SPC Free Zone Auditors in UAE
We are Approved Auditors by Sharjah Publishing City (SPC) Free Zone.
Audit Services for Sharjah Publishing City (SPC) Free Zone Companies
Farahat & Co. provides audit services for Sharjah Publishing City (SPC) Free Zone companies, authorised to conduct statutory audits under SPC’s regulatory framework.
Launched in 2014 under the Sharjah Book Authority, SPC Free Zone was the region’s first publishing-focused free zone and has since expanded into media, e-commerce, consultancy, technology and trading.
Every company licensed in SPC Free Zone must submit annual audited financial statements prepared by an approved auditor as a condition of trade licence renewal.
Services We Offer as SPC Free Zone Approved Auditors in UAE
As approved auditors for SPC Free Zone in the UAE, we support Sharjah Publishing City businesses with tailored audit, accounting, and compliance services. Our team ensures your business operates in full accordance with SPC Free Zone regulations.
SPC Free Zone Audit Requirements and Regulations
Legal basis
SPC Free Zone is administered by the Sharjah Book Authority, established by Emiri decree in 2014. Auditors providing services in SPC must hold a licence from the Sharjah Economic Development Department in addition to their Ministry of Economy registration, reflecting Sharjah’s specific auditor licensing requirements alongside standard UAE audit regulation. Financial statements must be prepared in accordance with IFRS and reviewed by an auditor familiar with SPC’s regulatory framework.
Who must comply
The audit requirement applies to every company licensed in SPC Free Zone, spanning its original publishing and printing focus as well as its expansion into media, e-commerce, consultancy, technology and trading. Given the mix of licensed activities, audits in SPC frequently involve reviewing royalty income, intellectual property licensing, digital platform revenue and project-based or freelance costs, alongside standard financial statement testing.
Penalties for non-compliance
Annual audited financial statements are a mandatory condition of trade licence renewal in SPC Free Zone. Failure to submit a compliant audit report can delay or prevent licence renewal, and businesses relying on audited accounts for banking relationships or investor discussions may also face difficulty accessing credit facilities or closing partnerships without a completed audit.
Audit Process, Deadline and Documents Required
Filing deadline and submission process
Audited financial statements are submitted as part of the annual trade licence renewal process. Companies should begin the audit well ahead of their renewal date, since publishing, media and e-commerce businesses often carry more complex income streams, including royalties, licensing fees, and multi-platform digital revenue, that take longer to reconcile than a standard trading company’s accounts.
Step-by-step audit process
- Review the licensed business activity and transaction flow to identify the key areas the audit needs to cover.
- Organise accounting records — invoices, contracts, bank statements, receipts and payroll records.
- Reconcile bank and business transactions against accounting records to identify discrepancies or unsupported entries.
- Review industry-specific transactions, including royalty income, content production costs, digital platform fees and project-based revenue where applicable.
- Prepare financial statements and complete the audit, issuing the final report for licence renewal and other stakeholder purposes.
Documents required
Valid SPC Free Zone trade licence, certificate of incorporation, Memorandum and Articles of Association, shareholder, manager and authorised signatory details, UBO and KYC documents where applicable, trial balance and general ledger, profit and loss statement and balance sheet, bank statements and reconciliations, sales invoices and customer contracts, purchase invoices and expense records, supplier agreements, royalty, publishing or media income records where applicable, e-commerce platform reports and payment gateway records where applicable, payroll records, VAT returns and TRN certificate where applicable, corporate tax registration details where applicable, and previous financial statements or audit reports if available.
Why Choose Farahat & Co. as Your SPC Free Zone Auditor
Farahat & Co. provides audit services for SPC Free Zone companies across publishing, media, e-commerce, consultancy and trading activities. Because SPC hosts a genuinely mixed business community, from traditional publishing houses to digital-first e-commerce operators, our audit approach adapts to the specific revenue model involved, whether that means reviewing royalty and licensing income for a publisher or reconciling marketplace and payment gateway reports for an online retailer.
Beyond SPC, Farahat & Co. holds approvals across more than 20 UAE free zones, including DMCC, JAFZA and DIFC, giving businesses with entities in both Sharjah and Dubai a single audit partner. We also help SPC companies keep records organised throughout the year, rather than assembling them only when a bank, investor or licence renewal deadline creates urgency.
About SPC Free Zone: Free Zone Profile
Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone was launched in 2014 by Emiri decree of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, and is administered by the Sharjah Book Authority. It was established as the world’s first free zone dedicated to the publishing and printing industries, aiming to support authors, publishers and content creators while encouraging cultural and creative exchange.
Since its launch, SPC Free Zone has expanded well beyond its publishing origins to host media, e-commerce, technology, consultancy and trading businesses, alongside industrial and warehousing facilities spanning a large area of Sharjah. This dual identity, combining its original creative-industry focus with a broader commercial base, means audit considerations in SPC often span both traditional publishing transactions, such as royalties and licensing, and standard commercial accounting for trading and service businesses.