Updated
Attestation, not Ejari
In Sharjah the tenancy contract is attested by Sharjah Municipality, usually online through Aqari, the emirate's real estate services platform, or through the landlord's agent. Without an attested contract, the lease is not recognised for residence, utilities or other government services, so it is the first thing to do once the contract is signed.
Attest promptly. Contracts are expected to be attested soon after they start, and late attestation attracts a surcharge. Your landlord or agent can usually tell you exactly what they will upload and what they need from you.
- The signed tenancy contract, in Arabic or with a translation
- Tenant's Emirates ID, passport and visa page
- A copy of the title deed or ownership document, from the landlord
- The latest SEWA bill for the property
SEWA: electricity and water
Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA) supplies the emirate. Under Sharjah's digital tenancy process, the approved contract passes from the municipality to SEWA electronically, you receive a text message with the deposit to pay, and SEWA connects the supply once the deposit is received. The deposit depends on the type of unit.
Leave a few days between attestation and moving day so the connection is live when the furniture arrives. If you are moving out of Sharjah, settle the final SEWA bill and ask for the deposit refund once the reading is taken.
When trucks can drive in Sharjah
Sharjah Police ban heavy trucks from the emirate's roads during the morning, midday and evening peaks. The published windows have been 05:30 to 09:00, 13:00 to 15:00 and 17:30 to 21:30, with a separate evening ban on the Emirates Road towards Sharjah and different timings during Ramadan. Check the current timings before you fix a start time, because they do change.
Trucks caught inside a ban window are fined and can be impounded, which is the last thing you want on moving day with your furniture on board. A mover who works the corridor regularly will plan the loading so the truck crosses in a permitted window, usually early in the morning or mid-morning.
Buildings and communities
Sharjah's city districts — Al Majaz, Al Taawun, Al Khan, Al Nahda, Al Qasba — are towers and older apartment blocks. Towers usually want notice and a service lift booking, and some take a refundable deposit. Older blocks may have one small lift, or none, which means more movers and more dismantling rather than more hours.
The newer managed communities inland, such as Aljada and Al Zahia, run move approvals through their community management and register the moving vehicle at the gate. Ask for the community's move pack as soon as you have keys, and send the mover's details for the form.
The order that works
Sign the contract, attest it, pay the SEWA deposit, book the building's lift or the community's gate pass, and then fix the moving date with a truck time that avoids the ban windows. In that order, the lights are on, the lift is yours and the truck is on the right road at the right hour.