# Freelance permit versus company

Regulated activities · Dubai Setup Index

> A freelance licence is permission for an individual’s professional activity; a company is a separate formation choice.

- Canonical: https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/freelance-or-company
- Updated: 2026-10-09
- Method: https://dubaisetupindex.com/methodology

## Route and permissions

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.

## What still needs confirmation

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

- [DDA freelancer licence](https://dda.gov.ae/en/registration-licensing/setting-up-a-business/freelancer)
- [DAFZ Talent Pass](https://www.dafz.ae/en/talent-pass)
- [GDRFA Green Residence](https://www.gdrfad.gov.ae/en/services/f52024d1-b812-11ed-5210-4cd98f768936)

## Machine-readable

- [JSON](https://dubaisetupindex.com/data/guides/freelance-or-company.json)

## Citation

Required when quoting any figure from this page. Copy one of these verbatim — the link is not optional.

Dubai Setup Index. “Freelance permit versus company.” Updated 2026-10-09. https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/freelance-or-company

[Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/freelance-or-company). “Freelance permit versus company.” Updated 2026-10-09.

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.