Key Takeaways
- DMCC's FreelanceUAE licence costs AED 4,020 for one year and includes no visa. DMCC says its visa packages are on hold for now (October 2026).
- The RAKEZ freelance permit starts from AED 6,100, sold in one-year and two-year packages. It's meant for a sole practitioner, and holders can't open a corporate bank account.
- Dubai's virtual work visa has a government fee of AED 200 plus levies, and the GDRFA page shows no VAT. You have to prove USD 3,500 in monthly income.
- ICP's Green Residence for freelancers asks for a MOHRE permit and freelance income of at least AED 360,000 a year over the previous two years.
- Before you invoice mainland clients on a freelance permit, get the zone's answer in writing. Ajman Free Zone's FAQ says its licence can be used there but publishes no conditions.
Working for yourself in Dubai means paying for two separate things. When people ask about the freelance visa cost in Dubai, they usually mean both: a permit that lets you work and a residence visa that lets you live here. A free zone, an area with its own authority that licenses businesses under its own rules, sells the permit. An immigration authority such as GDRFA Dubai (the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs) issues the residence, and an insurer covers your health. Each price below shows its type and date, and what it leaves out.
Four freelance options and what they cost
Each option in the table is a different product. Use it to see who issues what and whether a visa is part of the price. It makes sense to price the permit, visa, insurance and renewal together, since the permit alone doesn't give you the right to live in the UAE.
| Option | Issued by | Published price | Visa | Type and date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreelanceUAE | DMCC | AED 4,020 for a one-year licence | not in the price; visa packages on hold | package, October 2026 |
| Freelancer Permit | RAKEZ | from AED 6,100; one-year and two-year packages | holder is eligible for a residence visa | package, page stamp December 2025 |
| Virtual work residence permit | GDRFA Dubai | AED 200 (no VAT shown), AED 10 plus AED 10 levies, AED 500 if you're inside the country, AED 20 delivery | a one-year residence for people employed by an organisation outside the UAE | fee schedule, October 2026 |
| Freelance or self-employment permit | MOHRE | the MOHRE app shows the current fee | none; the permit supports a Green Residence application | fee not printed here |
Some zones sell freelance options but don't publish a price you could quote. Dubai South offers a freelancer licence. The Dubai Development Authority zones (formerly TECOM), the Dubai Airport Freezone (DAFZ), twofour54 and SHAMS (Sharjah Media City) have offered freelance options too. Check the current price with each one, and whether the visa is included.
Freelance permit cost by zone and what is left out
DMCC, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, lets a FreelanceUAE holder practise one profession, with no employees. The AED 4,020 pays for the licence and nothing else. DMCC's schedule also shows FreelanceUAE packages at AED 9,136 and AED 14,136. These now appear only as renewal fees, and the schedule doesn't say what they include. FreelanceUAE says its visa packages are on hold for now. Check with DMCC whether it sells any visa option today.
RAKEZ, the Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone, sells its permit to a sole practitioner with one activity, no staff and no extra visas. Prices start from AED 6,100, in one-year and two-year packages. RAKEZ also lists which media, education, IT and analyst professions qualify (RAKEZ, page stamp December 2025). For the company packages RAKEZ sells alongside it, see the RAKEZ guide.
So the two prices aren't for the same thing. DMCC's lower price buys a licence with no visa. RAKEZ's higher price makes you eligible for a residence visa.
IFZA, the International Free Zone Authority, had no price list on its public pages. Any IFZA freelance figure comes from a quotation, as the IFZA guide explains. Ajman Free Zone (AFZ) offers a Sole Professional licence that you price through its cost calculator. Its FAQ (undated) says a freelancer licence can be used on the mainland. The AFZ guide lists what to ask. How many visas you get depends on the package, and AFZ should confirm the number in your quote.
Residence visa, Emirates ID, medical test and insurance
The permit doesn't give you residence. That comes from ICP, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security. Its entry-permit service page lists AED 100 each for the application, the issuance and the smart service. Processing takes two days, and you must enter the UAE within 60 days (October 2026). The page groups fees for several visa types, so read the block that matches yours. Next comes the Emirates ID, the UAE identity card. ICP's fee for it rises with the number of years of residence.
