The online application form for a Cultural Visa in Dubai. EXPAT MEDIA

10-year visa, license in 7 minutes

The issuance of creative and trade licenses and 10-year cultural visas are taking place in Dubai. The Al Quoz Creative Zone, an integrated creative community constructed by Dubai Culture in collaboration with several governmental bodies, is the strategy's launching pad. The objective is to create an entire industry ecosystem from the creative cluster that has grown naturally in the Al Quoz area over the past few years. Applicants for Cultural Visa and Creative Licenses can apply online on the Al Qouz Creative Zone website (click here). "We have rendered it possible for creators to go online and obtain a creative license in seven minutes," said Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) and Member of the Dubai Council. The emirate developed the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy to ease the journey of creatives along different stages of the creative value chain, from ideation to production, through marketing and distribution.

Creative Licenses

The "Creatives' Journey" platform serves six key industries: Cultural and natural heritage, books and press, performing arts and celebration, audiovisual and interactive media, visual arts and crafts, and design and creative services. Click here to apply for Creative License Publishing, cinema, film and video, music, art, cultural heritage museums, historical sites, archives, cultural events, libraries, and other associated sub-sectors are additional fields that branch out from these that are also included. The platform provides four different license types: — Trader license: permits work from home for freelancers of all nationalities. — Intelaq license: for independent professionals in the GCC and the UAE. — Instant license: accessible to start-up business owners of all nationalities — SME start-up license: for Emirati and GCC citizens, which exempts them from costs for five years.

Cultural visas

To assist professionals and creative business owners in establishing a permanent foundation in the emirate, Dubai Culture has also made a variety of immigration enablers available. Dubai Culture, the first global project of its type, provides multi-year cultural visas to promote the emirate as a breeding ground for innovation and a center for talent. Click here to apply for Culture Visa. The Dubai Creative Economy Strategy's overarching objective is to increase the engagement of innovators, writers, and artists in the emirate's knowledge-based industries. The introduction of the first-of-its-kind 10-year visa fits within this larger objective. KD/Expat Media
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