TL;DR

  • A UAE Work Permit is an employer‑driven approval from MoHRE, which then links into the employee’s residence visa chain.
  • Your UAE entity must be properly licensed, MoHRE‑registered, compliant with wages and labour rules, and correctly classified for sponsorship.
  • You choose from several permit types, match them to role and duration, then follow a defined application and entry workflow.
  • You must prepare a full employer and employee document pack, budget for government fees and medicals, and track renewals carefully.
  • Ongoing duties include paying salaries through approved channels, updating contracts, renewing or cancelling permits on time, and avoiding common compliance mistakes.

If you are hiring into the UAE from abroad, the UAE Work Permit is your starting point for legal employment and residence planning. It controls if and how your foreign staff can work for your UAE entity or partner, and drives your cost, timing, and compliance exposure.​

This guide explains how to get a work permit in the UAE from the employer’s point of view, covering eligibility, application steps, processing time, and common compliance risks that foreign companies run into when they scale teams into the region.​

Why Foreign Companies Must Understand UAE Work Permits?

If you are trying to figure out how to get a work permit in the UAE for your first hires, you are likely worried about delays, rejections, or staff sitting idle without status. The UAE system is strict: working without a valid permit issued under MoHRE procedures is illegal for both the worker and the employer.​

For cross‑border companies, this means every hire must map to the right permit type, quota, and sponsoring entity, whether you run a mainland company or a free zone structure. If you misjudge this, you can face fines, suspension of new permits, or even restrictions on your trade licence, which can stall local operations and client work.​

The process usually starts with employer registration, MoHRE approval, and an entry permit, then moves through medicals, biometrics, residence visa stamping, and Emirates ID issuance before the employee is fully cleared to work.

Understanding Key Terms: Work Permit vs Work Visa in the UAE

A common pain point for founders is understanding how to apply for a work permit in the UAE when “permit” and “visa” are used interchangeably in everyday conversation. In practice, the UAE treats them as two linked but distinct authorisations, handled by different authorities.​

Work Permit (MoHRE)​

  • Issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) to confirm that a UAE‑registered employer can legally hire a specific foreign worker.
  • Usually initiated and controlled by the employer through systems such as Tasheel or free zone portals.
  • Functions as a labour approval and is tied to the job offer, role, and sponsoring entity.
  • Required before the employee can transition into a residence and work visa status in the UAE.

Work Visa / Residence Visa (GDRFA / ICP)​

  • Issued by immigration authorities such as the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) or the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security.
  • Covers the employee’s right to enter, live, and stay in the UAE as a resident linked to a specific employer or free zone.
  • Usually granted after work permit approval and completion of medical checks and biometrics.
  • Stamped into the passport and paired with an Emirates ID, which is required for most daily activities.

So when you plan how to work permit in the UAE as an employer, you are really planning a chain: work permit, entry permit, medicals and ID, then residence visa. Treat the permit as the labour authorisation you manage as the sponsor, and the visa as the immigration status that allows your hire to live and work in the country.​

Eligibility Criteria for Foreign Employers Sponsoring Work Permits

Before you consider individual candidates, you need to check whether your company profile meets the MoHRE and immigration rules for sponsoring a UAE Work Permit. The system is built to favour properly licensed, compliant entities that pay wages on time and keep clean records.​

Core employer requirements​

  • Valid trade licence or free zone licence for the UAE entity that will sponsor the employee.
  • Active registration with MoHRE (for mainland entities) and an establishment card or equivalent for immigration purposes.
  • No current administrative suspension or serious violations recorded against the company file.

Financial and compliance criteria​

  • Clean record with the Wages Protection System, meaning salaries have been paid through approved channels and on time.
  • Compliance with MoHRE rules and cabinet resolutions on labour relations and work permits.
  • Work permit issuance and renewal can cost AED 250 to AED 3,450, depending on the company’s A, B, or C category.

Recruitment and role justification​

  • Clear job description, salary level, and contract terms consistent with UAE labour standards.
  • In some sectors or for certain nationalities, authorities may review whether the role could be filled locally before approving.

If the establishment is fictitious, not conducting its stated activity, or submitting incorrect documents, MoHRE can refuse, suspend, or cancel work permits. 

