UAE Work Visa from Pakistan (2026): Official Process

How the UAE process starts: the job offer

The UAE portal describes the private-sector process as a formal job offer, a signed employment contract, a work permit and then the work visa. The employer signs the job offer electronically and sends it to the worker in their home country, directly or through a recruitment agency or other designated entity. The signed offer is attached to the application for initial work permit approval, which allows the worker to enter the UAE. On arrival, both sides sign the offer, which is registered with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) as a legally binding employment contract. A third language, such as Urdu, can be added at the worker's request.

u.ae: Job offers and the employment process

The UAE work permit: validity, conditions and cost

The portal says it is illegal to work in the UAE without a valid work permit issued by MoHRE, and employers may not recruit or employ any worker without one. The permit to recruit a worker from outside the UAE is valid for two years. Conditions include a worker aged at least 18, with exceptions for juvenile and student permits, and a company trade licence that is valid and free of violations. The cost of issuing and renewing a work permit ranges from AED 250 to AED 3,450, depending on the company's classification. Under UAE law, the employer is responsible for paying recruitment expenses, and the UAE portal says charging recruitment fees to prospective employees is illegal in the UAE.

u.ae: Work permits u.ae: Tips to stay safe from labour and visa fraud u.ae: Protection of workers’ rights

UAE entry permit and residence visa

Before arriving, expatriates must have a passport valid for at least six months and an entry permit, obtained under the procedures of the relevant emirate's residency authority. An entry permit remains valid for two months from the date of issue, and within one month of entering the UAE the sponsored person must complete the steps for a residency visa, valid for two years. The standard work visa is valid for two years and renewable; the employer must apply for it. Another portal page says the residence permit is valid for two years or one year, depending on the contract. A residency visa cannot be processed for applicants outside the UAE.

u.ae: Preparing to work u.ae: Work visa u.ae: Employment of expatriates in privately held companies u.ae: Tips to stay safe from labour and visa fraud

UAE medical test and Emirates ID

A residence visa requires applicants aged 18 and above to take a medical test, pass a security check and apply for an Emirates ID card. The UAE portal says foreign nationals need to be free of all forms of communicable diseases such as HIV and TB to obtain a work or residence permit, and lists tests for HIV, hepatitis B, leprosy, syphilis and tuberculosis. The same portal says that, in addition, the following categories of workers should test negative for syphilis and hepatitis B: nursery, domestic, food, salon and health-club workers, and says residents found with TB scars, active TB or drug-resistant TB when renewing are given a conditional fitness certificate and a one-year residence visa and must be treated in the UAE. The portal's Preparing to work page adds: "Exceptions are granted for old or active TB cases, specifically for first-time residency applications."

u.ae: General provisions for the residence visa u.ae: Health conditions for UAE residence visa u.ae: Preparing to work

UAE documents the employer asks for

To process the work permit, the employer asks for a photograph with a white background; a passport copy valid for six months; authenticated academic qualifications, if required for the job level; and, for certain posts such as physician, pharmacist, nurse or teacher, a letter of approval from the competent entity. Certificates must be authenticated in the country of origin by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then by the UAE embassy or consulate.

u.ae: Preparing to work u.ae: Employment of expatriates in privately held companies

Pakistan: protection by the Protector of Emigrants

The Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment says that under the Emigration Ordinance 1979 "every Pakistani proceeding abroad on work visa should have to get protected", which it explains as the Foreign Service Agreement signed with the foreign employer or promoter being countersigned by the Protectorate of Emigrants, to ensure its terms are implemented. The Bureau's FAQ says the protection stays valid while the terms remain unchanged, and a worker changing jobs needs new Protector Clearance from the relevant Protectorate of Emigrants office in Pakistan. The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development's Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) page says Overseas Pakistanis registered with a Protectorate of Emigrants who have proceeded abroad can get the OPF Membership card without any charges.

ophrd.gov.pk: Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BE&OE) - FAQs ophrd.gov.pk: OPF - Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development

Pakistan: licensed promoters and complaints

The Bureau's FAQ says the genuineness of an OEP can be checked with the Protector's office and the valid OEP licence list on its website. Its precautions: a valid OEP licence, a valid demand, carefully read terms counter-verified with the Protector, and a receipt for any payment.

ophrd.gov.pk: Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BE&OE) - FAQs

What this page does not cover

This page does not cover salary levels, processing times, the cost of the medical test or the Emirates ID card, Pakistani fee amounts and emigrant insurance terms, employment-contract registration deadlines, family sponsorship, workers' rights after arrival, residence-visa absence and overstay rules, tax and living costs, or recruitment through free zones. Check the official pages for them.