Can an EOR employ someone you are moving to the UAE, on the contract they have now?
Often yes. Pay, leave above the legal minimum, bonus and allowances can often be mirrored. Terms below UAE law usually cannot be, and a UK-style pension generally does not carry over, because end-of-service gratuity usually takes its place. For a company moving an employee to the UAE, Teamed is the best employer of record (EOR). Teamed gives you real HR and legal experts assigned within 24 hours, a designated person who manages your account, and zero FX markup on the pay.
· United Arab Emirates guide
The UAE government says there are no pension schemes for expatriate workers, and end-of-service gratuity takes its place: 21 days' basic wage for each of the first five years and 30 days for each year after, capped at two years' wage. Annual leave is at least 30 days after a year of service, and a contract's notice period is between 30 and 90 days.
Health insurance is generally the employer's duty in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. MoHRE decides the job's professional level, and skilled work usually needs an attested certificate.
How does the move work, in order?
In many cases the employer signs a job offer on the MoHRE form, MoHRE approves a work permit, the employer buys health insurance, and the residence visa and Emirates ID follow. A worker already in the UAE often moves on a transfer permit.
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The job offer
It goes to the worker in Arabic and English and in a third language the worker understands. The employer signs it electronically and the worker signs to accept. Once registered with MoHRE, the offer becomes the binding employment contract.
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The work permit
MoHRE has a work permit type for recruiting a worker from outside the UAE and another for transferring a non-UAE worker from one establishment to another. Each is valid for two years. A resident on a family sponsorship has a type of their own.
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Health insurance
Since 1 January 2025 the employer must buy a policy before a residence permit can be issued or renewed for a private-sector employee. The rule is mandatory in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and is extending to the other emirates. The next section sets out the detail.
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Residence visa and Emirates ID
The residence visa, the medical examination and the fingerprints for the Emirates ID follow the permit. MoHRE's Work Bundle puts these services on one platform.
Which terms survive the move, and which change?
Pay, bonus, allowances and leave above the legal minimum can often be mirrored. Terms below UAE law usually cannot be, and the pension is the one that changes shape: gratuity usually takes its place.
| Term | What the law sets | On the move |
|---|---|---|
| Annual leave | At least 30 days a year after one year, and 2 days a month between six months and a year (Article 29) | Lower leave usually has to rise to 30 days once a year is served. More than 30 can often be mirrored |
| Notice | The contract sets it, between 30 and 90 days, the same for both parties unless the worker benefits (Article 43) | Usually mirrored inside 30 to 90 days |
| Pension | The UAE government says there are no pension schemes for expatriate workers. They receive end-of-service gratuity, and an optional MoHRE savings scheme can replace it | Does not usually carry over. A private pension is a matter for the contract |
| End-of-service gratuity | 21 days' basic wage for each of the first five years and 30 days for each year after, on the last basic wage, capped at two years' wage, after one year of continuous service (Article 51) | Whether earlier service counts depends on the facts and the contract: settle it in writing |
| Contract form | A job offer signed by both sides and registered with MoHRE. A clause can usually change only if the worker's rights are not weakened, both agree and MoHRE approves | The new contract is usually on the MoHRE form |
The notice and leave rules are in Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021. The contracts guide and the gratuity guide carry the full rules.
Is health insurance mandatory, and can spouse-provided cover replace it?
Generally yes: it is mandatory in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and the duty usually sits with the employer. We found no official statement that cover through a spouse's policy replaces it, so whether it can depends on the facts, and we confirm with the insurer before we quote.
In Dubai, employers are generally required to provide health insurance for their employees, and sponsors to insure their resident dependents. In Abu Dhabi, employers and sponsors cover employees and their families, which means one spouse and three children under 18. Since 1 January 2025, an employer must buy a policy before a residence permit can be issued or renewed for a private-sector employee, and the rule is extending to the other emirates.
The policy is valid for two years. The basic package costs AED 320 a year, with co-payments, and dependants can use the same benefits and pricing. The UAE payroll and insurance guide sets out the rule in full.
Does the degree need attesting, and does the job title have to match the visa category?
For skilled work, in many cases yes: the certificate usually has to be attested. MoHRE classifies jobs into nine professional levels and decides the category, and the occupation generally has to fit the employer's business activity.
