Freelance permits in UAE free zones: which zones offer them

A freelance permit (some zones call it a sole-practitioner or sole-professional licence) licenses you as an individual for a defined list of activities. A company licence creates a separate legal entity. Several free zones publish a freelancer option, several state that they do not, and others offer a low-cost single-owner company instead. The table below lists zones that offer freelancer licensing in our data, sorted by the lowest package each zone publishes with at least one visa.

Figures are as published by each zone with the date checked. Our process is set out on how we verify.

Zones that publish a freelancer option

From each zone's own published information:

• RAKEZ publishes a Freelancer Permit.
• UAQ FTZ publishes a Freelance Permit for individuals, aimed at technology, media and film roles.
• Ajman Free Zone publishes a Sole Professional Licence / Freelancer Package.
• Ajman Media City states that its permit identifies the freelancer as a sole practitioner trading under their own name, and its activity list includes freelance activities.
• DMCC publishes a freelance licence for natural persons in its Licensing Rules.
• Dubai South provides for a Sole Establishment for freelancing and professional services in its 2025 Companies Regulations.
• Dubai Development Authority districts (Dubai Media City, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Knowledge Park, d3) share one GoFreelance package.
• twofour54 describes a Sole Proprietor (Freelancer) licence issued by Abu Dhabi's Creative Media Authority.

Zones that state they do not

IFZA, Meydan, SPC, DWTC, JAFZA, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Healthcare City, International Humanitarian City, DIFC and ADGM publish licence types that do not include a freelancer permit. Meydan states that it does not issue freelance visas directly and offers a single-owner company instead; SPC directs freelancers to its standard business licence.

Freelance permit or company licence?

A permit is issued to you personally for defined activities. A company licence creates an entity that can sign contracts in its own name and add activities, partners or staff later, usually with more administration (for example, many zones state that annual audited accounts are required). Ask each zone what the permit lets you do, and compare it with its lowest single-owner company package.

Compare packages with a visa

See the full RAKEZ vs UAQ FTZ vs AFZ vs AMCFZ comparison →

• RAKEZ: lowest package AED 6,000; lowest with a visa AED 12,000.
• UAQ FTZ: lowest package AED 12,500; lowest with a visa AED 12,500.
• Ajman Media City: lowest package AED 4,999; lowest with a visa AED 12,999.

Ajman Free Zone does not publish package prices on its own channels. Ask for an itemised quote that includes one visa from start to finish: permit or licence fee, establishment card, visa fees, medical test and Emirates ID.

Check the activity, not just the price

Before you pay, confirm in writing:

• Your exact work is covered by the permit's activity list.
• Who you can work for, including mainland clients.
• How invoices are issued, and in whose name.
• The renewal cost for the same permit.

Browse zones by activity on the freelance page or the media and creative page. Activity fit on those pages is our own assessment from published licence types.

Next steps

Shortlist two or three zones, request itemised quotes with one visa and the renewal fee, and confirm your activity wording. For comparing totals, read the guide to the cheapest free zone in the UAE, or use the free zone finder.