UAE residence visa for employment: work permit, process, renewal and cancellation

This page covers the residence most people in the UAE hold: the employment residence sponsored by a company. It applies to private-sector employers regulated by MOHRE, to government and semi-government employers, and to entities exempt from the Labour Law that sponsor through their own arrangements. Free zone employees follow the same federal sequence, with the free zone authority acting as the immigration file holder; the free zone's own rules are described under free zones.

If you own the company rather than work for it, read investor residence visa. If you are moving with a family, the sponsorship rules are on family visa.

u.ae: "A foreigner can get a normal employment visa, valid for two years and renewable subject to terms and conditions set by the visa-issuing authorities. The employer must apply for the standard work visa." Article 6 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, as quoted on u.ae, makes it "illegal for a person to work in the UAE without a valid work permit issued by MoHRE." MOHRE issues 13 types of work permit; the permit to recruit from outside the UAE and the transfer permit are each "valid for two years".

MOHRE classifies workers by skill level, which affects work-permit fees and eligibility for the Green residence and the jobseeker visa.

ICP describes the Work Bundle as "a fully integrated digital system ... [that] combines all work and residency-related services into a single, smart, and seamless process." Under it the steps below run as one file for MOHRE-covered employers. Each step names the document it produces.

1. Employer's establishment file. The company holds an establishment card with MOHRE and an immigration establishment file with ICP or GDRFA Dubai.
2. Work permit approval (MOHRE). Produces the work permit that the ICP card requires. Skill level and fee category are set here.
3. Entry permit (ICP or GDRFA Dubai). Issued "to complete the procedures for issuing a work residency". If you are inside the UAE, a change-of-status request (AED 500) replaces the exit.
4. Entry. The 60-day clock to complete residence starts.
5. Medical fitness test. Produces the medical report.
6. Emirates ID biometrics. Produces the ID application linked to the residence.
7. Labour contract registration and residence permit. ICP states 2 days for the permit step.
8. Emirates ID card issued. Carry it at all times.

Dubai employers file with GDRFA Dubai under its "Residency Visa" service group for government, semi-government and private-sector residence permits.

ICP: application AED 100; issuance AED 100 per year of residence; smart service AED 100; status adjustment AED 500; financial security deposit fee AED 20. MOHRE's transfer work permit card lists federal fees by skill category of AED 250, AED 1,200 and AED 3,450 for two years, plus AED 50. Medical, Emirates ID (AED 100 per year plus AED 100 smart fee on the ICP renewal card) and typing charges are separate. Who pays is a labour-law matter not covered on the pages we read.

The ICP card states a service completion of 2 days for the residence-permit step; GDRFA Dubai cards state 48 hours. No official page we read states an end-to-end time for the Work Bundle including MOHRE approval, medical results and Emirates ID printing.

Your sponsor must renew before expiry. On cancellation, u.ae says private-sector employers must first cancel the labour contract and work permit with MOHRE, with the employee's signature, then apply to ICP; in Dubai, the GDRFA cancellation card requires "a cancellation from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation" and lists AED 100 plus AED 10 and AED 10, completed in 48 hours. After expiry or cancellation, u.ae describes grace periods "up to 6 months (according to resident category)"; GDRFA Dubai cards state 60 days for the permit types we read. If your family is on your sponsorship, their permits must be cancelled before yours, and they get six months to find a new sponsor. Read renewal and cancellation.

Green residence (skilled worker). Five years, renewable, no sponsor, with the right to sponsor family. The ICP Green Residence Guide requires a valid UAE employment contract, MOHRE classification level 1 to 3, a bachelor's degree or higher and a minimum monthly salary of AED 15,000. GDRFA Dubai's card lists an entry-permit fee of AED 200 plus VAT and warns not to cancel your current residence before the Green permit is obtained. ICP fees are AED 100 per year for the five-year term plus AED 100 application and AED 100 smart service. The ICP FAQ gives Green holders a grace period of up to six months after expiry.

Green residence (freelancer or self-employed). A MOHRE freelance or self-employment permit, a bachelor's degree, specialised diploma or equivalent, and annual freelance income over the previous two years of not less than AED 360,000.

Virtual work residence. One year, self-sponsored, for people employed outside the UAE: proof of work outside the UAE, a salary certificate of at least USD 3,500 or equivalent, health insurance and a medical fitness result. GDRFA Dubai lists AED 200 plus AED 10 and AED 10, a 60-day grace period and 48-hour completion.

Send us your job title, salary, qualification and the emirate of the employer. We will say which document list on the ICP or GDRFA card applies, whether the Green residence is open to you, and the order the steps will run.