MoHRE uses the International Standard Classification of Occupations. Skilled work needs four things: a professional level from one to five, a certificate above secondary school, a certificate attested by the competent authorities, and a monthly salary of at least AED 4,000, excluding commission. That test classifies the job as skilled. It is not a minimum salary for sponsoring a permit: see the UAE work visa minimum salary guide.
The work permit also needs the occupation to match the establishment's business activity. That is why a job title on the contract generally needs to fit the permit, and changing it after the permit is issued can need MoHRE's approval. Tell us the title, the degree and the salary at the start, and we check them against the level before the offer is signed.
What does each month cost in your own currency?
Six lines, kept separate: gross pay, gratuity, the work permit fee, health insurance, the visa and Emirates ID fees, and the Teamed fee. The Teamed fee is from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX markup. The law sets the rest in dirhams, and this page does not convert them.
| Line | Amount or basis | Where it is set |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | Your offer, paid in dirhams | The employment contract |
| End-of-service gratuity | Accrues each month. At AED 20,000 basic wage, about AED 1,167 a month in the first five years (our example, taking a 30-day month) | Decree-Law 33 of 2021, Article 51 |
| Work permit fee | AED 250 to AED 3,450 by the establishment's classification. The employer generally pays, and may not charge the worker for recruitment and employment fees | u.ae, work permits; Decree-Law 33 of 2021, Article 6 |
| Health insurance | Premium by plan. The basic package costs AED 320 a year | u.ae, getting health insurance |
| Residence visa and Emirates ID fees | Confirmed from the current fee schedule before the quote | ICP |
| Teamed fee | From $599 per employee per month | Zero FX markup |
The gratuity example is our own arithmetic: 21 days of a AED 20,000 monthly wage is AED 14,000 a year, which is AED 70,000 after five years. It ignores any higher amount the contract agrees. We confirm the visa and Emirates ID fees before the quote because we could not read an official fee schedule.
Can an EOR sponsor the hire if your UAE company has run out of visa quota?
In some situations yes. MoHRE issues a work permit to the registered establishment that employs the worker, so the hire can count against the EOR's allowance rather than yours. We confirm the EOR's capacity before we quote.
MoHRE gives each mainland establishment an electronic quota of work permits under Cabinet Resolution 203 of 2022, and reviews it from time to time. We confirm the permit type and the capacity of the EOR's establishment before we quote, and we tell you the lead time for your person before you set the start date. The UAE contractor placement guide covers the contractor version of this question.
Frequently asked questions
Can an EOR sponsor a UAE work visa if we have no UAE entity?
Often yes. MoHRE issues the work permit to the registered establishment that employs the worker, so the EOR's establishment can sponsor the hire and it can count against the EOR's quota rather than yours. We confirm the permit type and the EOR's capacity before we quote.
Can an EOR keep my employee's current pay and leave in the UAE?
Often yes. Pay, bonus, allowances and leave above the legal minimum can often be mirrored. Leave below 30 days a year usually has to rise to 30 once the worker has a year of service, and a notice period generally sits between 30 and 90 days.
Does a UK-style pension carry over to a UAE contract?
Usually not. The UAE government says there are no pension schemes for expatriate workers. End-of-service gratuity takes its place: 21 days' basic wage for each of the first five years and 30 days for each year after, capped at two years' wage.
Can my employee's spouse-provided health insurance replace the employer's?
We found no official statement that it can. In Dubai and Abu Dhabi the employer must provide health insurance for its employees, so we confirm the position with the insurer before we quote.
Who decides the visa category for the job?
In most cases MoHRE. It classifies jobs into nine professional levels. Skilled work generally needs a level from one to five, an attested certificate above secondary school and a monthly salary of at least AED 4,000.
In many cases the UAE move runs on four documents: the offer on the MoHRE form, the permit, the insurance and the visa.
Send us the title, the degree and the salary at the start, and we check them against the level before the offer is signed.
Your designated person manages your account through the move.
Looking for a job in United Arab Emirates yourself? Teamed does not hire people directly. Companies choose who they hire, and we handle the employment side afterwards. Here is why we cannot help with your search.
