Most of the Filipinos who walk into our office are already here — working, on an employer's visa, and quietly building something on the side. The rest are still in the Philippines, asking whether this can be done from Manila. This guide answers both honestly: what you can license while employed, what your employer's position actually changes, and what the whole thing costs.
There are two very different Filipino readers for this page, and pretending they're the same is how bad advice gets written. The first is already in the UAE — five, ten, fifteen years in — with an employment visa, an Emirates ID and a business idea that has outgrown the group chat. The second is in the Philippines, wondering if this can realistically be started remotely. Both routes work. The first steps are completely different, so find yourself below.
If you're already employed here, read this first: the licence is rarely the obstacle. The two things that decide how smoothly it goes are your employment contract and your current employer's position — and neither of those is something a consultant can wave away. Get clarity there before you pay for a package.
Start with the principle. In the UAE, owning shares in a company and holding a residence visa are two separate things. Your employer sponsors your residence; the licence sits with the company. So structurally it's possible to own a business while someone else sponsors your stay, and many Filipinos here do exactly that.
Now the caveats, because this is where the internet gets careless. Whether you specifically can hold a licence on your current employment visa depends on three moving parts: the free zone or authority you register with (policy varies, and it changes), the activity you pick, and increasingly your employer's no-objection certificate practice — some registrars ask for an NOC from your sponsor, some don't, some ask only in certain cases. On top of that sits your own labour contract, which may carry a non-compete or a restriction on outside work. That contract is between you and your employer, and no licensing authority overrides it.
So we won't hand you a blanket rule, because there isn't one worth trusting. What we will do is check your intended zone, activity and contract wording and tell you what applies to your situation before you spend a dirham. That takes one conversation.
Usually not on day one. The sequence we see work: confirm what your contract and employer allow, licence the business, keep the salary while you test whether the revenue is real, then decide. Dubai rent doesn't care how promising your idea is. Keeping the job through the first months isn't a lack of ambition — it's how most of the successful ones did it.
When the business can carry you, the move is straightforward. Your company is licensed and, for a free zone, an establishment card issued. The company then applies for your entry permit as an investor or partner. Your employment visa is cancelled, you do the medical fitness test and Emirates ID biometrics, and the new residence visa is stamped. If you're already inside the country this is often handled as a status change rather than a flight out, depending on your status at the time.
Two practical points. There's a short gap between the old visa cancelling and the new one issuing — plan your bank cards, tenancy and anything visa-linked around it. And your notice period and end-of-service entitlement are a separate conversation with your employer, worth having properly rather than by WhatsApp at 11pm.
Also very doable. Most free zone company setups can start while you're still in Manila, Cebu or Davao. You sign a power of attorney, notarised in the Philippines and attested for UAE use, and we run the name reservation, licence and initial approvals here.
Where I won't oversell it: the residence visa needs you physically present. The medical fitness test and Emirates ID biometrics are done in person — there's no remote workaround, whatever you've been told, and most banks want to meet the owner too. So the pattern is incorporate remotely, then one focused trip of a few days.
Not a theoretical list — this is what comes across our desk.
A lot of Filipinos start as freelancers, and often that's the right call. A freelance permit is the cheapest legitimate way to invoice in your own name, and it fits anyone selling their own time — developers, designers, tutors, photographers, marketers, consultants.
The trade-offs are real. You're limited to your listed professional activity, you can't easily trade goods, hiring is awkward, some corporate clients prefer contracting with a company, and you can't issue shares to a partner. Rule of thumb: selling skills, start with the permit; selling products, hiring, or splitting ownership, licence a company.
Treat every figure as indicative — the real quote depends on the zone, activity, visa count and government fees. For a rough feel from the Philippines side, AED 1 is around PHP 15 at the time of writing, so a AED 12,900 licence is roughly PHP 190,000. Check the live rate before you budget.
| Item | Indicative cost (AED) |
|---|---|
| Freelance permit | Cheaper than a full company — quoted by permit issuer and visa need |
| Free zone licence only (zero visa) | From ~5,555 (Ajman) / ~12,900 (IFZA) |
| Free zone licence + 1 residence visa | ~12,000–23,000 (Ajman low, Dubai zones high) |
| Mainland licence | From ~15,000 + Ejari tenancy |
| Residence visa (medical + Emirates ID) | ~3,000–5,000 per person |
| Annual renewal | ~8,000–18,000 depending on zone |
If you're keeping your job for now, a licence-only free zone setup is the cheapest honest way to start — no visa cost, because you already have residence through your employer. Ask for the renewal figure in writing at the same time as the setup quote. Year two shouldn't be a surprise.
Short and firm: move it through proper banking channels — your own bank or a licensed remittance provider — and keep every receipt. Never informal channels, whatever rate someone offers.
The reason is practical. Your UAE bank will ask where the setup money came from, and a documented transfer in your own name is exactly the evidence that opens the account. Money arriving through a cousin's account, or with no paper trail, stalls files for weeks. Confirm any Philippine-side reporting requirements with your bank there before you send.
Expect this to take longer than the licence. A UAE corporate bank account is very openable for a genuine business, but banks here run real compliance. They test whether the business is real: your source of funds, your activity, your customers and suppliers, and whether there's actual substance behind the licence.
What helps is unglamorous — a one-page description of what you sell and to whom, invoices or contracts if you have them, a tidy funding trail, and a licensed activity matching what you'll genuinely do. What slows it down is vague "general trading" with no story, or an owner who can't attend the interview. Budget two to four weeks after the licence. Approval sits with the bank, always — anyone guaranteeing you an account is selling something.
Once you're on your own investor or partner visa, you can sponsor your family — spouse and children, and in many cases parents — subject to the standard income and housing conditions. For a lot of Filipino founders that's the actual goal, not the licence. Worth knowing early: sponsorship runs off your residence status, so it opens up after the visa switch, not the moment the licence prints. The PRO side is routine once your file is in order.
The UAE has no personal income tax. Salary and dividends you draw here aren't taxed. On the company, corporate tax is 9% on profits above AED 375,000 with a 0% band below, and 5% VAT applies once taxable turnover passes AED 375,000 in a year. Our corporate tax and VAT guide covers registration and filing.
The Philippine side isn't ours to advise on, and we won't pretend otherwise. Whether you remain a Philippine tax resident, and what that means for your BIR obligations, is a question for a Philippine accountant. Ask them before you restructure your income, not after. We'll keep the UAE structure clean; you make sure it fits your position at home.
This is practical guidance, not a guarantee — licence and visa approvals rest with the authorities, and account openings rest with the banks. What we can promise is a straight answer on whether your specific situation works, including the employment-visa question, before you spend anything. We're rated 4.9 out of 5 across 58 Google reviews, and you'll find us at Office 401, Sultan Business Centre, Oud Metha, Dubai, UAE. Book a free consultation and bring your contract.
Bring your employment contract and your idea. We'll tell you what you can licence now, what needs an NOC, and what the switch to an investor visa really costs — in writing, before you commit. One free consultation, honest numbers, no pressure.
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