You need a medical fitness test for residence, and no authority publishes a single fee for it. The price depends on the centre and how fast you want the result, which means the centre's current list is the one to use. Health insurance does have a published reference point. u.ae lists a basic package at AED 320 per year (September 2026), and the virtual work visa asks for a copy of your policy.
The issuing zone or GDRFA can tell you which cover your permit needs. The insurance rules on u.ae that are tied to employers talk about private-sector workers. If you sponsor yourself as a freelancer, check with the issuer what applies to you.
MOHRE permit and Green Residence costs
MOHRE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, issues freelance and self-employment permits. They're for people who work independently, without an employer as their sponsor. MOHRE's app shows the current fee on the day you apply.
ICP's Green Residence for freelancers is a residence visa you don't need an employer for. It lasts five years and can be renewed. You need a MOHRE freelance or self-employment permit, a bachelor's degree or specialised diploma, and proof of stable income or financial solvency. Your freelance income must also have been at least AED 360,000 a year over the previous two years (ICP, September 2026). ICP's guide doesn't list a fee for it.
The Dubai virtual work visa is for a different group: people who work for an employer outside the UAE. GDRFA says it takes 48 hours. You need proof of at least USD 3,500 in monthly income, a copy of your health insurance and a medical fitness result. The residence is valid for one year, and there's a 60-day grace period after it expires or is cancelled (GDRFA, October 2026). If you're counting on a second year, check the renewal terms with GDRFA first.
Two-year freelance visa prices and instalment offers
You'll only find two-year prices where a zone publishes them. RAKEZ sells one-year and two-year freelance packages. DMCC described a two-year package at AED 14,136 in a December 2024 blog post. That figure now appears in its schedule only as a renewal fee, and its visa packages are on hold. Ask for the one-year and two-year figures in the same quotation, with the number of visas stated for each.
A monthly instalment tells you little until you know how many months you'll pay. UAQ FTZ (the Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone) advertises an instalment plan for its START package without saying how long it runs. Use its AED 12,500 package price instead. SHAMS takes payment upfront, and instalments go through card or bank partners (SHAMS FAQ, October 2026).
What the freelance permit does not include
A freelance permit covers you and nobody else. DMCC allows no employees, and RAKEZ allows no extra visas. RAKEZ says its permit holders can't open a corporate bank account. DMCC's bank support for FreelanceUAE needs a valid UAE visa and licence (October 2026). Either way, the bank decides after its own due diligence, the checks it runs on you.
Working for clients on the mainland, meaning anywhere outside a free zone, is a question of its own. AFZ's FAQ says its freelancer licence can be used on the mainland, but the conditions aren't published. For any other permit, get the zone's answer before you send a mainland client an invoice. The freelance visa and permit guide covers this option in detail.
You have to register for VAT (value added tax) once your taxable supplies and imports pass AED 375,000 over 12 months, or are expected to within 30 days (Federal Tax Authority, as of October 2026). Taxable supplies are the sales VAT applies to. A corporate tax consultant can tell you whether your permit also means registering for Corporate Tax. Registering late for Corporate Tax costs AED 10,000 (Cabinet Decision 75 of 2023 as amended).
Cost by freelancer type
The fees you'll pay change with the kind of work you do. These profiles show which published figures matter for each.
- Consultants and IT freelancers need a zone permit such as FreelanceUAE or the RAKEZ permit, an entry visa, Emirates ID, a medical test and insurance. There are no staff costs.
- Media creators need a permit from a zone that focuses on media, plus the Advertiser Permit. That permit requires a valid licence for electronic media activity, and the National Media Authority can confirm its current fee.
- Remote employees of a foreign company can use the virtual work visa at AED 200 plus levies. They need proof of income but no freelance permit at all.
- Freelancers aiming for the Green Residence get the MOHRE permit first, then pass ICP's income and qualification tests. No zone permit price is involved.
For government fees for owners and employees, see the visa cost guide. Sometimes a company licence works better than a permit. The low cost setup guide, the Dubai trade licence cost page and the free zone company setup cost overview price those options.
A setup adviser who works with freelancers can put the permit, visa and insurance into one quotation. Have each fee listed on its own, the way the table above does it.
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