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The UAE work visa process has eight steps, and the employer files each one. You sign a MOHRE job offer, the company gets a MOHRE work permit, then an employment entry permit from GDRFA in Dubai or ICP elsewhere. You enter, take the medical test, give Emirates ID biometrics, receive a two-year residence and sign the MOHRE contract within 60 days. Probation can last up to six months.
The process in eight steps
1. The job offer
MOHRE uses a standard job offer. It sets the job title, salary and skill level. Read it with care: the title must fit the company's licensed activity, and the level decides whether you need an attested degree. Both of you sign before anything is filed.
2. The work permit
The authorised signatory logs in to the MOHRE app or website with UAE Pass and uploads the offer, your passport, your photo and any certificate. The company needs a free electronic quota and no active permit can sit on your record. MOHRE lists 2 working days. Fees and permit types are on the UAE work permit page.
3. The employment entry permit
Once MOHRE endorses the permit, the company applies to GDRFA for the "visa issuance for foreigners linked with job contract". GDRFA lists 48 hours. In Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern emirates, ICP issues a work entry visa instead and asks for UAE health insurance.
4. Entering, or changing status
If you are abroad, you fly in on the entry permit. From the day you land you have 60 days to finish the steps below. If you are already in the UAE on a visit visa, the employer changes your status inside the country instead, which adds a fee. Our change of visa status page explains that option.
5. The medical test
Everyone 18 and over takes the medical fitness test. In Dubai you go to a health authority centre or Smart Salem. The standard result is ready in 24 hours. See the medical test for a residence visa.
6. Emirates ID biometrics
You give fingerprints and a photo for the Emirates ID. ICP lists 5 days for a new card, sent by courier.
7. The residence permit
GDRFA issues the private sector residence for two years, in 48 hours. ICP lists 2 days in the other emirates. This is what people used to call visa stamping.
8. The employment contract
MOHRE wants the contract filed within 60 days of entry or of the status change. Workers at skill levels 5 to 9 attend a guidance workshop, and contracts for levels 6 to 9 are handed over at a workers' awareness centre.
Applying online: which channel does what
| Stage | Channel |
|---|---|
| Work permit, transfer, contract | MOHRE app or website, or a business service centre |
| Dubai entry permit and residence | GDRFA website or app with UAE Pass, Amer centres, Customer Happiness Centres |
| Other emirates entry visa and residence | ICP smart services website and app |
| Emirates ID | ICP |
Source: MOHRE and GDRFA service pages and ICP service pages, checked .
How to check your employment visa status online
- Work permit: open the MOHRE inquiry site and choose Application Status or Electronic Work Permit Information. There is no option called labour card.
- Dubai entry permit or residence: use the GDRFA status inquiry with the file number. Our Dubai visa status check page shows the fields.
- Ras Al Khaimah and the other ICP emirates: ICP handles these files on its smart services website and app, so sign in there with UAE Pass.
A worked example for each is on the work permit status check page.
Probation and notice rules
These come from the u.ae page on private sector employment contracts, checked .
| Situation | Rule |
|---|---|
| Length of probation | Up to six months, no extension |
| You leave in probation to join another UAE employer | At least one month's written notice |
| Who covers recruitment costs then | The new employer compensates the old one, unless agreed otherwise |
| You leave in probation to exit the UAE | 14 days' written notice |
| You come back within three months on a new permit | The new employer compensates the old one, unless agreed otherwise |
Media also report that leaving in probation without this notice, or a proven work abandonment complaint, can block a new work permit for a time, with exemptions for some groups such as family-sponsored workers. The u.ae page on the ban could not be opened when we checked, so ask MOHRE before you resign. Changing employer after probation goes through a transfer: see change job in the UAE.
Who does what
- Employer: quota, the permit, the entry permit, the residence, the contract, and the cost of all of them.
- You: a valid passport, a photo, attested certificates, the medical and biometrics, and your signatures.
UAE law puts recruitment and residency costs on the employer, and employers may not keep your passport.
Where the process breaks
- The offer shows a job the licence does not cover.
- Your old permit with a previous employer was never cancelled.
- The 60 days from entry run out before the medical and residence are done.
- The contract is not filed in time.
- A probation exit is made without written notice.
Tips before you start
- Keep a copy of the signed offer. Your contract should match it.
- Ask which emirate will issue your residence, so you know whether GDRFA or ICP applies.
- Get your degree attested before you fly, if your level needs it.
- Check the permit on the MOHRE inquiry site before you resign at home.
For the documents list see work visa requirements, and for each stage's time see work visa processing time.
Official sources
- MOHRE recruiting a worker from overseas: permit steps and documents.
- MOHRE employment contracts: 60-day filing, guidance workshops.
- GDRFA employment entry permit: entry permit and 60 days.
- ICP work entry visa: other emirates.
- u.ae employment contracts: probation and notice.
- MOHRE inquiry: permit status.
- GDRFA status inquiry: entry permit and residence status.
Checked . Rules change, so confirm on u.ae or MOHRE before you resign or sign.