For foreign employers, working through a properly registered UAE entity or free zone company and keeping that entity in good standing is the foundation of any plan to apply for a work permit in the UAE at scale.​​

Types of Work Permits Available in the UAE

When you look at types of work permits in the UAE, you are really matching the nature of each assignment with the right MoHRE category. This matters because different permits have different validity periods, documentation requirements, and compliance follow‑up.​

Common MoHRE work permit categories for foreign employees​

  • Standard work permit to recruit a worker from outside the UAE into a regular full‑time role.
  • Transfer work permit to move a foreign worker from one registered establishment to another within the UAE.
  • Family‑sponsored work permit for residents on family sponsorship who want to take up employment.
  • Temporary work permit for assignments that are limited to a specific period.
  • Part‑time work permit allowing employees to work reduced hours or for multiple employers.
  • Student training and employment permits covering internships or part‑time roles for students already in the UAE.
  • Juvenile work permit for workers aged between 15 and 18 under strict conditions.

For foreign companies, the most used options are standard, transfer, temporary, one‑mission, and sector‑specific variations, especially when supporting project timelines or client contracts. Choosing the wrong type can restrict mobility, complicate renewals, or trigger questions during inspections, so map each role to a permit that matches how long the person will work, where they sit, and how they get paid.​

Step‑by‑Step: How to Get / Apply for a Work Permit in the UAE

As a foreign employer, getting a work permit in the UAE follows a fairly consistent pathway, even though free zones may have their own portals and variations. You handle most of the formalities, while the employee provides documents and attends medicals and biometrics.​

Employer‑side process to apply for a work permit in the UAE​

  • Choose the correct work permit category based on the role, project length, and whether the hire is outside the UAE or already in the UAE.
  • Confirm that your UAE entity has a valid trade licence, active MoHRE registration, and sufficient visa quota for the role.
  • Submit the initial application through Tasheel, a typing centre, or the relevant free zone portal, along with the job offer, trade licence, and candidate documents.
  • Obtain preliminary MoHRE approval or quota allocation linked to the specific role and candidate.
  • Apply for the entry permit or temporary visa with GDRFA or free zone immigration once MoHRE approves the work permit request.
  • Arrange for the employee’s travel to the UAE using the entry permit, if they are currently abroad.
  • Upon arrival, schedule the mandatory medical fitness test and the Emirates ID biometrics appointment.
  • Finalise and register the employment contract with MoHRE, capturing title, salary, benefits, and term.
  • Complete residence visa stamping in the passport and issue the Emirates ID once all clearances are in place.

Only after the work permit, residence visa, and Emirates ID are fully processed is the employee considered ready to start work under UAE law.

Required Documents & Compliance Checklist

To keep the UAE Work Permit process moving, you need a complete set of documents from both the employer and the employee. Missing items or inconsistent details are a common cause of delays and rejections.​

From the employer​

  • Valid trade licence or free zone licence for the sponsoring entity.
  • MoHRE establishment card or registration details and authorised signatory documents.
  • A Passport copy of the authorised signatory, where relevant.
  • Signed job offer and draft employment contract with clear title, salary, and term.
  • Evidence of business activity or project contracts for temporary or one‑mission permits.

From the employee​

  • Passport with at least six months’ validity and clear copies of key pages.
  • Recent passport‑sized photographs that meet UAE specifications.
  • Educational and professional certificates, attested and legalised where required.
  • CV and reference letters or proof of previous employment in related roles.
  • Police clearance or background check, if requested based on role or nationality.
  • Medical fitness results and biometric data for the Emirates ID after arrival.

Expect some documents to need translation into Arabic, followed by notarisation and attestation (for example, degrees or corporate powers of attorney signed abroad).​

Cost, Processing Time & Validity

You also need clarity on the cost of a work permit in the UAE, including the government fee, internal resources, and potential delays. Budgeting early will help you avoid awkward conversations with finance once hiring ramps up.​

Cost​

  • MoHRE fees for issuing or renewing a work permit generally range between AED 250 and AED 3,450, depending on your company’s category (A, B, or C).
  • Category placement reflects your compliance record, including adherence to labour law and performance in the Wages Protection System.
  • You may also incur additional costs for medical tests, Emirates ID, visa stamping, and any service or typing centre charges.

Processing time​

  • The Work Bundle unifies multiple government services, replacing what previously involved eight separate services, into a single integrated platform. This consolidation simplifies the process for private‑sector hiring and other employment‑related procedures. 
  • In practice, the number of required steps has been cut from 15 (previously needing 16 documents) to just five steps requiring only five documents. The number of in‑person visits has dropped from 7 visits to only 2. As a result, the processing time has been dramatically reduced, from 30 working days under the old system down to just five working days under Work Bundle.

Validity​

  • Initial work permits are usually issued to support the entry process and then converted into residence visas with a multi‑year validity, often up to two years or more, depending on the scheme.
  • Certain categories, such as temporary and one‑mission permits, are tied strictly to project duration.

