Freelance Visa in Dubai — and what it really costs
A Dubai freelance visa is two things, not one: a permit to work and a residence visa. Almost every price you have seen advertised is the permit alone. Here is the whole bill, before you commit to any of it.
What the advertised price usually leaves out
- Establishment card
- Entry permit & status change
- Visa stamping
- Medical fitness test
- Emirates ID
Five fees, from three authorities. A quote showing one of them is not a quote.
The permit is not the visa
This is the single most expensive misunderstanding in the freelance market, and it is almost always the seller's fault rather than the buyer's.
The freelance permit
A licence issued by a free zone that makes it legal for you to invoice clients under your own name. It does not give you the right to live in the UAE.
The residence visa
A separate application, to a different authority, with its own fee. This is the thing that lets you stay, open a bank account, rent a flat and get an Emirates ID.
You can hold the permit without the visa — some people do, because they are already resident on a spouse's or employer's sponsorship and only need the licence. Everyone else needs both, and the difference between the two prices is not small.
What a freelance visa actually costs
The freelance permit
The licence that makes it legal to invoice clients under your own name. This is the number in almost every advert you have seen — and it is one of five.
- Issued by a free zone
- Priced by the authority
- Renewed annually
- This alone is NOT a visa
The establishment card
A separate registration with immigration that a free zone entity needs before it can sponsor anybody — including you. Not optional, and rarely advertised.
- Immigration registration
- Required before any visa
- Separate authority fee
The residence visa
The thing you actually came for: the right to live in the UAE. It is a distinct application with its own fee, and it is the part the headline price usually leaves out.
- Entry permit
- Status change
- Visa stamping
- 1 or 2 year terms
Medical & Emirates ID
A medical fitness test and biometrics, both mandatory, both government-priced. Small individually, and they are still real money you have to have.
- Medical fitness test
- Biometrics
- Emirates ID issuance
We do not publish a single headline number, and that is deliberate. The total depends on the free zone, your activity, and whether you need a 1-year or 2-year visa — and most of the fees are set by the authority, not by us. A figure invented to win a click is how people end up with a bill they did not expect. Tell us what you do and we will give you the real total, with each fee named and its source, in one call.
From permit to Emirates ID
Five stages across three authorities. The first one is the only one that can save you the cost of the other four.
- 01
Check it is the right route
A freelance permit suits one person invoicing their own clients. If you plan to hire, take on a partner, or trade goods, it is the wrong structure and we will say so before you pay anything.
- 02
Choose the free zone
Different zones permit different activities and price differently. The cheapest permit is not the cheapest outcome if it does not cover the work you actually do, or if banks will not open an account for it.
- 03
Permit application
Your activity, your documents, and the application filed with the authority. Approval is theirs; a correctly prepared file is ours.
- 04
Establishment card & entry permit
Immigration registration, then the entry permit that lets the residence visa proceed.
- 05
Medical, Emirates ID, stamping
The in-country steps. We book them, prepare you for them, and track them — this is where unmanaged applications stall.
The OMC approach to freelance visas
01
We quote all five fees, not one
The advertised price you have seen elsewhere is the permit. We tell you the permit, the establishment card, the visa, the medical and the Emirates ID — before you commit, not after.
02
We will tell you it is the wrong route
If you intend to hire staff, bring in a partner, or trade physical goods, a freelance permit does not do that. A company does. We would rather lose the smaller sale than sell you a structure you will have to unwind.
03
The bank account is the real test
A permit you cannot bank is a permit that cannot get paid. We have opened over 1,000 UAE bank accounts and know which zones the banks are comfortable with — that is worth more than a few hundred dirhams of permit fee.
04
Renewals are tracked, not remembered
The permit, the visa and the Emirates ID all expire, on different dates. Every one is tracked in your account and flagged before it is due — the same system our own team runs on.
When a freelance permit is the wrong answer
- You want to hire someone. A freelance permit sponsors you and nobody else. Employing staff needs a company.
- You have a partner. A freelance permit is one person. Two founders need a company with two shareholders.
- You are trading goods. Freelance permits cover professional services, not import, export or retail.
- You need a serious bank account. Some banks are markedly less comfortable with freelance permits than with companies. If banking is central to what you do, that matters more than the permit fee.
If any of those is you, the honest answer is a free zone company — it costs more up front and it will not have to be unwound in a year.
Questions? We've Got Answers.
Straight answers on cost, eligibility, and what a freelance permit does and does not allow.
Still have a question?
Speak to an OMC advisor directly — we respond within 2–4 hours on business days.
Talk to an advisorHow much does a freelance visa in Dubai actually cost?
There is no single number, and any advert that gives you one is quoting the permit alone. There are five separate fees, from three authorities: the freelance permit, the establishment card, the residence visa, the medical fitness test, and the Emirates ID. Most are set by the authority rather than by us, and the total depends on the free zone, your activity, and whether you take a 1-year or 2-year visa. We name every fee and its source before you commit — we would rather lose a click than surprise you with a bill.
What is a freelance visa in Dubai, exactly?
It is two things people constantly treat as one. The freelance permit is a licence from a free zone that makes it legal to invoice clients under your own name. The residence visa is a separate application that lets you live in the UAE. You can hold the permit without the visa — some people do, because they are already resident on a spouse's or employer's sponsorship. Everyone else needs both.
Can I hire staff on a freelance permit?
No. A freelance permit sponsors you and nobody else. If you intend to employ anyone, take on a partner, or trade physical goods, you need a company rather than a freelance permit — and it is far cheaper to start with the right structure than to unwind the wrong one a year later.
Can I open a bank account with a freelance permit?
Usually, but it is harder than with a company, and some banks are markedly less comfortable with freelance permits. A permit you cannot bank is a permit that cannot get paid, so if banking is central to what you do, that should shape which free zone you choose — not the permit fee. We have opened over 1,000 UAE bank accounts and will tell you plainly where a given permit is likely to struggle.
How long does a freelance visa take?
The permit is usually the fast part; the visa is not. After the permit is issued you still need the establishment card, an entry permit, a medical fitness test, biometrics and stamping — each with its own queue. Timelines are indicative and depend on the authority, so we give you a realistic one at the start rather than the best case.
Ready to start?
Get the whole number, not the headline one
Tell us what you do and whether you need the residence visa. You will get every fee named, with its source — and if a freelance permit is the wrong route for you, we will tell you that instead.