UAE work visa process sheet

Before any hire: the company file

Nothing moves until these are in order.

• ☐Trade licence valid
• ☐MOHRE establishment card current (an expired card is the most common day-one stall)
• ☐E-signature card ready for the person who submits
• ☐Quota approved for the role, in the right number and type

The eight steps, in order

1. ☐
   1. Electronic job offerSigned by the worker through MOHRE before any permit. Prepare it from the contract you intend to sign, not the recruitment conversation.
   Date:
2. ☐
   2. Work permitMOHRE checks quota, standing, and the title against the person's skill. Professional roles need attested certificates; the title must match the real job.
   Date:
3. ☐
   3. Entry permit, or status changeFrom abroad: an entry permit with a validity window, so book travel against it, not before. In-country: cancel the old permit and change status through a transfer.
   Date:
4. ☐
   4. Medical fitness testAt an approved centre once the person has entered or the transfer is under way. The result is required for the visa, so do not commit a start date until it is in.
   Date:
5. ☐
   5. Emirates IDApplication and biometrics run alongside the medical. The visa is tied to the ID and cannot complete without it; biometrics is a few days' wait.
   Date:
6. ☐
   6. Residence visaIssued electronically against the passport record. The person is now a resident you sponsor, and you carry the obligations until the visa is cancelled.
   Date:
7. ☐
   7. Contract and labour cardContract, matching the offer, signed and submitted to MOHRE within the ministry's window. This is the step most often submitted late because the person is already working.
   Date:
8. ☐
   8. Payroll, insurance and the restAdd the employee to WPS, enrol medical insurance (mandatory in Dubai and Abu Dhabi), and register for unemployment insurance within its deadline.
   Date: