How do you hire a UAE employee in 2026?
Every employee working in the UAE needs an employment visa and labour card before they can start. There is no right-to-work check in the UK sense. The visa IS the authorisation, and it must be in place before day one. Probation is capped at 6 months by federal law.
· United Arab Emirates guide
Illustration · Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The UAE hire process has five steps. Offer letter, employment visa and labour card, written employment contract registered with MOHRE, onboarding admin, first payday.
The employment visa must be in place before the employee starts work. There is no right-to-work check in the UK sense. The visa is the work authorisation.
Probation is capped at 6 months by federal law. Notice during probation is 14 days for the employer. Annual leave is 30 days after the first year of service.
What does the end-to-end UAE hire process look like?
Five steps from accepted offer to first payslip: offer letter, employment visa and labour card, MOHRE-registered written contract, onboarding admin, first payday.
The critical path is the visa. The employee cannot start before it is issued. Everything else runs around that timeline.
| Step | What happens | Owner | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Offer letter | Written offer with role, salary, start date, and key terms including probation and notice | Client / Teamed drafts | Same day after verbal accept |
| 2. Employment visa and labour card | MOHRE work permit applied for, entry visa issued, residency visa stamped, Emirates ID initiated | Teamed (sponsor entity) | Before the employee starts; typically 2 to 4 weeks |
| 3. Written employment contract | Standard MOHRE-format employment contract signed and registered with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation | Teamed (legal employer) | Before or on day one |
| 4. Onboarding admin | WPS (Wage Protection System) bank account setup, Emirates ID collection, medical insurance enrolment, benefits setup | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| 5. First payday | First salary paid via the Wage Protection System; transfer logged with MOHRE | Teamed | End of first pay period |
-
Issue the offer letter
Send a written offer the same day as verbal acceptance. Include role, salary, start date, probation of up to 6 months, probation notice of 14 days, post-probation notice of at least 30 days, and any conditions such as visa sponsorship or reference checks.
-
Obtain the employment visa and labour card
Apply to MOHRE for the work permit, then to GDRFA for the entry and residency visa. This step must be complete before the employee's first day. Allow two to four weeks for a standard case.
-
Register the written employment contract
Sign and register the MOHRE-format employment contract before or on day one. Teamed's standard UAE contract meets all requirements. Clients choose commercial terms; Teamed signs as the legal employer and visa sponsor.
-
Complete onboarding admin
Activate the WPS salary transfer, collect the Emirates ID, enrol the employee in mandatory medical insurance, and register UAE nationals with GPSSA. This runs across days one to seven.
-
Issue the first payslip via WPS
Run the first payroll and transfer the salary through the Wage Protection System. The WPS records the transfer with MOHRE. The employee receives their payslip and is on the WPS payroll record.
What must a UAE offer letter include?
The offer letter is not the registered contract. It is what the candidate decides against.
Include role title, reporting line, start date, gross monthly salary, location, probation period of up to 6 months, notice during probation of 14 days, post-probation notice of at least 30 days, annual leave of 30 days after the first year, and any conditions such as visa sponsorship.
Three traps to avoid in UAE offer letters:
- Confusing net and gross salary. Many UAE roles are quoted in net terms because there is no personal income tax in the UAE. The MOHRE contract and WPS records must show the gross figure. Aligning the offer letter to the gross amount avoids disputes later.
- Omitting visa sponsorship terms. The offer letter should state that employment is conditional on the employee obtaining a valid UAE employment visa. If the visa application fails, the employment cannot proceed. Make this explicit to avoid a disputed entitlement.
- Understating probation notice. The legal minimum notice for the employer to end employment during probation is 14 days. Offering less in the offer letter creates a legal gap. The offer letter must match or exceed the statutory floor.
Teamed's standard UAE offer letter template covers all required terms. Clients choose commercial elements including salary, benefits, and any housing or transport allowances. Teamed holds the legal-employer and sponsor-entity position.
UAE work authorisation: employment visa and labour card
The UAE has no right-to-work check in the UK or EU sense. Work authorisation is the employment visa itself.
Every expatriate employee must hold a valid UAE employment visa and labour card issued by MOHRE before starting work. The employer (or EOR) acts as the visa sponsor.
The employment visa process
Hiring an expatriate in the UAE involves four linked steps: a MOHRE work permit, an entry visa (mission visa or employment visa), a residency visa stamped in the passport, and an Emirates ID card. All four must be in place for the employee to work and live legally in the UAE.
The sponsoring employer applies to MOHRE for the work permit first. Once approved, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) issues the entry or employment visa. The employee then completes the residency process in-country, which includes a medical fitness test and biometric registration for the Emirates ID.
UAE nationals
UAE nationals (Emiratis) do not require a visa or work permit. They must be registered with MOHRE and are covered by the GPSSA pension scheme. A separate MOHRE contract registration still applies.
Free zone employees
Employees based in a UAE free zone (DIFC, ADGM, and the many sector-specific zones) are sponsored by the free zone authority rather than the mainland MOHRE system. The visa process follows the relevant free zone rules. Teamed can advise on the correct sponsorship structure for your employee's location.
Employment in the UAE is governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. All employment contracts for private sector workers must be registered with MOHRE. Employing a worker without a valid work permit and MOHRE-registered contract is an offence under UAE labour law.
Source: MOHRE: Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 Regarding the Regulation of Employment Relationship
Ongoing compliance
UAE employment visas have expiry dates, typically linked to the employment contract term or a two-year residency stamp. Teamed tracks each visa expiry and initiates the renewal process ahead of the deadline. An expired visa is an immediate compliance breach that can result in overstay fines and work stoppage.
