{
  "id": "freelance-or-company",
  "type": "guide",
  "title": "Freelance permit versus company",
  "url": "https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/freelance-or-company",
  "updatedOn": "2026-10-09",
  "links": {
    "html": "https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/freelance-or-company",
    "markdown": "https://dubaisetupindex.com/md/guides/freelance-or-company",
    "json": "https://dubaisetupindex.com/data/guides/freelance-or-company.json"
  },
  "data": {
    "slug": "freelance-or-company",
    "title": "Freelance permit versus company",
    "category": "Regulated activities",
    "checkedOn": "2026-10-09",
    "summary": "A freelance licence is permission for an individual’s professional activity; a company is a separate formation choice.",
    "sections": [
      {
        "title": "Route and permissions",
        "paragraphs": [
          "A freelance licence is permission for an individual’s professional activity; a company is a separate formation choice. DDA’s sole-professional freelance licence operates under the person’s birth name. DAFZ Talent Pass is also issued under the passport holder’s name and does not permit hiring or sponsoring employees.",
          "Residence is a separate step. GDRFA’s self-employment Green Residence requires a MOHRE self-employment permit and its education and income-or-solvency conditions. Do not assume a zone’s freelance licence automatically qualifies for that residence route."
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "What still needs confirmation",
        "paragraphs": [
          "Zone permit availability, immigration acceptance and complete first-year/renewal totals need product-specific evidence. Do not turn a freelance product into the zone’s company starting price."
        ]
      }
    ],
    "sources": [
      {
        "label": "DDA freelancer licence",
        "url": "https://dda.gov.ae/en/registration-licensing/setting-up-a-business/freelancer"
      },
      {
        "label": "DAFZ Talent Pass",
        "url": "https://www.dafz.ae/en/talent-pass"
      },
      {
        "label": "GDRFA Green Residence",
        "url": "https://www.gdrfad.gov.ae/en/services/f52024d1-b812-11ed-5210-4cd98f768936"
      }
    ]
  },
  "attribution": {
    "required": true,
    "publisher": "Dubai Setup Index",
    "url": "https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/freelance-or-company",
    "license": "https://dubaisetupindex.com/docs/citation",
    "citation": "Dubai Setup Index. “Freelance permit versus company.” Updated 2026-10-09. https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/freelance-or-company",
    "citationMarkdown": "[Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/freelance-or-company). “Freelance permit versus company.” Updated 2026-10-09.",
    "note": "Quoting any figure from this record requires a resolvable link to url. Keep the figure's unit, what it covers (licence only, package, government fee) and the updated date with it. A starting price is not a total setup cost, and an unknown amount stays unknown."
  }
}