Influencers and content creators have become an ever-growing professional group in recent years. In the meantime, multi-millionaires have emerged from it and you hear again and again how they have become tax debtors or similar.
As a result, more and more influencers have emigrated to tax havens such as Dubai in recent years. After all, if you are successful, you quickly end up in the highest tax bracket in Germany, Austria and other countries and have to pay 50% contributions.
Here is a comprehensive guide to emigrating to Dubai as an influencer. Learn all about the Influencer VISA, licenses and important basic rules for working and living as an influencer in Dubai in compliance with the law.
Advantages
The benefits of working and living as an influencer in Dubai are many and varied, and for good reason, more and more content creators are moving to the metropolis on the Arabian Gulf.
Influencers in Dubai
Due to these advantages, more and more influencers are moving to Dubai. Here is a list of German and international influencers who live in Dubai.
- Mike Thurston
- Bushido
- Simon Desue
- ApoRed
- MoVlogs
Influencer VISA
Everyone is talking about the Influencer VISA, but what is the Influencer VISA and how do you get one?
The Influencer VISA is a special version of the Golden VISA and is limited to 10,000 pieces. This VISA gives you a residence and work permit in Dubai or the UAE for 10 years. In comparison, a regular work visa only lasts 2 years.
Qualification
To apply for the VISA at all, you have to fulfill several requirements. Basically, you should definitely be an influencer of significant size who is already known internationally and has won several awards. The point here is that these influencers have a significant impact on your industry and are highly influential.
Growth must also be sustainable and, in the best-case scenario, on an upward trend.
You must also be at least 25 years old and have no criminal record.
Request
The application is made via Creators HQ, where you have submitted all the documents. However, this is preceded by setting up a company and obtaining a license. Creators HQ is a new facility in Dubai that not only processes applications, but also offers a complete infrastructure for influencers. From podcast studios and meeting rooms to networking events.
Influencer license
The influencer license should not be confused with the influencer VISA. This is simply permission to create and share content on the internet on a full-time basis. This license must be applied for with an existing free zone or company.
This means that a regular company with social media activities is no longer enough. You also have to apply for an influencer license.
Application / Procedure In order to apply for a license, you must first set up a company. In most cases, this company is a freezone company (as it is much quicker to set up and cheaper). This freezone company must already have social media marketing activities. The existing company applies for an influencer license from the NMC, which stands for NATIONAL MEDIA COUNCIL. All previous documents and information on the social media accounts must be submitted.
Species There are basically three different types of social media licenses.
- Single Creator
- Group Creator
- Agency
Depending on which category you fall into, you must select the correct type when applying. As a rule, you will receive confirmation within a few working days after submission and payment.
Costs The cost of an influencer license is currently AED 15,000. This must be renewed annually in addition to the company.
Basic rules as an influencer
The basic rules for sharing created content on the Internet are basically logical and self-explanatory. Nevertheless, here is an overview of the most important points.
Respect for society and the law In the UAE, certain laws and social orders as well as religious views prevail. These should be respected at all times. Negative, exaggerated or false portrayals of certain circumstances in the UAE are punishable by law. As a political influencer, you should therefore avoid the UAE if you want to criticize the country itself.
Truth The content should always be truthful and factual, unless it is satirically labeled or for entertainment purposes. Sharing misinformation has legal consequences.
No prohibited products or activities Prohibited products such as marijuana or other drugs may not be shown or advertised. Illegal activities such as casinos or betting are also not permitted and should not be shown or advertised.
Penalties
The penalties for non-compliance with the Content Creator Guidelines / rules and the absence of companies or licenses can lead to severe penalties. Anyone who works without a company and license can expect a fine of AED 3,000 - 5,000 for the first offense. Those who do not learn from this and violate the rules more frequently can expect fines of AED 10,000.
Anyone who continuously works without a license and company and also violates various content guidelines can expect a fine of several hundred thousand AED or even millions for particularly serious offenses.
Summary
Cotent Creations has become a lucrative job and numerous influencers have become millionaires as a result. The location-independent nature of the work means that taxes can be structured freely. As a result, more and more influencers are emigrating to tax havens such as Dubai.
