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UAE Employment Visa Services

Six steps sit between a signed offer letter and a stamped residence visa, and each one blocks the next. We run the whole sequence for mainland and free zone employers.

Process an Employment Visa Call +971 52 933 0454
MoHRE & GDRFA Both channels handled
Inside-Country Status change without exit
Batch Filing For multiple new hires

What is a UAE employment visa and how do you get one?

A UAE employment visa is a residence visa sponsored by an employer. The employer obtains a work permit and an entry permit first, the employee then completes a medical fitness test and Emirates ID biometrics inside the country, signs the labour contract, and the residence visa is stamped. Private-sector visas are usually valid for two years.

UAE Employment Visa Services at a glance
SponsorThe employing company, via its establishment card and labour file
Mainland channelMoHRE (Tasheel) for the work permit, GDRFA (Amer) for the visa
Free zone channelThe free zone authority's own portal, then federal immigration
Entry permit validity60 days from issue
In-person stepsMedical fitness test and Emirates ID biometrics
Typical residence termTwo years, renewable; some free zones issue three

Last updated 2 August 2026 · Reviewed by Sarah Jenkins, Residency & Immigration Advisor. Fees and timelines are set by the issuing authority and change without notice — confirm current figures before you budget.

What are the steps from offer letter to stamped visa?

The sequence is fixed and each stage gates the next, which is why a single missing document early on delays everything after it. The employer starts with quota, if the company does not already have an available slot, then the offer letter is issued and signed.

From there it moves to the work permit, the entry permit, and the in-country steps.

  • Quota approval where the company has no free slot on its establishment card
  • Offer letter issued and signed by the employee before the work permit
  • Work permit approval, then entry permit issued for 60 days
  • Status change or entry, then medical, Emirates ID, contract signing and stamping
New employee signing a UAE employment offer letter across a desk from an HR manager

Can you change status without leaving the country?

In most cases yes. A person already in the UAE on a visit or tourist visa can usually change status to the employment entry permit inside the country, which avoids a flight out and back. Some nationalities and some visa types are excluded, and the rules change, so it is checked case by case rather than assumed.

The alternative is a short exit and re-entry on the new permit. We tell you which applies before you book anything.

  • Inside-country status change avoids an exit run in most cases
  • Eligibility depends on the current visa type and nationality
  • Amer handles the status change transaction in Dubai
  • A bus or air exit and re-entry is the fallback where status change is not permitted
Applicant at an Amer service counter in Dubai completing a status change

What does the medical fitness test involve?

A blood test and a chest X-ray at a health authority approved centre. The screening covers communicable diseases, and results usually come back within a few working days. Express and VIP appointments are available where a start date is tight.

The Emirates ID biometrics appointment often runs the same day at the same centre, which is worth arranging deliberately rather than by luck.

  • Blood test and chest X-ray at a DHA-approved centre in Dubai
  • Standard results in a few working days; express options available
  • Emirates ID biometrics can usually be booked at the same visit
  • A failed or inconclusive result stops the visa — it is not a formality
Medical fitness screening room at an approved Dubai health centre

How does the free zone route differ from the mainland?

The paperwork is similar; the counterparty is not. A mainland employer files the work permit through MoHRE and the visa through GDRFA. A free zone employer files through the free zone authority, which acts as the sponsor-side channel and then interfaces with federal immigration.

Practical differences that matter: free zone visa allocations are tied to your office or flexi-desk package rather than a general quota, and some free zones issue three-year residence visas where the mainland issues two.

