by serviced
Moving to Sharjah usually starts with a month in a furnished apartment while you sort out your residence visa, find a home and get the lease attested within 15 days, which you need before the Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWGA) will connect your utilities. The order matters: the Emirates ID comes before the lease, and the attested lease comes before electricity and water. This guide sets out the first month step by step, with who does each part and the official source behind it.
The first month of moving to Sharjah follows one chain. Your sponsor starts the residence visa, which brings the medical test and the Emirates ID application. With those under way you can sign a lease, the landlord attests it with Sharjah City Municipality within 15 days, and the attested lease triggers your SEWGA connection. A furnished monthly apartment covers you until that chain is complete.
| Step | Who does it | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Book a furnished base for 30 nights or more | You | Most listings on servicedapartments.ae have a 30-night minimum; choose an area near work or school |
| 2. Residence visa: medical fitness test, security check, Emirates ID application | Your sponsor (usually your employer) and you | Needed for anyone 18 or over, through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) |
| 3. Bank account and local mobile number | You | Ask each provider which documents it needs |
| 4. Choose an area and sign a lease | You and the landlord | Sharjah's tenancy contract asks for the tenant's Emirates ID number |
| 5. Lease attested within 15 days | The landlord | A landlord who doesn't attest pays a penalty of twice the attestation fee |
| 6. Electricity, water and gas | SEWGA, once the lease is attested; you pay the deposit | The deposit amount arrives by text message |
| 7. Internet, schools and moving in | You | Check school calendars with the school |
| 8. Leave the serviced apartment | You | Plan the overlap so the new home has power before you move |
Stay where your daily routine will be: near your office, your children's school or the road you will commute on. A furnished, serviced apartment gives you a kitchen, housekeeping and a fixed monthly price while you view flats. Book one continuous stay of 30 nights or more, and extend it if the lease or utilities take longer than planned.
On our Sharjah page, apartments sit mainly in two areas. Al Majaz is around Khalid Lagoon and the Al Majaz Waterfront promenade, and Al Nahda sits on the Sharjah–Dubai boundary, which suits people who work in Dubai. Families can start with our family collection; each listing shows its monthly price and the security deposit.
Your sponsor, usually your employer, applies for the residence visa. According to the UAE government portal u.ae, applicants aged 18 and over must pass a medical fitness test and a security check and apply for an Emirates ID with ICP. Book the medical test early in the month: until the Emirates ID is under way, the later steps wait.
Keep copies of your passport, entry permit and Emirates ID application receipt on your phone. You will need the Emirates ID number again for the lease, since Sharjah's tenancy contract has a field for it. If parents or other relatives plan to visit while you settle in, our guide to the visit visa for parents explains the sponsor rules.
In Sharjah, the lease must be attested with Sharjah City Municipality within 15 days of signing, under Article 4 of Law No. (5) of 2024 on leasing real estate. The landlord is responsible for attesting it, and a landlord who fails to do so pays an administrative penalty of twice the attestation fee, on top of the fee itself.
The municipality's residential contract template sets out other points worth reading before you sign. The tenant pays the electricity, water and gas bills unless the contract says otherwise. The landlord is responsible for necessary maintenance unless agreed otherwise in writing. Disputes go to the Rental Dispute Resolution Center. The contract is generated electronically and can be verified online, and it is not valid if printed. Ask the landlord or agent to confirm when the lease has been attested; the next step depends on it.
SEWGA, still widely known as SEWA, supplies electricity, water and gas in Sharjah, and tenants need a tenancy contract to apply. Since July 2025, once Sharjah Municipality attests a lease, the contract goes to SEWGA electronically: you receive a text message with the security deposit to pay, and the service is connected once it is paid.
That is what SEWGA's customer service director described when the service launched, as reported by Sharjah24 on 6 July 2025. u.ae also tells tenants to create an account on the SEWGA portal to apply for utilities. The deposit depends on the property, so we don't quote a figure. Leave a few days between the expected connection and your move-out date from the serviced apartment.
Until Sharjah Station opens, the commute to Dubai is by road: car, taxi or bus. For buses within Dubai and between the cities, plan the route in the S'hail app of Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). For trips further afield, Etihad Rail's passenger trains already serve Al Dhaid in central Sharjah, as well as Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah, and Sharjah Station is scheduled to open on 30 March 2027.
Our Etihad Rail passenger train guide covers the stations, tickets and booking. If your first month falls in February or March 2027, read our guide to Ramadan 2027 in the UAE for working hours and the Eid holiday, and for what goes on a hotel-apartment bill in Sharjah, see our guide to hotel fees and taxes outside Dubai.
Keep the overlap The lease, its attestation and the SEWGA connection each depend on the one before. Book the furnished apartment for the whole first month, and extend it rather than moving into a flat that has no power yet.
No. Sharjah is a dry emirate: Visit Sharjah, run by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, says no alcohol is available anywhere, including international hotels.
15 days from signing, under Article 4 of Sharjah's Law No. (5) of 2024. The landlord is responsible, and a landlord who doesn't attest pays a penalty of twice the attestation fee.
Sharjah's residential tenancy contract asks for the tenant's Emirates ID number (or a trade licence number for a company), so start your Emirates ID application before you sign.
Once Sharjah Municipality attests your lease, it is sent to SEWGA (formerly SEWA) electronically. You receive a text message with the deposit to pay, and the service is connected after payment.
Sharjah government departments work Monday to Thursday and close Friday to Sunday, a system in place since 1 January 2022. Private employers set their own working week.
Etihad Rail's Al Dhaid station in central Sharjah is open, with trains to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah. Sharjah Station is scheduled to open on 30 March 2027.
Starting with a month in Al Majaz or Al Nahda? Send your dates through a listing's Request to Book, or WhatsApp the team, and tell us where you'll be working: we'll suggest apartments that fit the commute.
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