Three names get used interchangeably in Dubai, and they are not interchangeable at all. Amer, Tasheel and typing centre sit behind three different authorities, handle three different categories of file, and none of them can do the others' work.
Here is the actual map, plus the structural fact almost nobody says out loud: most of these "centres" are private companies.
The map: who is behind each counter
| Channel | Authority behind it | What it handles | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amer | GDRFA Dubai | Residency, immigration, visas, entry permits | Dubai only |
| Tasheel | MoHRE | Work permits, labour contracts, WPS, labour fines | UAE-wide |
| Tawjeeh | MoHRE | Labour-law awareness sessions | UAE-wide |
| ICP Customer Happiness Centre | ICP (federal) | Emirates ID, biometrics, passports, residency outside Dubai | All seven emirates |
| Typing centre | None — private business | Document preparation and routing | UAE-wide |
Read the last column of the first two rows. Amer is a Dubai institution because residency in Dubai is GDRFA's job. Tasheel is nationwide because labour is federal. That single difference explains most of the confusion.
Amer: GDRFA Dubai, residency and visas
Amer centres are how Dubai residents transact with GDRFA. Entry permits, residence issuance and renewal, status amendment, sponsorship files, violator follow-up, establishment support.
GDRFA publishes its fees per service page, not as one consolidated schedule. That matters when a client asks for "the GDRFA fee list": there isn't one document. What there is, on each service page, is a line-by-line breakdown. Family residence renewal, for example:
| Residence renewal, family member | AED |
|---|---|
| Residency permit renewal | 200 |
| Knowledge Dirham | 10 |
| Innovation Dirham | 10 |
| Fee inside the country | 500 |
| Delivery | 20 |
| Additional per year where the permit exceeds two years | +100 per year |
The Knowledge Dirham and Innovation Dirham are AED 10 each and appear on almost every GDRFA transaction. Small, but they are the reason a quoted "AED 200 renewal" never actually costs AED 200.
GDRFA distinguishes three centre types: Amer Centers, Customer Service Centers and Partner Service Centers. All three are channels for the same underlying services.
Tasheel: MoHRE, labour and work permits
Tasheel is the MoHRE side: work permits, labour contracts, wage protection registration, labour fines, establishment services.
MoHRE work permit fees run from AED 250 to AED 3,450 depending on the company's classification. That range is published on the UAE Government portal and is the figure to trust. The neat per-category tables circulating online are indicative, not sourced.
MoHRE issues 13 work permit types. One of them, the private tutoring permit, is free.
The governing instruments, if you ever need to cite them: Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021, Cabinet Resolution 1 of 2022, Cabinet Resolution 37 of 2022, and Ministerial Resolution 543 of 2022.
MoHRE's approved-centre list ran to well over 100 centres as at 17 February 2026, split into Business Services and Guidance Centres, Domestic Workers Services Centres, and Tawseel providers. Tawseel is the one worth knowing about: vehicles fitted out like a physical centre, delivering services to elderly people, pregnant women and people of determination. Very few guides mention it exists.
Tawjeeh: the session before your contract
Tawjeeh is not a service centre in the transactional sense. It is a labour-law awareness session, delivered before MoHRE approves the employment contract.
It applies to new employment residence permit applicants in selected professions, specifically skill categories 3, 4 and 5 on the mainland. Free zone workers are outside it. The requirement dates from 2018, so if a provider presents it to you as a new 2026 rule, that is a flag.
Format is roughly a 90-minute classroom session with a video, delivered in sixteen or more languages including Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Tagalog and Malayalam. The contract is issued on completion.
ICP Customer Happiness Centres: Emirates ID and biometrics
Here is the correction most Dubai guides need: Dubai is not Amer-only.
ICP runs more than 40 Customer Happiness Centres across all seven emirates, and seven of them are in Dubai: Al Barsha, Al Ghazal, Al Rashidiya, Al Nahda, Al Yalayis, Al Baraha and Hatta. Every centre offers fingerprinting.
