How to Immigrate to UAE from Indonesia in 2026

Tax-free. Domestic workers: AED 1,500-2,500/month (IDR 6,400,000-10,600,000) with accommodation provided. Hospitality: AED 2,000-5,000/month. Construction: AED 2,000-4,000/month. Retail/service: AED 2,000-4,500/month. Professional roles (Employment Pass equivalent): AED 8,000-20,000/month (IDR 34,000,000-85,000,000). The premium over Indonesian salaries is 3-8x depending on sector. Additionally, most non-professional packages include accommodation (or allowance), transport, and annual flight home.

Several practical differences with numbers. Salaries: UAE security guard AED 1,800-3,000/month vs Saudi SAR 1,500-2,500/month — UAE is approximately 10-20% higher for equivalent roles. Worker protections: UAE's Wage Protection System (WPS) tracks 100% of salary payments electronically; Saudi introduced WPS later with approximately 85% coverage. Employer mobility: UAE allows employer change after contract completion without NOC since 2021; Saudi allows transfer since 2021 but enforcement is approximately 70-80%. Living environment: UAE has more entertainment options, malls, parks (Dubai alone has 80+ malls); Saudi has improved significantly under Vision 2030 but remains more conservative. Recruitment costs: both countries should be zero-cost to worker under respective bilateral agreements; actual reported costs for Indonesian workers: UAE IDR 8,000,000-15,000,000 vs Saudi IDR 10,000,000-14,000,000 (government cap). Contract duration: UAE standard 2-3 years renewable; Saudi standard 2 years renewable. For domestic workers specifically, UAE allows mobile phone use and going out on rest days as standard; Saudi's enforcement of rest day rights is improving but inconsistent.