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Egyptians can only work in Dubai on an employment residence visa that a UAE employer files and pays for. The employer gets a MOHRE work permit, then a GDRFA entry permit at AED 200 plus 5% VAT, and you finish the medical and Emirates ID after landing. Egypt adds its own exit steps: reported work and travel permit rules, and military status for men aged 18 to 30.
Leaving Egypt for a UAE job
These are Egyptian rules, not UAE ones, so a UAE entry permit does not clear you to leave. Two rules come up most often, and both come from Egyptian media rather than an official page we could read:
- Work and travel permit. Masrawy reported that workers get a work and travel permit from the Ministry of Manpower after the labour office attests the UAE entry permit. Treat this as likely, and ask your local labour office for the current steps.
- Military status. Men aged 18 to 30 need proof of completed service, an exemption or a travel permit to leave Egypt, Egyptian Streets reported when Egypt opened an online service for expats to settle their status.
Do both before the employer books your ticket. A UAE entry permit is valid for a set time, and a delay at Cairo airport can eat into it.
Dubai or another emirate: the fee lines
Many Egyptians work in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah or the northern emirates as well as Dubai. The MOHRE permit is the same everywhere on the mainland. The immigration authority is not.
| Step | Dubai company (GDRFA) | Other emirates (ICP) |
|---|---|---|
| Work permit | AED 50 application, then AED 250, AED 1,200 or AED 3,450 by category | Same MOHRE fees |
| Entry permit for work | AED 200 plus 5% VAT | AED 100 application, AED 100 issuance, AED 100 smart services |
| Status change if already inside | AED 500, plus AED 10 and AED 10 | AED 500 status adjustment |
| Residence permit, two years | AED 200, AED 10, AED 10, AED 20 delivery | AED 100 application, AED 100 per year, AED 100 smart services |
| Emirates ID | AED 100 per year plus AED 100 | Same |
Source: MOHRE service pages, GDRFA entry and residence pages, ICP work entry and residence pages, checked . Add the medical test (AED 270 for a 24-hour result in Dubai) and health insurance. Abu Dhabi details are on work visa in Abu Dhabi.
Under UAE law the employer pays recruitment, travel and residence permit costs. Charging a job seeker recruitment fees is illegal in the UAE.
What Dubai agencies charge
Dubai PRO and visa firms publish about AED 3,500 to AED 8,000 per employee for a two-year mainland employment visa, all in (published prices of 4 Dubai providers, checked ). That is the company's cost, and our employment visa cost page breaks it down.
Documents an Egyptian worker sends
- Egyptian passport valid for at least 6 months
- Photo on a white background
- Signed MOHRE job offer
- Attested certificate for skill levels 1 to 5
- Professional licence for regulated work, for example a medical or engineering licence
- Your current UAE visa, if you are already in the country on a visit or another residence
Order of the steps
- The employer issues the MOHRE job offer and you both sign it.
- MOHRE issues the work permit, listed at 2 working days.
- GDRFA (or ICP outside Dubai) issues the entry permit. GDRFA lists 48 hours and gives 60 days after entry to finish the residence.
- You complete Egypt's exit steps and fly.
- Medical test, Emirates ID biometrics, then the residence permit.
- MOHRE files the employment contract within 60 days of entry.
Processing time
GDRFA lists 48 hours for both the entry permit and the residence. ICP lists 2 days for residence issuance. MOHRE lists 2 working days for the permit, and the Emirates ID takes 5 days. Our work visa processing time page compares them. Time spent on Egyptian attestation and exit papers comes on top.
Already in the UAE and changing jobs
A worker moving between UAE employers does not start from zero. The new employer applies for a MOHRE transfer permit, AED 50 plus the category fee, within 90 days of your old permit's cancellation. The job must match the new company's activity. If you are still on probation, give one month's written notice to move to another UAE employer. More on changing jobs in the UAE.
On Egyptian Streets reported Egypt's Assistant Foreign Minister rejecting claims of mass layoffs of Egyptians in the UAE. He said cancellations were mostly residency violations or people looking for work on tourist visas. The lesson is simple: do not job hunt on a tourist visa and then stay past it. Overstay costs AED 50 a day.
Why Egyptian work files hit problems
- A degree not attested, so the permit cannot be issued at the promised skill level
- Military status not settled, so you cannot leave Cairo on time
- An old UAE residence that was never cancelled
- A job title that does not fit the company's licence
- The employer files in the wrong emirate for where you will work
How it works with us
Share the job offer and your passport page through WhatsApp or the form on this page. A visa adviser checks the offer, tells you whether GDRFA or ICP handles the immigration side, and lists the Egyptian papers to sort out before the flight. When the employer wants the filing done, our team prepares the MOHRE permit, entry permit and residence steps and follows each one up. The payer, normally the employer, gets one total price first. DubaiVisaDesk.com is a private visa service. The UAE authorities approve or refuse.
Fees paid to the authorities are not refunded by them if a permit is refused. You are told in writing, before you pay, which part of our total comes back after a refusal, if any.
Official sources
- GDRFA employment entry permit: Dubai fees, 48 hours, 60 days
- ICP work entry visa: other emirates, entry fees
- ICP residence issuance: residence fees and status adjustment
- MOHRE transfer work permit: transfer fees and 90-day window
- u.ae labour rights: employer pays
Visiting first? Our Dubai visa for Egyptians page covers tourist and family visit routes.
