Already employed in the UAE, planning a move from the Philippines, or deciding between freelancing and a company? Start with the route that matches your position. The licence, residence visa and employer questions do not all have the same answer.
Your starting point changes the order of the work. UAE residents should check their employment contract and sponsor requirements first. Founders in Manila, Cebu or Davao can usually begin incorporation remotely, but must plan a UAE visit if they need residency and for any bank meeting the bank requires. A solo professional should also compare a freelance permit with a company before paying for either.
Choose your starting point: employed in the UAE, incorporating from the Philippines, or switching from freelance work to a company. We check the activity, sponsor or NOC position, visa plan and likely banking documents for that route before quoting.
Share ownership and residence sponsorship are separate. Your employer may continue sponsoring your residence while you own shares in another UAE company. That does not settle the whole question, however, because the licensing authority, chosen activity and your employment terms still matter.
Some registrars request a sponsor NOC for particular applications; others do not. Your labour contract may also restrict outside work or competition even when a licensing authority accepts the application. We therefore check the intended activity and authority, then ask you to review the relevant contract terms instead of treating an employment visa as an automatic yes or no.
Not necessarily. If the contract and authority permit the arrangement, you may keep your employment sponsorship while testing the business. Move to an investor or partner visa only when the timing suits your employment exit and the company is ready to sponsor you.
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.
The right activity must describe what you will invoice. These are common starting points, not assumptions about your business.
A freelance permit can suit a designer, developer, tutor, photographer or consultant who invoices for personal professional work. It is not a smaller version of every company licence.
Choose a company when the plan includes selling goods, employing a team, adding shareholders or bidding through a separate corporate identity. Choose a freelance permit only after confirming that the permitted activity covers the exact service and that its visa arrangement meets your needs.
Treat every figure as indicative. The authority, activity, visa count and workspace determine the quote. Convert the final written estimate at the live AED/PHP rate rather than using a rate copied from an older guide.
| 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 an employer continues to sponsor your residence and the chosen authority accepts the arrangement, a licence-only package may avoid paying for another visa. The quote should show the licence, establishment-card or immigration items, any workspace, professional fees and the renewal separately.
Use your own bank or a licensed remittance provider and keep the transfer advice. Ask the sending institution whether Philippine reporting or purpose documentation applies to the amount and transaction.
The records may later support source-of-funds questions from a UAE bank. A transfer through an unrelated person's account creates a more complicated trail, so keep the funding path direct and documented.
A UAE corporate bank account is a separate application from the licence. Banks may examine the source of funds, licensed activity, expected customers and suppliers, transaction countries and the company's operating evidence.
Prepare a one-page business description, contracts or invoices where available, realistic transaction estimates and a traceable funding record. A bank may request more documents or a meeting, and it alone controls the decision and timing. No consultant can guarantee the outcome.
An eligible resident may sponsor qualifying family members subject to the applicable immigration, income, housing and document requirements. The company licence itself does not sponsor a family. Your own investor or partner residence must be issued first; Kinzaad's PRO team can then check the current requirements for each dependant.
The UAE does not levy personal income tax on individuals. UAE corporate tax and VAT can still apply to the company; our corporate tax and VAT guide explains the main registration and filing points.
Philippine residence, citizenship and source rules are separate from the UAE company. Have a Philippine tax professional review the personal position before changing how income is received. Kinzaad's work covers the UAE entity and its local obligations.
This is practical guidance, not an approval guarantee. Licensing and immigration decisions rest with the relevant authorities, and each bank controls its account review. Kinzaad can check the proposed activity, authority, employment-visa issue and expected documents before preparing your quote. We are based at Office 401, Sultan Business Centre, Oud Metha, Dubai, UAE. Book a consultation and bring your contract if you are currently employed.
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.