Frequently asked questions

Both are sole proprietor establishments issued in your own name, and with either one your work stays freelance. The difference is what you can do with it — and for most clients, that makes the freelance licence the stronger choice.

Why most clients choose the licence

• Get paid like a business. Invoice your clients and receive payments through a business bank account — a permit doesn’t let you invoice at all.
• Live in the UAE on your own residency visa, through your own licence.
• Bring your family. A licence lets you sponsor them.
• No switching later. Changing from a permit to a licence after you apply can add fees and processing time. Starting with the licence means you’re ready when your work grows.

A permit only suits someone who will work in a professional activity without ever invoicing clients, opening a business account or sponsoring anyone. If that isn’t you, choose the licence.

As with any application, the residency visa is approved by the immigration authority and the business bank account by the bank.

Apply for a freelance licence →

For most clients, the freelance licence. Choose it if you want any of these — now or later:

• to invoice your clients and use a business bank account
• a UAE residency visa of your own
• to sponsor your family

A freelance permit only makes sense if you’ll work in a professional activity without invoicing clients, and you don’t need a residency visa or family sponsorship. Still unsure? Your consultant will confirm the right option in your written quotation.

Both are sole proprietor establishments issued in your own name — you, working independently. Neither is a company with partners or shareholders.

No. A freelance licence gives access to a business bank account, but the account itself is approved by the bank under its own policies and compliance checks. The same goes for payment gateways, loans, insurance and corporate contracts.

Help with opening a bank account is included only if your quotation says so.

Only the activities approved and listed on your issued licence or permit. If your work also needs other permits, approvals or professional certifications, getting those is your responsibility. A licence or permit can’t be used for unlawful work or anything outside its approved activities.

1. Fill in the application form. It takes about ten minutes, and your passport copy and photograph are uploaded with it.
2. A consultant reviews it and comes back to you within one working day with a written quotation.
3. Once you accept the quotation and pay through the channel it names, we prepare and submit your application.
4. After initial approval, we help with issuing your licence or permit and — if your package includes it — your residency visa, medical examination and Emirates ID.

Every approval along the way is decided by the authorities, not by Trivup.

No. Nothing is filed and nothing is charged when you send the form. Work starts only after you accept a written quotation and pay through the channel it names.

• Passport copy — required.
• Photograph with a white background — required.
• Supporting documents — optional; anything that helps your application.

You can upload several files for each, as JPG, PNG or PDF, up to 5 MB per file. The authorities can ask for more documents during processing — we’ll tell you if they do.

Yes. The form asks whether you are in the UAE now and adjusts to your answer. Some later steps for a residency visa, such as the medical examination and Emirates ID, need you in person in the UAE — your consultant will tell you when.

Yes. Tell us about your current visa, employment or immigration status on the form and to your consultant, because it can affect your application. A status change may be part of the process.

Yes. Your answers are saved in your browser as you type, so you can close the tab and come back on the same device and browser. Files aren’t saved with them, so you’ll add your documents again before sending.

These are details the free zone authority and the immigration file ask for. Answering “yes” to being a politically exposed person (PEP) doesn’t stop an application — it adds a compliance step.

You give three names, in the order you prefer them:

• At least two words in each name.
• No name that sounds like a government body.
• Not the same as the name in your passport — but an abbreviation works, like “A. B. Consulting”.
• The first available name is the one registered, which is why the order matters.

Up to 10, from the freelance activity list. Some activities need an extra approval from another authority, or DNFBP registration — the form points those out as you choose them. Final approval of every activity rests with the free zone authority.

Yes. On the application form, the “Not sure which activities you need?” box suggests activities from the list when you describe your work. Suggestions can be wrong, so check each one. Your consultant also goes through your activities with you before anything is submitted.

Changes asked for after submission — to activities, names, licence & permit type, visa category or personal details — can add fees and processing time, and are only included in your package if we confirm that in writing. It’s worth getting them right before you send.

A freelance licence lets you have a UAE residency visa. When your package includes it, we help with each step: entry permit or status change, medical examination, Emirates ID and visa issuance.

The visa is decided by the immigration authority and depends on things like a satisfactory medical examination, security clearance and valid documents.

Family sponsorship comes with a freelance licence. A freelance permit is structured for working in a professional activity, so if sponsoring your family matters to you, tell your consultant before choosing. Sponsorship follows UAE immigration requirements at the time you apply.

For a residency visa, a medical examination and an Emirates ID application are part of the process, and we coordinate them when your package includes the visa. You attend these appointments in person in the UAE.

It depends on your package — licence or permit, and whether a residency visa is included. Your consultant sends a written quotation with the total before any work starts. Government or third-party fees that fall outside your package are paid separately, and the quotation shows what is included.

Yes. The indicative annual Free Zone licence & permit renewal fee is AED 4,888 per year for the package. That covers the licence & permit renewal only — it isn’t the full cost of renewing everything.

Depending on your package, renewal can also involve establishment card renewal, residency visa and Emirates ID renewal, a medical examination, health insurance and government service fees. Before you renew, we send a renewal quotation that lists the licence & permit fee separately, for you to approve.

If the initial approval is rejected, Trivup deducts AED 1,000 as an application processing, administrative and documentation fee, and refunds the rest of what you paid for the initial application. Government fees, third-party charges and bank charges already incurred may also be deducted, backed by payment records.

The AED 1,000 deduction applies to the initial approval only. Refunds for later steps, such as a visa, follow the terms in your quotation.

Refunds follow your quotation and the terms you accepted. Once work has started, amounts for services already completed, government fees and third-party charges may not be refundable. An approved refund is worked out from what was received, less completed services and non-refundable charges, and paid once you’ve given your bank or payment details.

You can ask to cancel your licence & permit or Free Zone package, or to transfer it to another free zone, sponsor or service provider — including asking for a No Objection Certificate (NOC).

Trivup charges a service fee for handling a cancellation, transfer or NOC request, on top of the government, Free Zone and third-party fees that apply. The fee isn’t fixed in advance: Trivup sets it when you make the request, based on the work involved at that stage, and tells you the amount before acting. The request starts once those fees are paid.

Through the payment channel named in your quotation. The initial fee or agreed advance is paid before processing starts, and any balance follows the agreed schedule. We never ask for card details by phone, WhatsApp or email.

Your quotation includes an estimated timeline based on normal processing. It can take longer because of authority processing times, security or immigration approvals, medical results, missing or late documents, extra document requests, public holidays or system interruptions. We follow up throughout, but no specific issue date can be guaranteed.

No. Trivup prepares, submits and follows up your application, but every decision — initial approval, licence & permit issuance, activities, visa, security clearance and Emirates ID — is made by the relevant authorities.

We may remind you of upcoming expiry dates, but renewal isn’t automatic and keeping everything valid is your responsibility. Renewing a licence & permit, visa or establishment card late can lead to fines, penalties or loss of status.

No. Trivup Documents Clearing Services LLC is a private company and a Free Zone channel partner (trade licence 1242868). We are not a free zone authority or any UAE government or immigration authority. You pay us to prepare, submit and follow up your application, and you may also apply directly to the free zone authority.

Your passport copy and photograph are uploaded securely and seen only by our team. Your details are shared only with the authorities and service partners needed to deliver your application. See Privacy & data handling for more.

Call +971 56 800 8064 — open 24 hours, every day — or email hello@trivup.com. After you apply, reply to any email from us to reach your consultant.

Tell us in writing first, so we can review it and put things right. Our complaints procedure explains the steps.