Sharjah, 5 November 2025 — His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council (SMC), and Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Honorary President of the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) and Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), witnessed the signing of two memoranda of understanding during the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair at Expo Centre Sharjah.
The agreements — one between the Sharjah Media Council and Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone (SPC Free Zone), and the other between the Emirates Publishers Association and the Sharjah Media Council — were signed by Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of the Sharjah Book Authority and of Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone; Hassan Yaqoub Al Mansouri, Secretary-General of the Sharjah Media Council; and Rashid Al Kous, Executive Director of the Emirates Publishers Association.
The MoU between the Sharjah Media Council and Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone aims to streamline media licensing and permit procedures and enhance the customer experience. This will be achieved by coordinating the issuance, renewal, cancellation and transfer of licences; exchanging data and reports; and enabling the city to collect the Council’s fees and transfer them in accordance with an agreed mechanism.
Under the agreement, companies wholly or partially owned by the Sharjah Book Authority will be exempt from fees for permits covering the establishment of publishing houses, book import and distribution, and the sale of books and publications. In addition, EPA members licensed in the city will receive a 50 per cent discount on media permit renewal fees for the sale of books and publications and for the import and distribution of books, and will be exempt from fees for permits to circulate local publications within the UAE.
The MoU between the Sharjah Media Council and the Emirates Publishers Association aims to support publishers licensed in the Emirate of Sharjah, reduce costs and facilitate services. Association members licensed in Sharjah and holding media permits will be exempt from fees for permits to circulate local publications within the UAE, and will receive a 50 per cent discount on media permit renewal fees for the sale of books and publications and for the import and distribution of books.
The agreement also provides for automating the application of these benefits through the Council’s systems, with the Association supplying membership lists, updating members’ details and verifying the validity of their membership. It further covers the organisation of awareness programmes and workshops for publishers, and strengthened coordination with relevant authorities to unify procedures and reduce duplication.
