Your one-stop shop for Freelancing in the UAE

Yes, you can work as a freelancer while having a full-time job under the new Labour Law. However, you may require to take permission from your employer for the same; in some cases, you would also need to acquire a no-objection certificate (NOC) to work as a freelancer while having a full-time job.

To start working as a freelancer and living in the UAE, you will need to have a residence visa and a freelance license.

We, at Freedom2Work, provide a 2-year freelance license. With guidance from our experienced inhouse experts, you can enjoy a hassle-free process and get started with your freelance career in Dubai. Get in touch with us today at our toll-free number 800-FREEDOM (373 3366) or at info@freedom2work.com to know more.

Service professionals looking to freelance in Dubai can choose from the pre-approved set of categories from the DED. If you are unable to find your chosen category, you can get in touch with our in-house experts at info@freedom2work.com or at 800-FREEDOM

If you would need to cancel your license for any reason, the main costs you would incur are health insurance cancellation and visa cancellation fees. However, this is subject to change without any prior intimation.

With a freelance license, you will be able to:
- Conduct a freelance business within your chosen category
- Work online and remotely
- Offer your services to clients through your chosen work portal
- Legally accept money in your bank account
- Work without an NOC within the Emirate of Dubai
- Enjoy a high-quality lifestyle offered by Dubai
- Be a part of one of the largest growing gig economies in the world
- Access a growing community of freelancers from across the globe

The following criteria would be applicable when applying for a freelance license:
• You would have to be a citizen or resident of the UAE when applying for a freelance license
• If you are currently on a tourist visa or are applying as a non-resident of the UAE, you can contact our team for more details on the process
• As a service professional applying for the freelance license, you would be the sole owner and the license would be registered under your name
• You can choose up to 3 business activities under your freelance license; however, these activities would have to be listed under the primary category.
• With a freelance license, you will not be able to open a physical outlet
• No additional visas would be issued under a freelance license
• When applying for the license, you would be asked to submit 3 options for a trade name; this would then be submitted to the DED from which you would receive the final approval for your trade name

- Colored passport copy
- Colored Residence Visa copy
- Colored passport-size photographs
- Emirates ID copy
- Resume
- Social media profiles that will be used for conducting business
- Educational certificates
- Local address and phone number
- 3 trade name options

- Colored passport copy
- Colored passport-size photographs
- Resume
- Social media profiles that will be used for conducting business
- Educational certificates
- Local address and phone number
- Home-country ID (it must contain the applicant’s signature)
- 3 trade name options

There are certain conditions that would have to be followed when deciding a trade name for your business. It is important to ensure to go through these before you provide the options for your trade name:

- The trade name options that you choose will be transliterated to Arabic or English; however, it will not be translated
- You can use alphabets and numbers but not icons or special characters
- You can include your first and last name as your trade name; however, it should not be registered only under the last name (for example, John Smith Shipping Services; not Smith Shipping Services)
- The primary activity name will be added to the trade name, but the trade name cannot be the same as the activity name
- You cannot reserve a trade name with words such as Universal, Middle East, International and/or translate them into Arabic
- You cannot include words including Allah’s name or its synonyms, countries, regions, areas, sects, and organizations that are already registered and known names of brands and establishments
The trade name database is based on pronunciation; therefore, it is important to identify duplicates of the name that you would choose in both English and Arabic through keyword search. Any trade name that includes specific words like Gulf, any abbreviations, and foreign words would be considered as premium trade name category A; on the other hand, a trademark, an Arabized name, or a region name would be considered as premium trade name category B.

Yes, all freelancers in the UAE will require a residency visa to live and work in the UAE. All non-residents will have to apply for a residency visa, while all residents can choose to convert their residency visa to a freelance one. For more details, please contact our team.

When applying for a freelance license with Freedom2Work, it would take an estimated 14 working days for your application to be approved.

In the UAE, having health insurance along with a residence visa is mandatory. You can let us know of your health insurance needs and our Freedom2Work team can help assist you to choose the right policy.

No, the freelance license will only be issued in your name.

No, you cannot hire or sponsor any employees through your freelance permit.

Generally, yes. You can transfer your current employment visa to a freelance visa; however, we, at Freedom2Work, would require your visa cancellation copy before proceeding to apply for the freelance visa. For more details, you can get in touch with us at info@freedom2work.com or at 800-FREEDOM (373 3366).

The freelance permit is valid for 2 years and will be renewed on an annual basis.

If your visa is currently under the cancellation process, you would can submit your visa cancellation along with the required documents to our Freedom2Work office. Upon approval and payment, you would be able to receive your freelance visa.

