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Freelancing in the UAE, the legal way

Most freelancers get their own permit or licence, sponsor their own visa and pay for it themselves. If one client keeps you busy and will employ you, they can do it through us instead. We handle the paperwork either way.

Get a quote Compare the routes
Freelancers · Two routes
Your own permit
AED 1,500 paperwork, you pay
Employed through us
From AED 2,000 a month, client pays
Green Visa
5 years, self-sponsored
Government fees
At cost
Health insurance
Always needed
Family visas
Both routes

In 30 seconds

Freelancing in the UAE: the two routes

Your own permit and visa, which you pay for, or employment through us for one client, which your client pays for.

Read the transcript

Freelancing in the UAE?

There are two legal routes.

Most freelancers get their own permit and visa,

pay for it themselves and invoice several clients.

If one client keeps you busy, they can employ you through us.

Then the client pays.

Either way, we handle the paperwork and help you settle in.

Tell us how you work.

Two routes

Most freelancers set up on their own and pay for it themselves. Employment through us is for when one client employs you, and then the client pays.

Most freelancers

You set up on your own

You hold your own permit or licence, invoice your own clients and sponsor your own visa. We prepare and file everything, and look after you on the ground until you are settled.

  1. 1

    Permit or licence

    A MOHRE freelance permit for the mainland, or a freelancer licence from a free zone. We compare both for your work before you pay anything.

  2. 2

    Green Visa

    If you qualify, a five-year residence you sponsor yourself. We check the conditions against your documents first.

  3. 3

    Medical, Emirates ID and insurance

    We book the medical test and biometrics and arrange health insurance, which every residence visa needs.

  4. 4

    Settling in

    A bank account, a home with a licensed agent, and visas for your family once your residence is issued.

You pay: from AED 1,500 for the paperwork, plus government and free zone fees at cost.

When one client employs you

We employ you

Your client signs with us, and we become your employer on paper. You do the work for them, as you do today, with a UAE contract and everything an employee is entitled to.

  • A MOHRE work permit and a two-year residence visa, sponsored by us
  • Health insurance, paid by us as your employer
  • Your salary every month through WPS
  • End-of-service gratuity under the Labour Law
  • Visas for your family once your own residence is issued
  • Arrival help if you are moving: airport, first home, bank account

Your client pays from AED 2,000 per employee per month. You pay us nothing: the law does not let an employer charge you.

How Employer of Record works

Which route fits you

Several clients, your own rates and invoices

Your own permit or licence

You stay independent, sponsor your own visa and pay for it yourself. Most freelancers go this way.

One main client, full time, for a year or more, who will employ you

Employed through us

You get a UAE contract and the benefits of an employee. The client pays our fee.

Your employer is abroad and keeps you on their payroll

Remote work visa

Not a freelance route. You sponsor yourself for a year; we can file it for you.

Still looking for clients or a job

Job seeker visit visa

60, 90 or 120 days to look, for skilled people and graduates of top universities.

Your own permit: mainland or free zone

Where your clients are decides it. We compare the two for your case before you pay a fee.

Women work on laptops at a long shared wooden table in a bright coworking space
Illustrative photo

On the mainland: the MOHRE freelance permit

MOHRE lists a freelance, or self-employment, permit among its work permits. It is for people who work independently, with no employer and no employment contract. You need to be 18 or over, with some exceptions, and regulated professions also need their professional licence.

In a free zone: a freelancer licence

Free zones issue their own licences, and a freelancer licence can often use a virtual office instead of a rented one. A free zone licence lets you work within the free zone and abroad; selling to mainland clients usually needs a dual licence. Visas in a free zone go through the free zone authority, not MOHRE.

The Green Visa for freelancers

ICP and GDRFA set the conditions. You need:

  • a MOHRE freelance or self-employment permit
  • a bachelor’s degree or a specialised diploma
  • income from self-employment of at least AED 360,000 a year over the last two years, or proof of financial solvency

The two authorities word the income test differently, so we check it against your papers before we file. The visa lasts five years, is renewable, and you sponsor it yourself. If it ends or is cancelled, you have 180 days to renew it or leave.

Health insurance

Every residence visa needs valid health insurance. On your own, you buy it yourself, and in Dubai the sponsor insures the family members they sponsor. Through us as your employer, your own cover is on us.

If your employer is abroad

The remote work visa is for people employed by a company outside the UAE who want to live here. It asks for proof of that job, an income of at least USD 3,500 a month and health insurance valid in the UAE, and it lasts one year, renewable. You sponsor yourself and can bring your family.

It is not a freelance route, and no UAE company, us included, can employ you on it. If your employer would rather give you a UAE contract, that is what our Employer of Record does. Every route is laid out in our guide to work permits and visa types.

Want to make the case to your employer? See moving to the UAE with your job, with an email you can send them.

What we do

  • Prepare and file your permit or licence, visa, medical test and Emirates ID
  • Check the Green Visa conditions against your documents before anything is paid
  • Arrange health insurance: the premium at cost, plus our service fee
  • Introduce you to a partner bank and to licensed property agents
  • File visas for your family once your own residence is issued

What we don’t do

  • Issue permits or licences: MOHRE and the free zone authorities do
  • Promise an approval the authority has not given
  • Put anyone on our visa without a real job with a client behind it
  • Charge you for your own visa when we are your employer

Prices

Our fees, before VAT. Government, free zone and insurance fees are added at cost, with the receipts.

MOHRE freelance permit or free zone freelance licence, paperwork, you pay AED 1,500
Green Visa for freelancers, application to Emirates ID, you pay AED 1,200
Family visa, per person, you pay AED 550
Employed through us, per month, paid by your client from AED 2,000

Questions we get asked

Something else? Ask us directly. A person answers, usually the same working day.

Who pays for it?

Usually you do. Most freelancers set up on their own permit or licence and pay our fee for the paperwork, from AED 1,500, plus the government, free zone and insurance fees at cost.

When one client employs you through us instead, that client pays your salary and our monthly fee, from AED 2,000. As your employer, we cannot charge you for it: UAE law does not let an employer pass the costs of hiring and employing someone to them, including the permit, visa, medical test and Emirates ID.

My client is a company abroad. Can they employ me here?

Yes, through our Employer of Record: you get a UAE contract, a work permit and a residence visa, and they pay our fee. If you would rather stay on their payroll abroad, the remote work visa is the route, and we can file the application for you.

Can I work for other clients while you employ me?

Not as our employee. You work for the client named in our contract with them. MOHRE does have a part-time permit that allows work for more than one employer with its approval, but that is a different setup. Tell us how you work and we will say what fits.

Do I need a degree for the Green Visa?

Yes. ICP and GDRFA ask for a bachelor’s degree or a specialised diploma, along with a MOHRE freelance or self-employment permit and proof of income or financial solvency. If you do not qualify yet, we look at the other routes with you.

Can my family come with me?

Employed through us: yes, once your residence visa is issued, with a salary of at least AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 with housing provided. On your own residence: yes, and we check the income rule against your case before we file.

How long does it take?

Usually 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the permit or licence. The permit or licence comes first, then the visa, medical test and Emirates ID. A degree that still needs attesting is the most common delay, so we check it on day one.

Often used together

All services

Official sources

Checked 4 Nov 2026. We cite UAE government sources only.

Tell us how you work.

Your clients, your income and who is coming with you. We tell you which route fits and what it costs within one working day.

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