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A Dubai work visa is a two-year employment residence that your employer applies for. The chain runs in a fixed order: a signed MOHRE job offer, the MOHRE work permit, a GDRFA employment entry permit, the medical test, Emirates ID biometrics, the residence permit and the employment contract. UAE law says the employer pays recruitment and residency costs. Most steps take 48 hours to 2 working days each.
This page is the overview. Each stage, cost and special route has its own page, linked below.
The chain from offer letter to residence
- Job offer. MOHRE uses a standard job offer. You and the employer both sign it before the permit is filed.
- Work permit. The company applies to MOHRE through its app or website. It needs a free electronic quota, a valid licence and a job that fits its business activity. Details on the UAE work permit page.
- Entry permit. GDRFA issues the "visa issuance for foreigners linked with job contract" once MOHRE has endorsed the permit. It gives you 60 days from entry to finish the rest.
- Medical test. Every worker 18 and over is tested at a Dubai medical fitness centre.
- Emirates ID. You give fingerprints and a photo, and ICP issues the card.
- Residence permit. GDRFA issues two years of residence for the private sector.
- Employment contract. The MOHRE contract is filed within 60 days of entry or status change. Workers at skill levels 5 to 9 also attend a guidance workshop.
The step by step guide, with probation and notice rules, is on how the UAE work visa process works.
Who pays for the work visa
The UAE government's labour rights page is plain about this: the costs of recruitment and travel, and of getting your residency permit, are borne by the employer. The same page says charging recruitment fees to job seekers is illegal, and that employers may not hold workers' passports.
So if a recruiter abroad asks you for a "visa fee", that is a warning sign. You still pay for your own things, such as attesting your degree at home, but the permit, entry permit and residence are the company's bill.
Government fees at a glance
| Stage | Who sets it | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Work permit application | MOHRE | AED 50 |
| Two-year work permit | MOHRE | AED 250, AED 1,200 or AED 3,450 by company category |
| Employment entry permit | GDRFA | AED 200 plus 5% VAT |
| Fee inside the country, if you are already in the UAE | GDRFA | AED 500 plus AED 10 and AED 10 |
| Medical test, standard 24 hours | Dubai Health Authority | AED 270 |
| Emirates ID | ICP | AED 100 per year plus AED 100 |
| Residence permit, two years | GDRFA | AED 200 plus AED 10, AED 10 and AED 20 delivery |
Source: MOHRE recruiting service page (checked ), GDRFA entry permit and residence pages, ICP Emirates ID page and Dubai Administrative Resolution No. 66 on medical charges, checked .
No government page gives one total for a work visa, so we show the lines. Every fee, including the ICP scale for the other emirates, is on employment visa cost.
Which work route fits you
| Your situation | Route | Page |
|---|---|---|
| A company in Dubai hired you | Employment visa | This page, plus requirements |
| You are switching employers | MOHRE transfer permit | Change job in the UAE |
| You live here on a spouse or parent visa | Permit for a resident on family sponsorship | Work permit types |
| Short task at another company | Temporary or mission permit | Temporary work permit |
| You want to look for work first | Visit visa to explore job opportunities | Job seeker visa and its cost |
| You work for yourself | Freelance permit or free zone licence | Freelance visa Dubai, cost, requirements, Abu Dhabi |
| Skilled, earning AED 15,000 a month or more | Five-year green visa | Green visa and its requirements |
| Your employer is outside the UAE | Virtual work residence | Remote work visa |
| Your job is in Abu Dhabi | ICP route | Work visa Abu Dhabi |
Leaving a job is its own process: see employment visa cancellation. To track a file, use the work permit status check. If someone calls it a "labour card", the labour card guide explains what that means today.
Work visa pages by nationality
The UAE side is the same for everyone. What changes is your own country's exit and recruitment rules, such as emigration clearance or worker registration. Read yours before you resign at home: India, Philippines, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Egypt.
Documents the employer will ask you for
- Passport valid for at least six months
- Photo with a white background
- The MOHRE job offer, signed
- Your degree or diploma, attested, if the job is at a skilled level
- A professional licence where the job needs one
The skill level table and the attestation steps are on work visa requirements.
How long it takes
MOHRE lists 2 working days for the permit. GDRFA lists 48 hours each for the entry permit and the residence. The standard medical result takes 24 hours, and ICP lists 5 days for a new Emirates ID. In practice the slow parts are degree attestation and getting a quota approved. See work visa processing time.
Why work visas get stuck or refused
- The company has no free quota, or its licence has a violation.
- The job title does not match the company's licensed activity.
- The degree is not attested, or does not match the skill level on the offer.
- You still have an active work permit with a previous employer.
- The medical fitness test is not passed.
What Dubai agencies charge
Published prices from 4 Dubai setup and PRO firms put an employment visa at about AED 3,500 to AED 8,000 per employee, all in, for the employer (checked ). The spread comes from the company category, insurance and whether the worker is already inside the UAE. These are other firms' prices, not ours.
How it works with us
Send us the passport copy and a few details on WhatsApp, or use the form on this page: who the employer is, the job, and whether the worker is in the UAE or abroad. A visa adviser checks the route, the company's MOHRE category and the papers missing, then gives you one total price before you pay. The team files the permit, the entry permit and the residence, books the medical and Emirates ID, and follows each stage until the visa is issued. DubaiVisaDesk.com is a private visa service working for the employer's file. MOHRE, GDRFA or ICP decides every application.
Government fees are not refunded by the authorities if a permit or visa is refused. Before you pay, the adviser tells you in writing which part of our total, if any, comes back in that case.
Official sources
- u.ae work permits: permit types and fee range.
- u.ae labour rights: who pays, recruitment fee ban, passports.
- u.ae residence visa for working: two-year validity, employer applies.
- MOHRE recruiting a worker from overseas: permit fees, documents, time.
- GDRFA employment entry permit: entry permit fee and 60 days.
- GDRFA private sector residence: residence fees and validity.
Checked . Fees change, so confirm on the MOHRE or GDRFA page before you pay.
