The routes we handle
The two residency routes below reach the same place — a two-year UAE residence visa and an Emirates ID — by different arrangements, and the difference matters more than the price does. One puts the licence and the visa in your name. The other puts both in a licensed agency’s, with you employed by it. The table further down sets out exactly what changes. Every route is quoted in writing after a free consultation, and instalments are available through Tabby & Tamara.
For people who already hold UAE residency — dependants, Golden Visa holders and GCC nationals. The status is already yours; what is missing is the licence that lets you invoice in your own name.
No residence visa included
Quoted in writingafter your free consultation
The permit and the two-year residence visa it sponsors, filed as one application. The licence is in your name, and so is your residency — nobody else is holding your status for you.
Quoted in writingafter your free consultation
A two-year Dubai residence visa and a freelance work permit, both held through a recruitment agency licensed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. It gives you residency and the right to work; client engagements are contracted and invoiced through the agency rather than in your own name.
Invoicing runs through the agency
Quoted in writingafter your free consultation
Go Freelance is an independent consultancy operated by Trivup Documents Clearing Services, a licensed Dubai documents-clearing company. We are not a government department, and we are not affiliated with, authorised by, or endorsed by any UAE government authority.
Permits, licences and residency visas are issued solely by the relevant UAE authorities, which decide every application on its own merits. We advise on and prepare applications; we cannot and do not guarantee any outcome.
You may apply directly to the relevant authority yourself. Our fee covers consultancy and document preparation only, is quoted to you in writing before any work begins, and is separate from government charges, which are set by the authorities and paid to them.
On the employment route, the sponsoring employer is a recruitment agency licensed by the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, not us. That agency becomes your legal employer and your visa sponsor, and your residency is tied to that employment continuing.
Side by side
Who sponsors your visa, whose name the licence is in, and what happens on the day the arrangement ends. Those three rows decide it for most people.
| Included | Freelance Permit | Freelance Permit & 2-Year Residency | Freelance Work Permit & 2 Years Residency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who sponsors your residence visa | You already hold one | You, through your own permit | The licensed agency |
| Trade licence in your own name | Included | Included | Not included |
| Invoice clients in your own name | Included | Included | Not included |
| Residence visa application | Not included | Two years, self-sponsored | Two years, employer-sponsored |
| Business activities | Up to 10 | Up to 10 | Not included |
| Entry permit or in-country status change | Not included | Included | Included |
| Medical & Emirates ID booking | Not included | Included | Included |
| Medical insurance | Arranged by you | Arranged by you | Standard policy included |
| Renewal | Yearly | With your permit and visa | Every one or two years, per package |
| Family sponsorship guidance | Not included | Once residency is issued | Subject to salary criteria |
| Bank account opening assistance | Included | Included | Included |
| Typical completion | 5–7 working days | 10–12 working days | 11–12 working days |
Before you commit
It depends on the route, the free zone that issues the permit and the length of the visa, so we quote every enquiry individually rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most people. Across the wider market a permit paired with residency typically lands between AED 7,500 and AED 20,000 in the first year. Tell us your situation and you will have our fee in writing after a free consultation, with no obligation.
Your written quote covers our professional service fee plus the government and free-zone charges we can predict at the time of quoting. Those charges are set by the authorities and paid to them; our fee is for consultancy and document preparation only. If an authority changes a fee mid-process we tell you before we proceed, never after.
No, and it is rarely included by anyone. Health insurance is a separate legal requirement for every UAE resident, renewed annually per person. Budget for it alongside the package price, and ask any provider you are comparing us against whether their quote includes it.
Yes. Instalment plans are available through Tabby and Tamara, so the setup cost can be spread rather than paid as a single amount.
Licence renewal comes round annually regardless of your visa length. Residency renewal falls at the end of your one- or two-year cycle and includes a fresh medical and Emirates ID. Health insurance renews annually for you and anyone you sponsor.
Because you pay the entry permit, medical fitness test, Emirates ID, and stamping fees once instead of twice. It costs more up front and less per year over its life.
More detail in our guide to what a UAE freelance visa costs, line by line, or see all frequently asked questions.
Not sure which?
First: do you already hold UAE residency? If you do — as a dependant, a Golden Visa holder or a GCC national — the Freelance Permit on its own is normally all you need. If you do not, the second question is whether you want to invoice clients in your own name. Yes means the Freelance Permit & 2-Year Residency route, because that is the only one of the two that puts a trade licence in your name. No, and you would rather have residency quickly, means the Employment Visa route through a licensed agency.
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