Employment visa and work permit in the UAE

The employer applies to MOHRE through its online channels with UAE PASS, once the company's license and MOHRE registration are active. For workers from outside the UAE, the medical test and labour contract follow after arrival. We prepare the offer letter and application and track it, and MOHRE makes the decision.

From the company: a valid trade license, establishment card and MOHRE registration. From the employee: a passport copy, photo, signed offer letter, attested certificates where the role needs them, and their current visa if they are already in the UAE. In Dubai, the employee's health insurance must also be in place.

It depends on MOHRE and the immigration authorities, whether the employee is inside or outside the UAE, and how quickly the medical test and biometrics are done. We don't quote a standard time because it varies, but once we have seen the file we can tell you what to expect, and we update you at each step.

Employees can check work permit details through MOHRE's online enquiry services, and residence details through GDRFA Dubai or ICP, using the reference numbers on their documents. If we are handling your company's application, we send you each status update directly, so nobody needs to check several portals.

There is no single figure. MOHRE sets work permit fees, GDRFA Dubai and ICP set entry permit, residence and Emirates ID fees, and the medical test, health insurance and ILOE are separate. We list each one at cost and quote our own service fee separately, in writing, before you hire.

They can, depending on your headcount. Larger private companies have had yearly targets for Emirati hiring, rising towards 10% by the end of 2026, and selected smaller companies have a target of their own. Because these rules are reviewed regularly, we check where your company stands before you plan a hiring round.

The UAE government portal lists 13 MOHRE work permit types. They cover recruiting a worker from outside the UAE, transferring a worker between employers, hiring a resident on family sponsorship and employing a Golden Visa holder, plus temporary, mission, part-time, juvenile, student training, UAE and GCC national, national trainee, freelance and private teacher permits. Recruitment, transfer and family-sponsorship permits are valid for two years.

Source: u.ae: work permits

MOHRE work permit fees depend on your company's classification. The UAE government portal states that issuing and renewing a work permit costs from AED 250 to AED 3,450, and that companies with a history of violations and non-compliance are placed in category C. Keeping your MOHRE file free of violations keeps you out of that category. We confirm the figure for your company before you pay anything.

Source: u.ae: work permits

GDRFA Dubai issues private sector residence permits for two years. At the time of writing, it lists an expected completion time of 48 hours and a residence permit fee of AED 200, with Knowledge Dirham and Innovation Dirham charges on top and an extra AED 100 a year where residence runs beyond two years. We note each renewal date so the work permit, health insurance and residence don't lapse.

Source: GDRFA Dubai: residence permits for the private sector

Start with MOHRE: request cancellation of the work permit, settle any fines for late issuance or non-renewal, and confirm the employee has received all their entitlements. GDRFA Dubai then cancels the residence, using MOHRE's work permit cancellation extract, with an expected completion time of 48 hours. Its cancellation page states a 60-day grace period to stay in the UAE, though some residence types differ, so we confirm it for each employee.

Source: GDRFA Dubai: cancellation of residence permits