Mashable: The Sharjah City Municipality has issued a series of guidelines for eateries in the run up to Ramadan this year, set to begin on March 1, 2025 pending the sighting of the moon. The guideline highlights practices eateries would need to adhere to this holy month. The Emirate’s local government has also been issuing permits for eateries to display food during fasting hours as well as preparing and selling food during the day.

Ramadan 2025 UAE; Sharjah’s eatery guidelines

The Sharjah City Municipality took to social media to announce a series of permits it will issue for restaurants, cafeterias, sweet shops, bakeries, and shopping malls for a fee of AED500. The permits will let businesses display food during fasting hours while also letting them sell food during the daytime. However, the government has issued a series of conditions that businesses must follow. The conditions include no in-person dining, food prep limited to the kitchens and displaying food in non-corrosive, food grade materials.

The announcement comes in at a time when Ramadan is just on the horizon and millions of people across not just the UAE or the MENA region, but throughout the world gear up to observe fasts lasting from the early hours of the morning until the sunset. Ramadan is said to be one of the holiest months for Muslims across the world.

Ramadan 2025 UAE; Sharjah’s permits

As stated above, the local government will be issuing special permits to businesses in the Emirate. There will be two distinct permits, with each permit allowing for a set of practices during Ramadan. The first permit is the permit to prepare and sell food during fasting hours, available at a fee of AED3000 — this permit is applicable for all establishments.

The other permit is for displaying food during fasting hours and is applicable for restaurants, cafes, bakeries and sweet shops. The permit is available for AED500 and requires business to store and display food in a safe manner. The display should be in non-corrosive metal containers and enclosed in a glass box (minimum 100 cm high) with a sliding or hinged door.

All permits are available through various centers including Municipal Drawing Center (Al Nasiriyah), Tasareeh Center, Al Raqam Wahed Center, Municipality 24 Center, etc.