The Verdict: Need More Info
The remote work visa is built for people employed by, or owning, a company abroad, so freelancing for foreign clients is a grey area. It turns on whether the authority accepts your contracts as proof of remote work.
The remote work visa (Cabinet Resolution 65 of 2022, Articles 49 and 50) lasts one year and is renewable. It does not need a UAE sponsor, you can sponsor your family for the same period, and it is available in every emirate. It does not let you work for UAE employers or clients, it lapses if you spend more than six months in a row outside the country, and it never leads to citizenship. The official pages ask for proof of employment with an employer abroad, and advisers say proof of owning a company abroad is accepted; neither describes a freelancer with several clients and no company. The income test of USD 3,500 a month still applies.
What to do next: if you have your own registered business abroad, apply as its owner. If you do not, ask ICP or GDRFA whether your client contracts will do. The alternative built for freelancers is the five-year green visa, which needs a freelance permit, a bachelor's degree or specialised diploma, and AED 360,000 a year from self-employment or proof of financial means; our Skilled Migration quiz for the UAE covers it.