Most companies that register with Sharjah Customs for clearance at the ICD are doing so because their warehouse is in Sharjah, Ajman or northern Dubai and it makes no sense to complete the formalities at a coastal terminal only to truck the goods inland afterwards. The registration is what allows the inland entry to be filed. Without it the depot can hold your container but cannot release it. Al Nakheel sets up new registrations for first-time importers across the northern emirates.

What Is a New Import Code Registration?

The registration establishes your company with the customs authority as a party permitted to lodge declarations. At Sharjah ICD the authority is Sharjah Customs, and the code it issues is what every subsequent entry, transfer discharge and bonded withdrawal is filed against.

Because a dry port operates on suspended rather than settled liability, the registration carries more weight here than a first-time importer might assume. It is not simply a formality attached to the first shipment. It underpins the inland transfer, the entry that closes it, and any bonded position you subsequently hold at the depot.

Who Needs a New Import Code?

  • Newly licensed Sharjah, Ajman and northern Dubai companies preparing for a first direct import
  • Businesses moving from buying locally ex-warehouse to importing from an overseas supplier
  • Importers of LCL and groupage cargo whose consignments are cleared individually when a shared container is destuffed
  • Companies that intend to hold stock under bond at the depot rather than paying duty on arrival
  • Traders who have been clearing under a partner's or agent's code and now need their own

Where a previous licence or trade name might already carry a registration, tell us before we file. Submitting a new application against a company that holds a dormant code produces a rejection rather than a second code.

Need Clearance at Sharjah ICD?

Our team handles everything — documentation, duties, and release. Fast response guaranteed.

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Documents Required for New Import Code Registration

Sharjah Customs works from the corporate documents establishing your identity and your authorised signatory:

  • UAE trade licence, mainland or free zone
  • Emirates ID or passport of the licence holder or authorised signatory
  • Memorandum or articles of association for multi-shareholder companies
  • Establishment card for mainland entities
  • Company bank details where verification is requested
  • Authorisation appointing Al Nakheel as your clearing agent

If you plan to use bonded storage: Say so at registration. Holding stock under bond at the depot is a customs arrangement, not simply a warehousing choice, and duty stays suspended until each withdrawal is entered. Setting this up alongside the registration is more straightforward than retrofitting it once cargo is already sitting at the ICD.

Step-by-Step: How Al Nakheel Registers Your Import Code

  1. Check for an existing registration: Companies that have been renamed or reissued a licence sometimes already hold a dormant code. We confirm before filing anything.
  2. Establish how you intend to use the depot: Straight import and release, bonded storage, or groupage cleared at destuffing. This shapes what needs to be in place beyond the basic registration.
  3. Reconcile the document set: Company name, licence number and signatory must agree across every document. Inconsistency here is the usual cause of a rejection.
  4. Submit to Sharjah Customs: The application goes into the system covering the inland depot, which also serves Khorfakkan and the Sajaa facilities.
  5. Handle queries in-house: Authority clarifications are answered by us directly rather than routed back to you.
  6. Activate and prepare the first entry: Once the code is live we prepare your opening declaration and, if a container is already inbound, arrange the inland transfer to the depot alongside it.

How Long Does New Import Code Registration Take?

A consistent and complete application is generally processed within a few working days. Delays come from mismatches in the file rather than from the authority itself: a signatory no longer named on the licence, or documents spelling the company name differently. We review for these before submitting, since a rejected application costs considerably more time than the check does.

Can I Import Goods Before My Code Is Registered?

Cargo can arrive and can even be moved inland to the depot under a transfer, but the entry that closes that transfer cannot be filed without a live registration. That leaves a container sitting in the depot yard on an open customs obligation, which is a worse position than an ordinary storage delay because it is a compliance matter as well as a cost one. Begin the registration when you place the order rather than when the shipment is announced.

Need Clearance at Sharjah ICD?

Our team handles everything — documentation, duties, and release. Fast response guaranteed.

WhatsApp Us Now 📞 (+971) 4 236 9740

Import Code Registration vs. Renewal — What Is the Difference?

Registration creates a customs identity. Renewal extends one that already exists. The practical trap is filing a new application for a company that already holds a dormant code, which returns a rejection rather than a second registration. Licences that have been renamed, reissued or moved between free zone and mainland often carry history that is not visible from the documents in front of you. We establish the position first, then file whichever applies.

Frequently Asked Questions

We are importing LCL cargo. Do we need our own code, or does the consolidator's cover it?
You need your own. A shared container is destuffed at the depot and each consignee's portion is entered separately against their own registration and house bill of lading. The consolidator's code covers the consolidator, not the individual importers behind the shipment. This is one of the most common reasons a first-time LCL importer finds their goods sitting on the depot floor.
We want to hold stock in bond at the depot. Does that change the registration?
The registration itself is the same, but flag the intention early. Bonded storage means duty is suspended rather than paid on arrival, and every subsequent withdrawal requires its own declaration filed against your code. That turns the stock into a customs account that has to be managed, not just warehouse inventory, and it is simpler to set the arrangement up at the outset than after cargo is already at the ICD.
Does this registration cover clearance at seaports as well as the depot?
A Sharjah Customs registration covers the ICD alongside Khorfakkan and the Sajaa area facilities, all being within Sharjah's jurisdiction. Clearing at Jebel Ali, Port Rashid or Khalifa Port means dealing with another emirate's customs system, which requires its own registration. If your routing is likely to span more than one emirate, set both up together rather than sequentially.
Can a free zone company register?
Yes, with a slightly different documentary pathway from a mainland entity. The question worth settling first is where the goods finally come to rest, because cargo remaining inside the free zone and cargo entering the local market are treated differently. That distinction affects how the depot entry is filed, so it is better resolved before the registration than after.
What does registration cost?
Authority fees apply and vary with company type. We quote the government fee separately from our service charge so the two are distinguishable. If cargo is already inbound and the registration is urgent, we will tell you honestly what is within our control and what depends on the authority's processing.