Dubai free zone employment visa: hiring staff on your company

Once your company is licensed you can sponsor employees, but the process depends on where the company is registered. A mainland company applies for a MoHRE work permit and then the residence visa. A free zone company usually goes through its zone authority, which handles the permit and the immigration steps together.

Either way the employer carries the obligations: the right permit before the person starts, wages paid through the proper channels and the visa cancelled when they leave.

Visas and work permits are issued by UAE authorities (MoHRE, GDRFA or ICP, and the free zone). Fees, quotas and timelines vary, so use this page as a guide and ask for the exact figures for your licence.

UAE employment visa for mainland companies

MoHRE issues 13 types of work permit. The common ones are recruiting a worker from outside the UAE (valid 2 years), transferring a worker from another establishment (2 years), a resident on family sponsorship (2 years), part-time and temporary permits. The Work Bundle platform combines the permit, residence visa, medical exam and Emirates ID fingerprinting, and MoHRE states it cut the process from 15 steps to 5.

Free zone employment visa requirements

Free zone staff visas are normally issued through the zone authority and immigration, not MoHRE, using the company's establishment card and a visa quota tied to the licence and office. Each zone sets its own fees, forms and quota, so the same employee can cost a different amount in different zones.

• Valid trade licence and establishment card
• Visa quota available under your licence or office
• Employee passport copy and photo
• Employment contract or offer letter in the zone's format

MoHRE work permit requirements

MoHRE states that the worker must be at least 18 (with exceptions for juvenile and student permits), the occupation must match the establishment's business activity, the trade licence must be valid and free of violations, and regulated professions need their practice licence. A person legally authorised to represent the company must submit the application.

Dubai employment visa cost

The residence visa typically costs AED 3,400–6,500 per employee, plus the establishment card at about AED 1,500–2,500 once per company (October 2026). MoHRE work permit fees depend on the company's classification (A, B or C), and companies with a violation history are placed in category C, so ask what class yours is before budgeting.

How to hire an employee with a visa

1. 1

   Check your licence allows the role

   The job must match your licensed activity, and your office must support the visa quota.

2. 2

   Open or update the establishment card

   Needed before any staff visa, and updated if you add headcount.

3. 3

   Apply for the work permit or zone visa

   Mainland through MoHRE (or Work Bundle); free zone through the zone authority.

4. 4

   Medical test and Emirates ID

   The employee completes these after entry or status change.

5. 5

   Residence visa and contract registration

   Visa is stamped and the contract is registered; the employer pays wages through the proper channels.

Documents you will usually need

• Company trade licence and establishment card
• Employee passport copy valid for at least six months
• Employee photo
• Signed job offer or employment contract
• Attested certificates for roles that require them
• Current visa or entry stamp for staff already in the UAE

Things to weigh up

• Employing someone without a valid work permit exposes the company to fines. Do not let anyone start work before the permit is in place.
• MoHRE may refuse, not renew or cancel permits if documents are false, the company is inactive or it breaches the Wages Protection System.
• Free zone and mainland staff can have different processes. Do not assume a mainland rule applies in a zone.