The Dubai split is clean once you see it. Amer and GDRFA handle residency and visas. ICP handles Emirates ID and biometrics. Outside Dubai, ICP handles both, which is why guides written for Abu Dhabi describe a different system.
| Emirate | ICP centres |
|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi | 12 |
| Dubai | 7 |
| Sharjah | 5 |
| Ajman | 2 |
| Umm Al Quwain | 2 |
| Ras Al Khaimah | 2 |
| Fujairah | 2 |
Typing centres: what they actually are
Now the part that reframes everything above.
Tasheel and Tawjeeh are trade names of private companies approved by MoHRE. The ministry's own directory, dated 17 February 2026, is titled "MOHRE-Approved Business Services and Guidance Centers" and lists entities such as Tasheel Althaki Center L.L.C and Tawjeeh Services Center LLC. Limited liability companies, every one.
The same is true of Amer. GDRFA's relevant page is an application form for investors who want to open an Amer centre.
So the model is: the authority sets the government fee, and the centre is a licensed private operator that adds its own service charge. That is not a criticism of the system. It is a well-run outsourcing model with published standards covering fit-out, service level, Emiratisation, information confidentiality and financial resources. But it does explain why two Amer centres can quote you two different totals for the same transaction, and why neither of them is wrong.
What each centre charges
One typing-centre charge is fixed by law, and it is worth knowing because it is the one people get overcharged on.
The Emirates ID typing office fee is AED 70, set by Cabinet Decision 25 of 2011 and Minister of Interior Decision 3 of 2012, broken out as AED 10 plus AED 30 plus AED 30. ICP has publicly warned that centres charging more risk having their certification cancelled.
Everything else is commercial. Amer centre service charges, Tasheel centre charges, document typing, translation, PRO fees: none of these appear in any government schedule, and GDRFA's own service pages prove the point by listing government fees and naming Amer centres as a channel without publishing what the centre charges.
Which counter for which job
The practical version. Find your task, walk into the right door.
| What you need to do | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| New residence visa, renewal or cancellation in Dubai | Amer / GDRFA |
| Entry permit or visa for a family member in Dubai | Amer / GDRFA |
| Status change inside the country | Amer / GDRFA (AED 500 government fee) |
| Work permit, labour contract, WPS registration | Tasheel / MoHRE |
| Labour complaint or MoHRE fine | Tasheel / MoHRE |
| Labour-law awareness session before contract approval | Tawjeeh / MoHRE |
| Emirates ID application, renewal or replacement | ICP (online) with biometrics at an ICP centre |
| Fingerprints and facial capture | ICP Customer Happiness Centre |
| Residency or visa outside Dubai | ICP |
| Typing an application form for submission | Typing centre |
Our Amer and Tasheel services page covers the transactions we handle on both sides, and typing and clearance covers the wider category.
What you can now do without any counter
Quite a lot, and more every quarter.
DubaiNow carries over 320 services from more than 50 entities, according to Digital Dubai's app listing. The digitaldubai.ae page still says 250-plus from 35-plus, which tells you how fast this is moving. DEWA, Salik, nol, RTA traffic fines, vehicle registration renewal, driving licence renewal, visa sponsorship and renewal, police clearance certificates, court case enquiries.
ICP Smart Services handles Emirates ID new issuance, renewal and lost or damaged replacement through the website and the UAE ICP app.
UAE PASS is the single sign-on behind all of it: over 6,000 services across government, semi-government and private sectors, including banks and telecoms. Account creation takes under five minutes with facial recognition, no centre visit required.
Two things still need a physical visit, and ICP is explicit about both: biometrics and signature for anyone over 15, and the urgent service, which is available only at the Authority's service centres and requires in-person collection rather than courier delivery.
More detail in what you can now do without a service centre.
Two related guides worth having open: Emirates ID renewal and the daily fine for the ICP side, and the Dubai medical fitness test for the step that sits between the two authorities on every new residence file.
MSM works across all of these channels daily, on the government side and the centre side. If you are not sure which counter your file belongs at, send us the requirement and we will route it. Start at typing and clearance.