UAE work visa for hires from abroad: employer-led steps

What this page covers, and what it does not

This page describes the UAE's employer-led private-sector work route as UAE authorities publish it. The UAE pages it uses describe the process for expatriate workers in general; they do not set out separate steps for Egyptian citizens. It has no Egypt-specific rules. It does not cover Egyptian-side steps, such as authenticating Egyptian documents with Egyptian authorities, or any nationality-based admission rule. Free-zone, government, domestic-worker and family processes, and Green or Golden residence, are also outside this page.

The sequence: offer, contract, work permit, work visa

UAE Government guidance says the private-sector process involves receiving a formal job offer, signing the employment contract, receiving the work permit and then receiving the work visa. The signed offer is attached to the application for the initial work permit, which MoHRE reviews, and this approval allows the worker to enter the UAE. On arrival, the employer and the worker sign the offer again, and it is registered with MoHRE as a legally binding employment contract. The contract must specify the start date, type of work, workplace, terms and conditions, duration and salary, and it should be based on the signed offer letter. After the contract is signed, the employer may not alter or replace offer provisions unless the employee consents, within the scope of the law. Read the duties, salary and conditions before you sign, and keep a copy of what you accepted.

UAE Government: job offers and the employment process UAE Government: protection of workers' rights

Verify the offer before paying or travelling

UAE Government guidance says that if you are offered a job in the UAE you must get an offer letter issued by MoHRE and signed by the authorised manager. You can verify the job offer using its reference number through the enquiry service on the MoHRE website. The same page says you can search the company by its English and Arabic name in the National Economic Register. After you sign the offer letter, the employer sends an electronic entry permit for employment. A Dubai permit can be verified on the GDRFA website. A permit from Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah or Fujairah is verified on the ICP eChannels platform. A visit or tourist entry permit or visa does not give the right to work, and working on one results in fines and legal liability. A residency visa cannot be processed for applicants outside the UAE: the applicant must first enter on a valid entry permit and stay until the residency visa is issued. Do these checks before you buy travel or pay an intermediary.

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Documents the employer asks for

For the initial work permit, UAE Government guidance says the employer asks for a colour photograph with a white background, a copy of the worker's passport valid for six months, authenticated academic qualifications if required depending on job level, and a letter of approval from the competent entity for certain posts, such as physician, pharmacist, nurse or teacher. A second UAE Government page says passports must be valid for at least six months before arrival, and that an entry permit is obtained under the procedures of the residency authority of the relevant emirate. Ask the employer which items apply to the occupation it records in the application. Check that your name and passport number match across the offer, certificates and scans.

UAE Government: employment of expatriates in privately held companies UAE Government: preparing to work

Attest qualifications through the right route

UAE Government guidance says certificates must be authenticated in the country of origin by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the UAE embassy or consulate. For a document issued outside the UAE, it says the original should be attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the issuing country and then by a UAE Embassy or Consulate in that country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs service page says applications for documents issued abroad go through selected UAE Missions abroad, and tells applicants to check the website of the UAE Mission in their country of residence. The two pages name different countries: the issuing country and the country of residence. If yours differ, ask the UAE mission which route applies. If there is no UAE mission in the country, u.ae says to contact MoFA. In the UAE, some professions also require the Ministry of Education to attest university degrees. MoFA's digital attestation is described for UAE-issued digital documents to be used outside the UAE, so it is not described as a route for foreign-issued degrees.

UAE Government: preparing to work UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs: documents attestation

Entry permit, medical test, residence and Emirates ID

For a Dubai private-sector role, the GDRFA service for private-sector residence permits says the permit entitles private-sector workers to reside in the country for two years, renewable on the same conditions. Its listed requirements are a copy of the passport, a recent photograph with a white background and an approved medical examination for those over 18 years of age. A UAE Government page says foreigners who plan to work or live in the UAE must have medical tests before residency procedures go ahead. ICP, the federal authority, has a residence-permit service that issues a residence permit linked to an Emirates ID card application. For a sponsor subject to the Labor Relations Law, ICP lists a MoHRE work permit among the documents. A work permit, an entry permit and a residence permit are separate documents, so check the dates on each one you receive.

GDRFA Dubai: issuing residence permits for the private sector UAE Government: preparing to work ICP: issuing a residence permit

Who pays, and where to raise a problem

UAE Government guidance says UAE law requires the employer to pay the costs of the entry visa, of travel to the UAE, of post-arrival processing such as medical tests, and of the residence permit. The u.ae rights page says the same for recruitment, travel and residency-permit costs, and says charging recruitment fees to prospective employees is illegal. That page also says the employment contract terms must be consistent with the signed job offer. It advises workers to keep a copy of the signed offer and to contact MoHRE promptly if the agreed job is not provided or salary is not received in full and on time. It says confiscating workers' passports is prohibited. Ask HR for a written cost breakdown before you travel.

UAE Government: employment of expatriates in privately held companies UAE Government: protection of workers' rights UAE Government: tips to stay safe from labour and visa fraud