Freelance visa in Dubai: every cost, fee by fee
This guide breaks a two-year freelance package into its separate fees, shows what the second bill at renewal looks like, explains the tax line freelancers often miss, and marks the income level where a small company becomes cheaper.
A realistic all-in UAE freelance visa costs about AED 12,000–15,000 for a two-year package from a budget authority (RAKEZ, SHAMS, UAQ) and AED 15,000–20,000 for a Dubai-branded permit, plus roughly AED 600–2,000 a year of mandatory health insurance. Advertised figures around AED 7,500 usually cover the permit alone; the medical, Emirates ID and residence visa fees come as separate invoices. Above roughly AED 300,000–400,000 of income a small free zone company can cost less. These are market estimates; your quote should itemise every line.
- A two-year freelance package is about AED 12,000–20,000 all-in, plus AED 600–2,000 a year for insurance. The AED 7,500 headline is usually the permit alone.
- The permit is one line. The residence visa adds an entry permit, status change, medical test, Emirates ID and residence visa issuance.
- A freelancer is a natural person: corporate tax applies only once business turnover exceeds AED 1,000,000 in a calendar year.
- Renewal is a second bill of a similar size, minus one-off establishment steps. Budget for it every two years.
- Above roughly AED 300,000–400,000 of income, or once you hire, a small free zone company starts to make more sense.
Freelance permit, residence visa and trade licence compared
Three words get used interchangeably and cost very different money. A freelance permit is the document that names the activity you may perform (writer, developer, marketing consultant, designer). It is issued by a free zone or by a government-linked scheme such as Dubai’s GoFreelance. On its own a permit is not the right to live in the UAE.
The residence visa is that right, and it is a separate process with its own fees: an entry permit, a change of status, a medical fitness test, an Emirates ID and the residence visa itself, which is now issued electronically. The third, a trade licence, is a company’s operating document. A freelancer does not need one, which is the main reason the freelance route costs less than a company. When a quote mixes the three together, the advertised number is usually the cheapest of them. The freelance visa service page sets out which schemes cover which activities.
Freelance visa fees, line by line
A freelance package is a permit plus the residence visa’s usual entourage. Split into components, a two-year package looks like this. The split varies by authority; the figures are market ranges:
| Line item | What it covers | Typical 2-year cost (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance permit | Activity authorisation for two years | 6,000–9,500 |
| Establishment / immigration card | The file that lets the permit sponsor a visa | 1,500–2,000 |
| Entry permit + status change | Legal entry and conversion to residence | 1,500–3,000 |
| Medical fitness test | Mandatory health screening | 300–700 |
| Emirates ID (2-year) | National ID card, required for everything | 300–600 |
| Residence visa issuance | Residence visa issued in the system | 500–1,000 |
| Health insurance (per year) | Mandatory cover, priced by plan | 600–2,000 |
Budget authorities (RAKEZ, SHAMS, Umm Al Quwain) land the two-year all-in near AED 12,000–15,000; Dubai-branded permits in the GoFreelance and TECOM creative fields sit higher, AED 15,000–20,000, for the address and the brand. Insurance varies widely: a basic essential-benefits plan can cost a few hundred dirhams, while broader cover with an international network runs into the thousands.
What low freelance visa quotes leave out
Advertised “freelance visa AED 7,500” prices are typically the permit alone, or the first year of a package whose establishment file, medical, Emirates ID and residence visa fees appear later as separate invoices. Company set-up prices are often advertised the same way.
Ask any quote for its line items. A real package quote itemises the permit, the immigration card, the entry permit, the medical, the Emirates ID, the residence visa issuance and the insurance, and its total should fall within the ranges above. If a quote says “it’s all included” but gives no breakdown, ask for one before paying.
Freelance visa renewal costs
A freelance package is priced per two-year cycle, and the second cycle is not free. Renewal roughly tracks the initial package minus the one-off establishment steps, plus insurance again. Budget zones commonly charge AED 9,000–13,000 to renew, Dubai-branded permits proportionally more. Over a four-year horizon the true cost of “a freelance visa” is closer to two of these bills than one.
An expired permit or visa blocks banking actions and Emirates ID renewal, and overstaying a residence visa accrues daily fines. Set a reminder ninety days before expiry.
Tax for freelancers: the AED 1 million turnover test
A freelancer on a permit is a natural person, not a company, and that changes the tax picture. Under Cabinet Decision No. 49 of 2023, a natural person’s business income falls into UAE corporate tax only once total business turnover exceeds AED 1,000,000 in a Gregorian calendar year. Below that line there is no corporate-tax registration and no return for the freelance activity; salaries, personal investment income and personal real-estate income are excluded from the count entirely.
Above AED 1M turnover, the standard regime applies: 0% on the first AED 375,000 of taxable profit and 9% above it, with Small Business Relief available while revenue stays at or under AED 3M, for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029. VAT is a separate test: registration becomes mandatory once taxable supplies and imports exceed AED 375,000 over the past twelve months. The full rules are on the corporate tax page.
When a free zone company costs less than a freelance permit
Four markers push the maths toward a small FZCO instead of a permit: sustained income above roughly AED 300–400k a year, plans to hire staff, corporate clients who prefer to invoice and be invoiced by a company, or any QFZP tax analysis that needs a real free-zone entity to hold the 0% on qualifying income. Licence prices by zone are in the Free Zone Index.
Compare the total annual cost of each option. A company adds a trade licence, accounting and possibly an audit, but it also lets you employ people, sponsor several visas, sign as an entity and pursue the QFZP 0%. A freelance permit can do none of these. Put both scenarios side by side in the visa cost calculator before deciding. Below the crossover the permit is usually the better choice.
Freelance permit or company: how to decide
Start from what you actually need this year. If you want a residence visa to live and work solo, invoice individuals or small clients, and expect turnover under AED 1M, the freelance permit is the cheaper and simpler option. Budget AED 12,000–20,000 for two years, plus insurance, and set the renewal reminder. If you plan to hire, want corporate contracts, or see turnover heading toward and past AED 1M, price a small FZCO in parallel; the extra annual cost buys standing and tax structure the permit can never provide.
Either way, get the full invoice in writing with line items before you pay, and treat any figure that is not itemised as incomplete. To have the application handled end to end, see our freelance visa service.
Frequently asked
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This is general information on UAE rules. It is not legal, tax or immigration advice for your situation. Rules and government fees change; we confirm the position for your facts in writing before you act.