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UAE Green Visa for Freelancers

Working for yourself in the UAE usually means renting your residence from whoever will sponsor it. This is the route that ends that arrangement.

Check Freelancer Eligibility Call +971 52 933 0454
MoHRE Permit The prerequisite
Income or Solvency Two ways to qualify
Deira Office Talk to a person, not a portal

Can freelancers get a UAE green visa?

Yes. The freelancer route needs a freelance work permit from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, a bachelor's degree, specialised diploma or equivalent, and either annual self-employment income of not less than AED 360,000 for each of the previous two years or proof of financial solvency for the residence period. It runs for five years and is applied for through ICP.

UAE Green Visa for Freelancers at a glance
DurationFive years
PermitMoHRE freelance work permit
Income routeAED 360,000 a year, previous two years
AlternativeProof of financial solvency
EducationBachelor's, specialised diploma or equivalent
Applied throughICP

Last updated 10 September 2026 · Reviewed by Mohammed Shareef A, Senior PRO Consultant, Dubai government liaison. Fees and timelines are set by the issuing authority and change without notice — confirm current figures before you budget.

The permit comes before the visa

You cannot apply on the strength of freelancing informally. The route rests on a MoHRE freelance work permit, and if you do not hold one, that is the first job rather than the second.

People arrive with two years of invoices and no permit, and the invoices are not the problem.

  • A MoHRE freelance work permit is required first
  • Informal freelancing does not qualify
  • The permit is a separate application
  • Get it in place before looking at the visa
Contemporary Dubai office desk with paperwork, a laptop and a small plant

Two years of income, or solvency

The published criteria give an income route, AED 360,000 a year across the previous two years, and an alternative based on proving financial solvency for the residence period. That second option matters, because self-employed income is lumpy and a strong year followed by a quiet one can fail an arithmetic test that a solvency test survives.

Tell us which of the two you are closer to. It changes what we ask you for.

  • Income route needs two consecutive qualifying years
  • The solvency route exists for a reason
  • Lumpy income is normal and not automatically fatal
  • The route chosen changes the evidence entirely
Company formation paperwork inside an open card folder with a pen across it

Keep records like someone will read them

Freelancers are frequently paid across several accounts, in several currencies, sometimes personally and sometimes through a small entity. That is normal and it makes evidencing income harder than it needs to be.

If you expect to apply within two years, tidy the banking now. It is the cheapest preparation available.

  • Bank statements have to show the income arriving
  • Multiple accounts and currencies complicate the picture
  • Invoices alone are weaker than invoices plus statements
  • Tidy the banking before you need to prove anything

What it replaces

Most freelancers here hold residence through a free zone package, a spouse, or an employer arrangement that does not reflect what they actually do. All of those tie your residence to something outside your control.

Five years in your own name is a different way to live here.

  • No dependence on a free zone package renewal
  • No residence held through a spouse or arrangement
  • You sponsor your own family
  • Five years of not thinking about it

How we handle a freelancer application

  1. Check the permitMoHRE freelance permit in place, or applied for.
  2. Pick the routeTwo-year income, or solvency.
  3. Assemble the evidenceStatements, invoices, and the degree.
  4. Attest the qualificationWhere it is not already done.
  5. File through ICPWith the permit and income evidence.
  6. Medical, Emirates ID, stampingThen dependants if you want them.

Which freelancer route fits

Situation and route
Your situationLikely route
Two strong consecutive years, permit heldIncome route
Lumpy income but solid assetsSolvency route
Freelancing without a MoHRE permitPermit first, then the visa
Under a year self-employedToo early; revisit
Income paid into overseas accounts onlyEvidence needs planning first
The mistake we see most: Assuming a free zone freelance licence is the same thing as a MoHRE freelance work permit. They are different instruments from different authorities, and only one of them supports this route.
MSM tip: If your income sits close to the threshold in one of the two years, look at the solvency route before writing the application off. Applicants fixate on the AED 360,000 figure and forget the criteria offer an alternative.

What documents do you need?

What we need

Passport copy and current UAE visa status
Your MoHRE freelance work permit, or confirmation you hold none
Bank statements covering the last two years
Invoices or contracts supporting the income
Degree or specialised diploma, and its issuing country
Whether that qualification has been attested

Tell us whether the permit is a MoHRE freelance permit or a free zone licence. They are different things and only one of them works here.

UAE Green Visa

The parent service, all three routes.

Freelance Permit

Getting the permit in the first place.

Green Visa for Skilled Employees

If you are employed instead.

Go deeper

Specific situations we handle under this service, each covered in full.

Investors & Partners

Green Visa for Investors

Five-year self-sponsored residence for investors and partners in a UAE business.

Salaried Professionals

Green Visa for Skilled Employees

The skilled employee green visa: AED 15,000 a month, a bachelor's degree and a MoHRE level one, two or three role.

Read next: UAE residence visa types explained · Degree certificate attestation for the UAE

Sources

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Frequently Asked Questions

What income do freelancers need for the green visa?
Not less than AED 360,000 a year across the previous two years, or alternatively proof of financial solvency for the residence period.
Do I need a MoHRE freelance permit?
Yes, it is the prerequisite. Freelancing informally, or on a free zone licence alone, does not support this route.
Is a free zone freelance licence the same thing?
No. They come from different authorities and only the MoHRE freelance work permit supports this application.
My income varies a lot year to year. Am I out?
Not necessarily. The solvency route exists precisely because self-employed income is uneven. Tell us which of the two you are closer to.
Do I need a degree?
A bachelor's degree, specialised diploma or equivalent, and it needs attesting. That chain starts in the issuing country.
Can I sponsor my family on it?
Yes. Sponsorship sits with you, which for most freelancers is the whole reason to move onto it.

Freelancing on somebody else's visa?

Tell us whether you hold a MoHRE freelance permit. That is where this starts.

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Check Freelancer Eligibility

The permit first, then income or solvency.

Hotline: +971 52 933 0454

Email: info@msmdoc.com

Office: Deira, Dubai — serving all seven emirates.

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