Dubai is the largest city in the Emirate and a great place for business. If your company wants to expand its business abroad, be sure that Dubai is an unparalleled region due to its economic growth and relative ease of getting work permits for foreigners willing to work in Dubai. Immigrants who want to work in the UAE must have a valid work permit and work visa to get a job. So, they do not need a residence visa to live and work in Dubai because that work visa is enough for the time stated. For more information, you could read how to get a residency visa in Dubai. And we will talk more about the steps to get your Dubai work visa and Dubai work permit in the below text.
How can you get a Dubai work permit?
Your employer must apply for a job permit for you. You probably know that the Ministry of Human Resource and Emiratisation (MOHRE) is in charge of issuing work permits in the UAE. The application process for a work permit in the UAE is:
- The employer prints the application for the work permit at the Tas’Heel website, the Ministry of labor’s online system
- They submit the required documents
- The Ministry check the application and asked to resubmit any documents they think are incorrect
- The Ministry issued the approval, that employers could download it from the Ministry website
It is important to note that an employment visa in Dubai is provided by the employer. As an employee, you couldn’t apply for such visas or permits on your own. If you are looking for a job in the UAE, you can start researching the job you want very quickly, check out our step-by-step guide on how to find a job in Dubai. You would also search for jobs on websites and portals.
How can you get a Dubai work visa?
Once you have been granted a work permit and approved by the UAE, this work permit will act as your entry into the UAE as a working person. This permission is valid for 30 days and allows a one-time extension. In these 60 days, your employer has the opportunity to apply for your residency visa through the below steps:
- During this time, your employer must prepare documents, such as Emirates ID, labor card, and residency visa.
- Also, you need different acceptable medical testing to get a work visa in Dubai, such as blood tests will be taken from you and an X-ray of your chest to screen for pulmonary tuberculosis.
- The most important thing you need to get a work visa is to prove that you have a job offer or a contract of employment with a company in Dubai.
- Finally, I should add that your residency visa is recognized by an organization that paid for your work permit, medical tests, and Emirates ID.
What is the employment visa Dubai procedure?
Now that you know all the needed items for a Dubai work visa, it is time to learn more about this procedure, which is all defined in the below levels:
- Before you get a work visa in Dubai, you should obtain an entry permit visa, an Emirates ID card, and a residence visa.
- So, the employer will apply for your residency visa from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) after you have arrived in the UAE with the approval you received from the MOHRE.
- When your application is approved, the GDRFA affixes an employment visa (Residence visa for employment purposes) on your passport, and you get an Emirates ID, which is valid for the same duration as the visa. You will also receive a work card informing the authorities that you are working in the UAE.
- When you are granted a residence permit, you can support your family and bring them into the country. The law also applies to single mothers. Men supported by their spouses in the UAE can also be allowed to work.
Who can apply for a work visa in Dubai?
Generally, three factors determine whether or not you can apply for a work visa in Dubai, which we will review below:
● You can apply for a Dubai work visa if you have been hired from your country:
If you are still in your country and receive a job offer from a company registered in Dubai, you can follow the below steps and get an employment visa in Dubai:
- In this case, your company should apply for your work permit on your behalf with the Ministry of Labor.
- After your employer’s application is approved, you will receive an entry permit visa to enter the UAE for a period of 30 days, which can be expanded twice. This means you have 60 days as an employee to get the labor card, valid for two years.
- Then you should go to the Emirates ID service center and offer documents, such as the relevant completed form, your original valid passport, your Entry Permit Visa, and medical test results.
- Finally, you should go to the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai (DNRD) with all the required documents to stamp your visa and passport.
● You can get Dubai working visa, if you are in Dubai on a tourist visa or a visit visa and get hired:
This time, there are two possible ways to get a Dubai work visa, which I will explain here:
- In The first situation, you can get permission to work in Dubai by leaving the UAE. You don’t have to go back to your own country, instead, you can leave Dubai and go to a neighboring country. Airlines such as Air Arabia or Fly Dubai suggest you a (visa run) in that you can stopover at that country, such as Oman until you obtain a work permit in Dubai.
