Renewal
A work permit renewal is really a company compliance check with an employee attached. If the establishment card lapsed, the permit was never going to renew.
The employer files the renewal with MoHRE or the free zone authority before the permit expires, alongside the labour contract renewal. The residence visa is renewed with it, requiring a repeat medical fitness test and Emirates ID renewal. The company establishment card and trade licence must be current.
| Filed by | The employer or its PRO |
|---|---|
| Requires current | Trade licence and establishment card |
| Alongside | Labour contract renewal |
| Then | Residence visa, medical, Emirates ID |
| Insurance | Valid for the new term |
| If lapsed | Fines and loss of status |
Last updated 3 August 2026 · Reviewed by Mohammed Shareef A, Senior PRO Consultant, 12+ years in Dubai government liaison. Fees and timelines are set by the issuing authority and change without notice — confirm current figures before you budget.
Because employee permits hang off it. A lapsed trade licence or an expired establishment card stops every permit renewal behind it, and a company can find its entire workforce blocked by one overlooked corporate date.
Check the company dates before the employee dates. It is the reverse of how most people approach it.
The labour contract, the residence visa, the Emirates ID and the medical. They are separate steps but a single cycle, and treating them as one job is far more efficient than discovering each in turn.
Health insurance has to be valid for the new term before the residence side completes.
Salary changes that were never reflected in the contract, role changes that alter the job title on record, and passports that have been renewed since the last cycle without anyone updating the file.
Renewal is the natural point to reconcile the record with reality, and it costs nothing extra to do it then.
Ninety days, particularly with a workforce of any size. Medical appointments and Emirates ID slots have to be booked, and a company renewing ten people in the same week will find the calendar is the constraint.
Staggering renewals across the year is worth doing deliberately if your team all joined at once.
| Item | Held by |
|---|---|
| Trade licence | The company |
| Establishment card | The company |
| Passport validity | The employee |
| Health insurance | The company or employee |
| Labour contract | Both |
The thing most worth sending is a full list of expiry dates, company and employee together. Gaps in that list are usually where the next problem is.
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Company expiry dates and how many staff are involved is enough to start.
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