  • Mainland: MoHRE work permit plus GDRFA residence visa
  • Free zone: the authority's own portal, then federal immigration
  • Free zone visa count is tied to the facility package
  • Labour contract terms differ — free zone employment is not under MoHRE
Free zone business centre reception in Dubai with staff at the desk

How MSM processes an employment visa

  1. Check quota and fileWe confirm the establishment card is valid and a visa slot is free. An expired card stops everything, and it is the most common blocker we find on day one.
  2. Offer letter and work permitOffer letter prepared in the required format, signed, then the work permit application filed through MoHRE or the free zone authority.
  3. Entry permitIssued once the permit is approved, valid 60 days. If the employee is already here, we assess status change eligibility at this point.
  4. Medical and Emirates IDMedical fitness test booked at an approved centre, with Emirates ID biometrics scheduled around it to save a second trip.
  5. Labour contractContract signed and registered, which is the step that converts an approved permit into an employment relationship on the record.
  6. Residence stampingThe residence visa is issued and the Emirates ID follows. We track the card to delivery rather than closing the file at stamping.

Employment visa: mainland vs free zone

Structural differences that affect timing and cost.
StageMainland employerFree zone employer
Work permitMoHRE, via TasheelFree zone authority portal
Visa allocationQuota on the establishment cardTied to the office or flexi-desk package
Residence visaGDRFA, via AmerFree zone channel to federal immigration
Labour contractRegistered with MoHREUnder the free zone's employment rules
Typical termTwo yearsTwo or three years, by authority
Medical and Emirates IDSame for bothSame for both
The mistake we see most: Letting the 60-day entry permit expire because the employee's travel slipped. The permit is not extendable in the way people assume, and a lapsed one means re-applying and paying again. If a start date is uncertain, delay issuing the entry permit rather than issuing it early to be safe.
MSM tip: Book the medical fitness test and the Emirates ID biometrics at the same centre on the same morning. Two separate trips is the default outcome, and it costs the new joiner a day they have not started earning yet.

What documents do you need?

Documents for a UAE employment visa

Passport copy valid for at least six months, clear and full-page
Passport-size photograph on a white background, to immigration specification
Educational certificate, attested where the job title requires it
Signed offer letter in the required format
Company trade licence, establishment card and immigration card
Emirates ID and passport of the authorised signatory
Current UAE visa page, where the employee is already in the country
Previous visa cancellation paper, if transferring from another sponsor

Certificate attestation is the item most likely to delay a skilled-role application. If the degree has not been attested in the issuing country and by MOFAIC, start that in parallel with the offer letter, not after the work permit is approved.

UAE Visa Change

In-country status change from visit to residence, without an exit flight.

Family Visa

Sponsor a spouse, children or parents once your own residence is issued.

Labour & Immigration Card

Establishment card, immigration card and quota for the employer side.

Sources

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a UAE employment visa take?
For a straightforward file with the employee already in the country, expect roughly two to three weeks from work permit application to stamped visa. Certificate attestation, quota approval or a delayed medical result are what usually extend it.
Who pays for the employment visa?
Under UAE labour rules the employer bears the cost of recruitment and the work permit. Charging those costs back to the employee is not permitted for MoHRE-regulated employment.
Can I start work before the visa is stamped?
Not lawfully. Work begins once the work permit is issued and the employment relationship is registered. Working on a visit visa while the file is in process is a risk to both the employee and the company.
What happens if the medical test comes back positive?
Certain communicable disease results make an applicant medically unfit for a residence visa, and the application stops. This is a health authority decision, not an immigration one, and it is not something a PRO can appeal around.
Can an employee transfer from another employer?
Yes. The previous visa is cancelled and a new work permit and residence visa are issued by the incoming employer. Timing matters: there is a grace period after cancellation, and running past it creates overstay exposure.
Is the process different for a free zone company?
The steps are broadly the same but the channel is the free zone authority rather than MoHRE, visa allocation comes from the facility package rather than a quota, and the employment contract sits under the free zone's rules.

Hiring someone in the UAE?

Send us the passport copy and the job title. We will confirm quota, list the attestation you need, and give you a realistic start date.

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Tell us whether the employee is inside or outside the UAE. That one answer changes the route and the timeline.

Hotline: +971 52 933 0454

Email: info@msmdoc.com

Office: Deira, Dubai — serving all seven emirates.