Treat these costs and timelines as part of your broader expansion model into the UAE, not as incidental HR overhead.​

Employer Responsibilities & Post‑Approval Compliance

Once your employee has a UAE Work Permit and residence visa, your responsibilities as an employer are only just starting. Ongoing compliance is what keeps your MoHRE file open and your hiring pipeline alive.​

Key employer obligations​

  • Keep contracts up to date and aligned with UAE Labour Law, including salary, role, and work location.
  • Pay wages on time and through approved channels so that your Wages Protection System record stays clean.
  • Maintain a valid trade licence, MoHRE registration, and any sector‑specific licences.
  • Monitor changes to the employee’s role, salary, or workplace and update records when required.

Your risk is not limited to fines; repeated or serious breaches can lead to suspension of new work permits for your entity, which can freeze your hiring plan. Building these obligations into HR and compliance workflows from day one is much easier than trying to retrofit controls after a MoHRE warning or inspection.​

Common Pitfalls & Risk Mitigation for Foreign Companies

Foreign companies often underestimate how strict and systemised the UAE Work Permit process is, especially if they are used to more flexible regimes. That shows up in a familiar set of mistakes that can be avoided with the right structure and tooling.​

Frequent pitfalls​

  • Working through unlicensed or dormant entities or misusing a partner’s licence without clear contracts.
  • Submitting incomplete or inconsistent documents, especially around job titles, salaries, and establishment details.
  • Misclassifying roles or choosing an inappropriate permit category, such as using a temporary permit for what is really a long‑term hire.
  • Missing renewal windows for work permits, visas, and IDs can affect both the employee’s status and your company’s classification.

To reduce risk, set up a single source of truth for entity data, standardise offer and contract templates, and track MoHRE and immigration dates in the same way you track tax or corporate filings.

How Commenda Simplifies UAE Work Permit and Compliance Management

If you manage teams in multiple countries, your problem is rarely about a single UAE Work Permit; it is about seeing all entity and labour obligations in one place. Commenda focuses on exactly that challenge for tech startups, cross‑border operators, and enterprises building distributed teams.​

Commenda’s platform helps you set up and manage foreign entities, keep licences and registrations up to date, and track ongoing filings across jurisdictions, including the UAE. You can plug UAE hiring workflows into your existing compliance stack, use automated reminders for renewals, and connect with local experts when you need detailed guidance, while keeping your internal HR and finance teams in control of the process.​ 

Book a free demo today to see how Commenda can simplify your expansion into the UAE.

FAQs

Q. What is the cost of a work permit in the UAE for foreign employees?

The cost of a work permit in the UAE generally ranges from about AED 250 to AED 3,450 in government fees, depending on your company category.​

Q. How long does it take to apply for a work permit in the UAE?

Once your entity and documents are in order, streamlined Work Bundle processes can reduce total processing to around five working days, though setup and special approvals can extend this.​

Q. What types of work permits in the UAE are available?

MoHRE offers multiple types of work permits in the UAE, including standard, transfer, family‑sponsored, temporary, one‑mission, part‑time, juvenile, student, national, golden visa holder, and freelance permits.​

Q. Can a foreign company apply for a work permit in the UAE without a local office?

You usually need a properly licensed UAE entity or free zone company as a sponsor, so most foreign companies either set up a local entity or work through a compliant local partner structure.​

Q. What risks exist if a foreign company fails to comply after getting a work permit in the UAE?

Non‑compliance can lead to fines, suspension of new permits, downgrade of company category, visa problems for staff, and even licence restrictions.​

Q. Can the foreign employee change jobs/employers under the work permit?

Employees can usually transfer to a new employer under a transfer work permit, subject to meeting contractual, notice, and MoHRE conditions.​

Q. How to renew or extend a work permit in the UAE?

Your UAE sponsor applies through MoHRE or the relevant free zone before expiry, pays the applicable fees, and updates any necessary contract or licence data.​

Q. Is a work permit sufficient for visa entry, or is a separate visa needed?

No, the work permit alone is not enough; the employee also needs an entry permit and then a residence visa to live and work legally in the UAE.​

Q. Can a freelancer work in the UAE using a freelance permit without a traditional employer?

Yes, self‑sponsored individuals can work under a freelance permit issued through MoHRE or certain free zones, subject to meeting specific criteria.​

Q. Do UAE employers have to pay for medical tests and an Emirates ID during the work permit process?

Employers are generally expected to bear visa, medical, and Emirates ID costs for sponsored employees as part of their legal obligations.