Freelance visa in Dubai: permits, costs and the process

A UAE freelance permit with a residence visa costs roughly AED 12,000–20,000 for a two-year package (permit, visa, medical test and Emirates ID). It is usually issued in 2–4 weeks and renewed every two years. Authorities such as RAKEZ, UAQ and SHAMS are at the lower end of the range; Dubai permits through GoFreelance cost more, and some clients prefer a Dubai address. The permit lets you invoice and live in the UAE as a sole professional. As a rough guide, a small FZCO becomes worth its extra cost once income is steadily above about AED 300,000–400,000 a year, or when you plan to hire.

What a freelance permit and visa include

The package has two parts. A freelance permit from a licensing authority (GoFreelance in Dubai for media, technology and education, or RAKEZ, SHAMS, UAQ, Ajman and others in the other emirates) lists the activities you may invoice for. A residence visa, sponsored by the same authority, gives you an Emirates ID, legal residency and the ability to open a UAE bank account.

Together they give you a status that UAE banks, landlords and corporate clients recognise: you invoice in your own name, can sponsor family, and travel as a resident. The permit does not create a separate legal entity. You and the business are the same person, which affects liability, banking and tax, and is why the FZCO question below matters.

Freelance visa costs, line by line

The total is roughly AED 12,000–20,000 for a two-year package. The permit is the largest line; the visa, medical test and Emirates ID are mostly government fees. The breakdown below is typical. Your quote depends on the authority and on whether the immigration file is included in the package.

Two costs are easy to miss: health insurance, which the visa requires (a few thousand dirhams a year, depending on age and cover), and any activity that needs approval from a second regulator. Our quote covers the full package. You can check the figure in our visa-cost calculator, and our guide gives the line-by-line cost breakdown.

Lower-cost authorities for a freelance permit

RAKEZ in Ras Al Khaimah, UAQ in Umm Al Quwain and SHAMS in Sharjah are at the lower end of the range, and each issues a standard UAE residence visa. A permit from any UAE authority is valid across the country: you do not have to live in the emirate that issued it, and the Emirates ID is the same.

Dubai permits through GoFreelance cost more, and some client-facing consultants prefer a Dubai address on their invoices. That is the main trade-off: a Dubai address against a few thousand dirhams. If your clients never see the licensing emirate, the lower-cost authority is usually the sensible choice, and we will recommend it. If you are also considering a company, our free-zone index compares the same authorities for full companies.

Freelance permit or a small FZCO

The permit is cheaper to start and simpler to run: one person, invoices in your own name, few renewals and no company accounts to keep. A free-zone FZCO is the better option once you want a corporate bank account separate from your personal finances, plan to hire, need licensed activities that the permit lists do not cover, or want access to the free zone 0% corporate tax regime, which is not available to permit holders.

As a rough guide, once income is steadily above about AED 300,000–400,000 a year, or you plan to hire, the extra cost of an FZCO is usually recovered within a year. Below that level the permit is often enough, and we will not recommend more than you need.

Corporate tax and VAT for freelancers

A permit does not take you outside the tax system. Freelance income is business income. For an individual, UAE corporate tax applies once turnover from the business exceeds AED 1,000,000 in a calendar year (Cabinet Decision 49/2023). At that point you must register, and the rates are 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above it. Keep a record of your turnover so you know if and when registration applies.

If your turnover does pass AED 1M, Small Business Relief lets a business with revenue of AED 3M or less in each tax period elect to be treated as having no taxable income, for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029. Separately, VAT registration is mandatory once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 over 12 months and voluntary from AED 187,500, and services to clients abroad have their own place-of-supply rules. We model corporate tax and VAT before you choose the route, because a wrong assumption here is expensive.

Moving from a freelance visa to the green visa

The freelance permit can also lead to a longer visa. The 5-year green visa lets a freelancer sponsor themselves for five years instead of two, with no employer and no AED 2M asset. You need a freelance permit, a bachelor’s degree or specialised diploma, and self-employment income of at least AED 360,000 a year over the previous two years.

The usual path is to start on the two-year freelance visa while you build a documented income record, then apply for the green visa once the income and paperwork support it. If you are aiming for the green visa, we set up the freelance package with that application in mind from the start.

Timeline, renewal and what we handle

With documents ready, the process (permit, entry permit, medical test, Emirates ID and visa) takes about two to four weeks, and the package renews every two years. Family sponsorship can follow straight away, subject to the usual income and housing requirements for any sponsor.

Our work covers matching your activities to the right authority’s list, choosing the lowest-cost valid route unless a Dubai address is worth the extra for you, filing the applications, and telling you when a small company would suit you better than a permit.

Freelance visa key figures

Frequently asked questions

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.