- Obtaining UAE entry work permit
- Obtaining a Resident Identity Card (Emirates ID)
- Medical test upon obtaining work permit visa for UAE
- Issuing UAE work visa
- The procedure for diploma consular legalization when obtaining a UAE work visa
- Refusal to issue a UAE resident work visa
- The validity period for UAE entry work permit
- Penalties when applying for a job on other UAE entry visas
- Responsibility of companies when hiring foreign labor
- How to start applying for a UAE work resident visa?
We offer you assistance in obtaining a UAE work visa. This service is suitable for business owners providing jobs for foreign employees in the Emirates and workers seeking employment in this country.
We can assist only in obtaining an entry permit for issuing a UAE work visa or provide full support for obtaining a resident work visa (from the moment of submitting documents for issuing an entry permit to stamping a resident visa into the passport).
Note that it is impossible to obtain a work permit visa for UAE in the absence of a real employer. In addition, a foreign employee cannot work in any other company except the one they were initially hired by.
Obtaining UAE entry work permit
UAE entry permit for work is issued by a company in the Emirates. After that, the company sends a color scan of the document to the employee by e-mail. Upon arrival in the UAE, the employee needs to collect the original entry permit before passing through passport control. A passport control officer will put an entry stamp on this entry permit.
After entering the country under the entry permit, the employee has 60 days to stamp a visa into the passport. During this time, you need to pass a medical test, be fingerprinted on Emirates ID, sign a work contract, and submit all documents for stamping a visa into your passport.
Obtaining a Resident Identity Card (Emirates ID)
Resident ID is issued during the paperwork for stamping the UAE work visa into the passport. To apply for a Resident ID (also known as Emirates ID), you have to submit an original passport and an original entry permit to one of the authorized typing centers in the UAE. After applying for registration, you need to contact one of the Emirates ID Authority centers, where they will take fingerprints and photos.
Resident ID is issued for the duration of UAE work visa – i.e., for 2 or 3 years. It usually takes 1-3 weeks to issue a Resident ID from the moment of stamping the visa into the passport.
Medical test upon obtaining work permit visa for UAE
To obtain a UAE work visa, you need to pass a medical test. To do this, you need to fill out a special registration form (which can be done in authorized typing centers). It is also necessary to provide the original passport, the original entry permit with an entry stamp, and two photos. After that, you need to contact an authorized medical center, where a blood test and an x-ray will be taken. It takes from 2 hours to 2 days to get the results depending on the selected package (VIP, urgent, regular).
Issuing UAE work visa
The list of required documents for obtaining a UAE work visa and the amount of state fees vary depending on the place of registration (local companies, various free zones).
Usually, the standard package of documents for obtaining an entry permit in free zones includes:
- company’s license copy
- company’s establishment card copy
- passport and visa copies for all company shareholders
- employee’s passport copy
- employee photos
- employee’s diploma certified copy.
Each free zone has a list of professions (often low-skilled positions) for which a diploma is not required. Also, sometimes the requirement to provide a diploma will not apply to those whose name is mentioned in the license (company manager).
The cost of issuing an entry permit depends on the free zone where it is issued. For example, here is the price of obtaining a UAE work visa in some free zones:
- UAQ FTZ – AED 2,200 (USD 602)
- DMCC – AED 3,610 (USD 990)
- RAKIA – from AED 4,550 (USD 1,245)
- Creative City – AED 4,950 (USD 1,355).
You should remember that in most free zones, in addition to state fees for issuing UAE work visa, you also need to pay a deposit refundable after closing the worker’s visa. In some free zones, the deposit amount is fixed and does not depend on the position or salary of the employee (for example, in DMCC, the deposit amount is AED 3,000 (USD 822). In others, the deposit amount consists of the monthly salary (in many free zones, there is a set minimum for various professions) and the return airfare cost (calculated at IATA rates depending on the employee’s citizenship).
Also, all employees whose visas are sponsored by companies registered in the Emirate of Dubai must have health insurance. The insurance cost depends on factors such as age, position, salary, and marital status (insurance for married women should also cover childbirth). It starts from AED 500 (USD 140) per year.
After obtaining an entry permit, the arrival of an employee, and passing all the formalities (medical test and application for a Resident ID), documents (including the original passport) are given for stamping UAE work visa into the passport.
Applying for a UAE work visa in local companies consists of several stages:
- Obtaining a quota for visas: the company applies to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MOHRE). The application indicates the number of visas, positions for foreign employees, and their gender. It takes from 2 to 10 working days to receive a quota (depending on the number of existing visas, positions, and gender of employees).