As a freelancer, you will be able to work in person across the Emirate of Dubai; however, you will be able to provide your services throughout the UAE through the online medium.

An invoice is a legal document that includes detailed billing information for a transaction for the service provided by you as a freelancer. An invoicing service can help you create and generate VAT-inclusive invoices for your clients.

According to the regulations, freelancers require a Ministry of Labour contract that mentions their monthly salary. You can sponsor your family if you have a minimum salary of AED 4,000 or higher.

Freelance visa holders can travel in and out of the UAE without any restrictions. However, as per the regulations, you must not stay outside the UAE for a period exceeding 6 months for a stretch in order to ensure the validity of the visa. Those who do end up staying outside the country for more than 6 months could face automatic visa cancellation.

You will require to obtain an NOC from your primary employer to be able to work on weekends.

With any type of freelance license, you would not be able to hire any employees because your license would signify that you operate as a sole trader.

Broadly speaking, some of the essential tools you, as a freelancer, would need include accounting, web hosting, project management, and time management software.

Some of the popular accounting software for freelancers in the UAE include Quickbooks, Self-Employed, Xero, Zoho Books, and Wave.

Some of the popular project management tools for freelancers in the UAE include Asana, Trello, Wrike, Thrive, Podio, Redbooth, nTask, Taskboard, Monday.com, Basecamp, and Kanban Tool for Project Management.

Some of the popular time management tools for freelancers in the UAE include Harvest, Toggl, and Hubstaff. 

These Google Chrome extensions not only boost productivity but also help you make better use of your time: Noisli, Boomerang, One Tab, Grammarly, Google Dictionary, Google Translate, Save to Google Drive, Taco, Google Keep, Stay Focused, Nimbus, Pocket, Pushbullet, ColorZilla, Web Developer, Scribe Fire, Toggl Track, Ad Block, Blipshot, and Any.do.

The two common types of freelance contracts include Formal and Informal contracts. .

A formal contract is legally binding and signed between the client and freelancer. It is mainly used by organizations. An informal contract, on the other hand, is more like a letter of agreement used by small businesses or individuals requiring a service for personal use. Loopholes could arise more in an informal contract as compared to a formal one.

Some common factors to include in a freelance contract are:

• Recitals: Include the who, what, when, where, and how in your contract. 
• Duration: Getting an estimated duration of the project would help you as a freelancer in the case where you would require additional time to make any changes.
• Timeline: Include a timeline for your clients as well so that they can reply with any requests or queries for you. This can help you structure your future tasks as well.
• Deliverables: Ensure to mention the way you would be delivering the files to your client. This can be done to avoid any miscommunication and last-moment changes to the file types.
• Remuneration: Freelancers usually charge by the hour. The payment terms should be mentioned and followed clearly to avoid any confusion in the future.
• Cancellation policy: In some cases, a project may get canceled after you start working on it. Without a contract, you may not get paid at all. Therefore, ensure to include a cancellation clause in your contract. 
• General conditions: These may include the laws of the land, non-disclosure agreement, confidentiality, and so on. 

Some of the popular tools for creating freelance proposals include Proposify, Prospero, and Draftsend

A freelance business plan helps you take an in-depth look at the viability of your business. It includes strategies that you can refer to in order to build your client base and grow your business’ revenue.

Here are some essential elements to include in a freelance business plan:

• Company summary and purpose
• Target audience
• Your services
• Competitor differentiation plan
• Client acquisition and management plan
• Marketing and sales strategies
• Goals, milestones, and timelines
• Financial plan and expenses

Some of the benefits of a business plan include that they help you get back on track in the event of a downfall. A business plan would include possible solutions for any problems you might encounter along the way.

In a nutshell, you could follow the following steps to write a cover letter to impress your clients

• Start with a warm and professional greeting: Ensure to be polite and professional when greeting the person hiring you. 
• Be concise and to-the-point: Your cover letter should include your purpose and how you could help your client, skills, and more information about your work in it. It should be concise and to-the-point.
• Provide highlights: Provide highlights of your work and your achievements and ensure to include examples of your work for your clients to access the same. 

A cover letter is essentially a part of a proposal and may usually, but not always, be requested or required.

Freelancers in Dubai can get paid through mediums such as PayPal, Payoneer, bank wire transfers, checks, and accounting software.