The UAE written employment contract: what must it contain?
Every private sector employee must have a written employment contract registered with MOHRE. The contract must be in the MOHRE standard format.
The contract must be signed before the employee starts work. Both parties receive a copy. MOHRE keeps the registered version on file.
What the MOHRE-format UAE employment contract must include:
- Full names and details of employer and employee
- Date employment begins
- Job title and brief description of the role
- Place of work and location
- Agreed basic salary and any allowances (housing, transport, other)
- Payment frequency (monthly minimum under the Wage Protection System)
- Working hours: up to 48 hours per week and up to 8 hours per day
- Annual leave entitlement: 30 days after the first year of continuous service
- Sick leave terms: full pay for the first period, then reducing rates as set by law
- Probation period, if agreed: up to 6 months
- Notice period: minimum 30 days after probation, maximum 90 days
- End-of-service gratuity terms (accrues after one year of continuous service)
- Maternity and paternity leave entitlements
- Applicable MOHRE and UAE federal labour law provisions
The MOHRE standard contract template sets the minimum required content. Employers can add supplementary terms (bonus, equity, additional leave) in a separate addendum, provided they do not reduce any entitlement below the statutory floor set by Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021.
Teamed registers every UAE employment contract with MOHRE and retains the signed copies on file. Clients choose commercial terms. Teamed signs as the legal employer and visa sponsor.
Onboarding admin in the first week
Days 1 to 7: WPS bank account activated, Emirates ID collected, medical insurance enrolled, benefits set up, and monthly salary transfer method confirmed.
Teamed handles the compliance and payroll side. The client handles the cultural and operational side.
| Onboarding task | Who does it | Day |
|---|---|---|
| MOHRE employment contract signed and registered | Employee and Teamed | Day 0 or 1 |
| Employment visa and labour card confirmed active | Teamed | Day 0 (before start) |
| Emirates ID copy collected | Employee submits to Teamed | Day 1 (or on issue) |
| WPS-linked bank account details confirmed | Employee provides; Teamed sets up salary transfer | Days 1 to 3 |
| Mandatory medical insurance enrolment | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| GPSSA registration (UAE nationals only) | Teamed | Day 1 of eligibility |
| Additional benefits enrolment | Teamed (admin) and Client (decision) | Days 1 to 7 |
| Bank details confirmed for WPS salary transfer | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Equipment and system access | Client | Days 0 to 1 |
| Manager introduction and first-week plan | Client | Days 0 to 7 |
| 30-60-90 day plan documented | Client (manager) | Days 1 to 14 |
How does Teamed handle UAE employment for you?
Teamed becomes your legal employer of record in the United Arab Emirates for from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX mark-up in any currency.
Visa sponsorship, MOHRE contract registration, WPS payroll, and the full UAE employment law stack run on one platform.
Real HR and legal experts handle your UAE hires, from the employment visa application through every monthly WPS salary transfer. An actual person, not a chatbot or a pooled queue. There is no setup fee and no exit fee. Employer cost passes through at cost, itemised on every invoice.
EOR payroll, contractor onboarding, and entity setup all live on one platform. A UAE contractor who converts to full employment keeps their record. Run the Crossover Calculator to see the month your UAE hire is ready to graduate to your own entity. Start from the UAE hiring overview. Each guide here takes one layer of UAE employment law.
Key sources: MOHRE: Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 and MOHRE: UAE national minimum wage 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to hire someone in the UAE through Teamed?
The main variable is the employment visa. A standard MOHRE work permit and residency visa for a new expatriate employee typically takes two to four weeks. Teamed starts the MOHRE application on the day the offer is accepted. For UAE nationals, who do not need a visa, onboarding can move faster. The MOHRE contract must be registered before the employee starts in all cases.
Does the UAE have a right-to-work check like the UK?
No. The UAE does not have a separate right-to-work check in the UK sense. Work authorisation is the employment visa itself. Every expatriate employee must hold a valid UAE employment visa and labour card issued by MOHRE before starting work. The employer (or EOR) acts as the visa sponsor. There is no online sharing-code system; the visa document is the authorisation.
What is the probation period and notice during probation in the UAE?
The probationary period in the UAE can last up to 6 months under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. During probation, the employer must give at least 14 days written notice to end the employment. After probation, the minimum post-probation notice from either side is 30 days, up to a maximum of 90 days.
What is the annual leave entitlement for a UAE employee?
After the first year of continuous service, every employee is entitled to 30 days of paid annual leave per year under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. The UAE has 7 official public holiday occasions per year. Some public holidays span multiple calendar days. Working hours are capped at 48 hours per week.
Is there a minimum wage in the UAE?
There is no universal minimum wage for expatriate workers in the UAE private sector. A minimum monthly wage of AED 6,000 applies to UAE national (Emirati) employees in the private sector, effective 1 January 2026. For expatriate hires, salary is agreed between the employer and the employee. All salaries must be paid via the Wage Protection System, which creates a monthly payment record with MOHRE.
The visa timeline is what surprises most companies hiring in the UAE for the first time. Day one cannot happen until the employment visa is stamped and the labour card is active. We start the MOHRE application on the day the offer is accepted, so the visa is ready by the time the candidate books their flight.
In the UAE, hiring starts with the visa. The employment visa must be active before day one.
MOHRE contract registration, WPS payroll, and 6 months probation cap: these are the three things companies get wrong first.
Teamed has run this process enough times that none of it is a surprise.