- Obtaining a permit from MOHRE for each employee. After receiving the quota, the procedure for issuing a permit for each specific employee begins. To do this, the employing company provides company documents (license, labor card, and e-signature card of a local sponsor or other authorized person) and employee documents (passport copy, photo, and diploma copy). Through the MOHRE system, a job offer is drawn up. This is a kind of contract which indicates the basic salary, other payments, vacation, and conditions for terminating. This document must be signed by the company and the employee. After submitting a signed job offer, a work permit is issued. Processing takes 2-5 business days. After obtaining a permit, the company pays a deposit (the amount depends on the company type – A, B, or C. For most companies, it is AED 3,000 (USD 822).
- After obtaining the MOHRE permit, it is necessary to prepare and submit documents to the migration service for issuing an entry permit. All forms are filled out by the company online. The cost of obtaining an entry permit depends on where the person is located (in the UAE or outside it). Getting such a permit takes from 2 to 10 days.
- After obtaining an entry permit and passing all the formalities (medical test, application for a Resident ID), it is necessary to apply for an employee’s labor card and stamping a visa into the passport.
The procedure for diploma consular legalization when obtaining a UAE work visa
An employer in the UAE must provide a school certificate or a diploma of secondary or higher education.
Diploma consular legalization is a mandatory requirement of the UAE Migration Service when obtaining a resident work visa. This is not a requirement of the employer.
For consular legalization, it is necessary to go through the following procedures and prepare the following documents:
- Certification of a document copy by a notary.
- Certification of the notary seal in the Ministry of Justice.
- Certification in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Certification in UAE Consulate in the diploma country of issue (if there is a UAE Consulate in that country).
- If the UAE Consulate stamped the diploma, then in the UAE, it is necessary to certify it in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If there is no UAE Consulate in the diploma country of issue, then it is required to certify it in the Consulate of that country in the UAE, then in the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- If there is no UAE Consulate in the diploma country of issue, and there is no Consulate of that country in UAE, the diploma is certified in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the country of issue. After that, you also need to put the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs stamp.
After affixing all the necessary seals, it is also mandatory to make a certified translation of the diploma into English or Arabic.
Refusal to issue work permit visa for UAE
The UAE authorities may refuse to issue a UAE resident work visa without giving reasons. Most often, this happens due to security reasons. Currently, citizens of the Middle Eastern states, as well as those born in the Middle East, are in the risk group.
After the refusal, you can submit documents for re-consideration
The validity period for UAE entry work permit
UAE entry permit for work is valid for 60 days from the date of issue. During these 60 days, the worker needs to cross the border. After crossing the border under an entry permit, the employee and employer have 60 days to complete all procedures and stamp the visa into the passport.
Penalties when applying for a job on other UAE entry visas
It is important to note that a visitor, transit, and tourist visa holder is not eligible to work in the UAE. In case of violation of this rule, a fine is imposed on both the company and the employee (its amount is on average AED 50,000 (USD 13,700).
If a potential employee, while staying in the UAE on a tourist visa, finds a job in the Emirates, then the employer needs to issue them an entry permit. After that, the employee changes status – i.e., transitions from a tourist/visit visa to an entry permit. After changing the status, it is necessary to complete the procedure for stamping the visa into the passport. In most emirates, it is allowed to change status without leaving the country.
Responsibility of companies when hiring foreign labor
The UAE government carefully monitors companies in the country in the line of compliance with labor laws. Companies receive appropriate penalties for non-compliance with wage obligations or breach of contract.
Officially employed workers in the UAE can check the contract and labor card authenticity on the Ministry of Labor website. In addition, they can file a complaint against the employer in case of salary delays.
The salary of workers whose visas are in local companies and those who work in companies in the JAFZA free zone is transferred through the WPS (Wage Protection System). In case of late transfer or non-payment of salaries, the company automatically receives fines.
How to start applying for a UAE work resident visa?
- Contact our experts at info@offshore-pro.info for professional advice on obtaining a work permit visa for UAE.
- After that, you need to pay for our assistance in obtaining a UAE work visa. This can be done with a bank card or transaction, via WebMoney or Western Union systems, or using cryptocurrencies. The service cost starts from 1100 USD.
- Then, we move on to collecting the information required to apply for a UAE resident work visa.
We will also help you open a company in the UAE:
By contacting us, you will avoid unnecessary expenses and minimize the loss of time.
