sponsor required.
03How many visas can I get with HFZA?＋
Entry 'office' packages typically allow a limited number of visas; larger quotas come with bigger offices, warehouses or land.
04How long does HFZA setup take?＋
Registration in as little as 1 working day; visas add time. Timelines depend on document readiness, visa processing and bank onboarding.
05Who is HFZA best for?＋
Manufacturers, industrial operators, oil & gas, petrochemical, maritime and heavy-trading businesses needing port access, land and warehousing at a lower cost than Dubai.
06Is Hamriyah suitable for a small trading company?＋
It can host one — the zone offers pre-built warehouses and executive office units alongside the industrial plots. But you'd be choosing a heavy-industrial zone for its cheapest product, and SAIF Zone or Ajman would usually suit a small trader better. Hamriyah earns its place when you need the port, the land or the utility capacity.
07What makes Hamriyah different from Jebel Ali?＋
Both are industrial zones with ports. Jebel Ali is vastly larger, handles container volume at a global scale and sits in Dubai with the cost and connectivity that implies. Hamriyah is focused on heavy industry, oil and gas and project cargo, at Sharjah land and labour costs. For a fabrication yard or a chemical blending operation, Hamriyah's economics are hard to beat.
08Does Hamriyah have its own port?＋
Yes. Hamriyah Port is part of the free zone, with a deep-water channel for larger vessels and a separate inner harbour for shallower-draft traffic — which is why the oilfield-services and marine-engineering cluster developed here rather than elsewhere in Sharjah.