These are some of the popular graphic design institutions in Dubai in no particular order:

• Zayed University
• SAE University
• American University in the Emirates (AUE)
• Middlesex University Dubai
• EMDI Institute of Media and Communication
• Lotus Education Institute
• ITI Institute
• Karama Institute
• London Institute of Graphic Designing and Research Studies
• Rolla Academy

• Be an expert in your field: You can stand out from the competition by offering exceptional service at an appropriate price. Freelancers are not hired based on the fact that they are cheap but on the basis of their expertise and the service they offer. 
• Be active on social media: As a freelancer, you should be active and available on social media as you never know when your next gig would come from. 
• Ask for recommendations/reviews: You should always ask for recommendations and reviews from your clients that you have worked with. Their kind words and recommendations can increase your reliability and help you secure more gigs.
• Build a portfolio website: As a freelancer, a portfolio website is like having a storefront for your products and services. Your clients, both existing and potential, can know your levels of services and decide to hire you.
• Use SEO: Using Search Engine Optimization can help you increase your rankings on search engines and make your profile more visible to potential clients.
• Start a blog: A freelance blog can be beneficial in more ways than one. You could monetize through affiliate marketing and even share your expertise with others.
• Email marketing: Email marketing can make your customers know about new offerings, discounts, and other services. It can help you keep them engaged between purchases.
• Create free profiles on freelance websites: Creating profiles on freelance websites can help you increase your reach to a variety of audiences.
• Networking: As a freelancer, networking is essential. They not only help you build connections but could also help you secure more and better gigs.
• Join and connect through forums: Forums can help you provide knowledge with others over the internet and even advertise your work and ability to potential clients.

• Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone
• Dubai Business Women Council
• Abu Dhabi Business Women Council
• Dubai Women Establishment
• Women Entrepreneurship Summit MENA

• Online tutor
• Personal trainer
• Make-up or hairstylist
• Interior designer
• Web designer
• Sports instructor
• Journalist
• Life coach
• Marketing or PR professional
• Babysitter or nanny

Yes, you can work as an independent contractor with a company and from its premises in a Free Zone.

If you earn between AED 187,500 and AED 375,000 per year as a freelancer, then you can register for VAT if you choose to. If you make more than AED 375,000 per year, then you would have to register for VAT.

• If you are being sponsored by another company and you decide to leave that company to obtain a freelance permit, you would need to acquire a release letter of no objection (NOC) for you to apply for the said permit.
• However, if you have already canceled your visa and are applying for a permit then an NOC will not be required but only the visa cancellation page. 
• If you are being sponsored by your spouse or parent to reside within the UAE, you would only need an NOC letter from them and you will not be required to change your visa status.

Normally, once you apply for a permit, you would receive it within 10-15 working days. However, this time is subject to change without any prior notice.

You can make the payment through cash, card, or a check. Once the permit gets approved and is issued, you would receive it as an electronic permit.

You can request to get a salary certificate, NOC, consulate and embassy letters, NOC for driving license, as well as other official letters. However, you can check with our inhouse experts for more details.

A freelance permit needs to be renewed on an annual basis. With Freedom2Work, you can choose from our packages and apply for a freelance permit and license based on your requirements.

The checks would have your name and all freelance transactions would be carried out under your name.

This could differ as per the rules or the area you are freelancing from; however, you are not required to do an annual audit of your financial accounts as a freelancer. It is advisable to keep accurate accounts of your finances in case this status changes in the future.

The two common types of pricing strategies for a freelancer include hourly and project-based (fixed) pricing.

The term hourly pricing refers to projects being priced according to the number of hours that a freelancer works on a particular project. Some examples of an hourly-based project include customer service and technical support.

With this pricing strategy, a freelancer would be able to charge a fixed rate for the entire project. Your payment would be based on the results you deliver instead of the number of hours you spend working on the project. This option is ideally recommended for projects with clearly defined deliverables. Some common examples for fixed-price contracts include web design and mobile app development.

• How much money do I need to make to support my lifestyle?
• How much money do I want to make as a goal?
• What do other freelancers charge for similar services?
• How much money would I make as a full-time employee?
• What expenses do I have as a freelance business owner?
• Are my skills in demand?
• How much value am I bringing to the client?
The answers to these questions can help you identify the factors that would define your pricing strategy.

To start working as a freelancer and living in the UAE, you will need to have a residence visa and a freelance license.

• Health insurance
• Taxes
• Business insurance & licenses
• Equipment
• Office space/rent
• Software subscriptions
• Marketing and advertising costs
If your expenses total to around AED 22,000 per year, your annual goal would need to go up to AED 70,000, and your hourly rate would increase to AED 54 (AED 70,000/1296 billable hours).