Digital Nomad Visa in Dubai. Live here. Keep your work abroad.
A one-year, renewable UAE residence visa for people employed by — or running — a company outside the UAE. We check whether you qualify, prepare your documents and coordinate each step of the application.
- You sponsor yourself — no UAE employer
- One year, renewable
- Family sponsorship, subject to eligibility
- Medical and Emirates ID coordinated
renewable while you still qualify
no UAE employer holds your visa
an employer or company outside the UAE
subject to the authority’s conditions
A residence visa for income that stays abroad.
The remote work visa lets you live in the UAE while you keep working for a company outside it. It is not a permit to work for UAE companies or clients — that needs a different route.
✓It fits if you
- Work full time for a company outside the UAE and can do it from Dubai.
- Own a business registered outside the UAE and run it remotely.
- Earn at least the published minimum and can show it with payslips or bank statements.
- Want your family here with you — spouse and children may be sponsored, subject to conditions.
!Ask us about another route if you
- Will work for a UAE company — that is employment, with a work permit.
- Will invoice clients in the UAE — a freelance permit or licence is the route for that.
- Only need a short stay — a visit visa is simpler.
- Earn below the minimum — other residency routes may still fit.
Five documents to start.
We check each one before anything is filed, so a missing page is caught by us and not by the authority.
Passport
Valid for at least six months, with a recent passport photograph.
Proof of your work
An employment letter or contract with a company outside the UAE — or, if you own it, the company’s registration.
Proof of income
Recent payslips and bank statements showing at least the published monthly minimum.
Health insurance
Cover that is valid in the UAE for the length of your visa.
Your current visa
Only if you are in the UAE already, so the status can be changed without leaving.
For your family
Marriage and birth certificates, attested where the authority asks for it, when they join you.
The authority can ask for more for a particular case. Your consultant tells you before anything is filed, never after.
Four steps. You are needed in two.
Every application is decided by the authority that issues it; our part is checking, preparing and coordinating.
Eligibility and documents
We confirm you qualify, check every document and prepare the application.
Application and entry permit
The application is lodged. Abroad, you travel on the entry permit; in the UAE, your status is changed.
Medical and biometrics
The medical test and Emirates ID fingerprints — we book both and tell you where to go.
Residence visa and Emirates ID
The authority issues the visa and the card — the Emirates ID is what landlords, banks and family sponsorship ask for.
The difference is who pays you.
Both let you live here on a visa you hold yourself. Which one fits depends on where your work comes from.
| Digital nomad visa | Freelance permit or licence | |
|---|---|---|
| Your income comes from | An employer or your own company outside the UAE | Your own clients, in the UAE or abroad |
| Working for UAE clients | Not allowed | The route for it |
| What you hold | A residence visa | A permit or licence in your name, with a residence visa when included |
| Renewal | Every year, while you still qualify | Set by the free zone authority and your package |
The questions people ask before they start.
Is a digital nomad visa the same as a freelance visa?
No. The digital nomad (remote work) visa is a residence visa for people whose employer or company is outside the UAE. A freelance permit or licence lets you work for your own clients, including clients in the UAE. If you are not sure which one you need, ask us before you apply.
Can I work for UAE companies on this visa?
No. It is for work for an employer or company outside the UAE. Working for a UAE company needs employment with a work permit, and invoicing UAE clients needs a freelance permit or licence.
Can my family join me?
Your spouse and children may be sponsored once your own residence visa is issued, subject to the authority’s conditions. Each family member is a separate application, and your consultant tells you what each one needs.
How long is it valid?
One year. It can be renewed while you still meet the requirements — the same employment or company abroad, the minimum income and valid health insurance.
Is approval guaranteed?
No. The authority decides every application, and nobody can promise its decision. What we do is make sure the application it receives is complete and correct.
Can I apply directly instead of using Trivup?
Yes. You can apply directly through GDRFA Dubai or the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP) without paying our fee. Trivup is a private company that helps you prepare and coordinate the application.
Tell us where you work and what you earn. We’ll tell you if you qualify.
The first conversation is free. You get the document list for your case before anything is filed.
Trivup Documents Clearing Services LLC is a private company, not a government office. Approval is decided by the authorities. You can also apply directly through GDRFA Dubai or ICP.