A civil company in Sharjah is the structure for professional partnerships — groups of doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants and similar licensed professionals practising together — licensed through SEDD, distinct from both an LLC and a sole establishment.
Who this structure suits
Civil companies are built for partnerships among licensed professionals in the same or closely related field, not general commercial trading. A group of engineers forming a consultancy practice, or accountants forming a joint firm, are the natural fit — a general trading or retail business would instead use an LLC or sole establishment.
Liability and partnership structure
Partners generally bear liability similar to a sole establishment's owner, without an LLC's limited-liability shield, though the specific arrangement can be defined in the partnership agreement between partners — a meaningful consideration to address with legal advice before finalising the partnership.
Costs and timeline
Civil company formation involves drafting a partnership agreement alongside the standard SEDD trade licence process, plus each partner's individual professional registration for their specific field. Model your base licensing cost with this site's Business Setup Cost Calculator.