- And in the second case, your prospective employer should contact the local GDFRA and the federal MoHRE to change your visa status through the ‘Changed Status’ process.
● You can apply for a work visa in Dubai when you want to change your working company in Dubai:
You can use this regulation to get a work visa in Dubai, whether you are a skilled or unskilled employee. But the situation of each of these group are different:
- Skilled workers can get a Dubai work permit if their contract has expired or terminated and they want to apply for a new job in a new company.
- The situation for unskilled workers is more complicated. In this case, your employer should agree to the termination of your contract, and you should have worked for at least six months. Or your employer should admit that he has mistreated you, so you can apply for a new work permit without six months of experience.
● It is possible to get a Dubai employment visa if you get a freelancer permit:
It is a piece of good news for those freelancers who work in the tech, media, or education field. They can simply apply for a freelance permit through sites like “gofreelance” and get the Dubai work permit visa for themselves and their dependents.
How long does it take to get a Dubai work visa?
It generally takes about a day for your work visa to be ready. During this time, the labor ministry investigates where no citizen can do the job you are asked to do here. The important point is that all forms must be written in Arabic or completed with a written translation.
What are the rules of the Dubai employment visa?
In order for your work permit to be issued in the UAE, you and the company that hired you must meet the following requirements:
- You must be at least 18 years old
- The license of the company that hiring you has to be valid
- The company must not have any violations
- The work you do must correspond to the nature of the company hiring you
Who is eligible for a Dubai work permit visa?
Any foreigner over the age of 18 who meets the standards set by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) are eligible for a UAE visa. For employees over the age of 65, the company has to pay higher fees, while there is no maximum age to work in Dubai.
Based on the education and skills of foreign employees, they are divided into three groups in Dubai, which we will introduce below:
- Who has at least a bachelor’s degree
- Who has at post-secondary diploma in any field
- Who has a high school diploma
Dubai work permit visa requirements
As a foreigner in Dubai, you can get both a residence visa and a work permit. The remarkable thing is that you can also get a residency visa by buying a house in Dubai. These are the documents that foreigners need to provide to obtain a residence visa in Dubai:
- A completed application form
- Several passport Photo with white background
- Copies of the applicant’s birth certification, passport, and marriage certificate if applicable
- The applicant’s original passport with a copy of it (that is valid for at least six months)
- Copy of education certificates required for the job (this has to be attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in your country)
- A copy of a valid company card
- Certification of health
- An entry permit issued by the ministry of labor
- Proof of payment of the application fee
- Evidence that applicant has sufficient financial means to support themselves in Dubai
- Proof of accommodation in Dubai, such as a copy of a lease agreement
How can I renew my Dubai work visa?
You can extend most Dubai visas, such as tourist visas. For example, if you travel to Dubai and suddenly decide to stay more, you can extend your visa. You don’t know how? Read the “how to renew or extend tourist visa in Dubai” on our website. Also, all Dubai residence visas, which are issued for 1 to 3 years, can be extended. So, if you have a work visa in Dubai and want to renew it, your employer must apply for an extension 30 days before your visa expires. In the same way that you first received a work visa in the UAE, you can apply for an extension that’s how your sponsor has to apply at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in the relevant emirate.
Dxboffplan, where you can learn more about living and working in the UAE with a Dubai work visa!
Thank you for accompanying us to the end of this text. As explained above, foreigners who want to live in Dubai for a long time must have a residence permit in Dubai. In addition, if they want to work in Dubai, they must be allowed to work in Dubai. The most important thing to work in Dubai is to find a company that will be interested in hiring you. Also, you can read the above text and learn all details of the steps to get your Dubai work visa and Dubai work permit. For more information about other visas issued in Dubai and the living conditions in the UAE or buying an off-plan property in UAE, you can visit the Dxboffplan website.
frequently asked questions
Of course yes, as a foreigner, whether you are skilled or unskilled, you can find a way to get a Dubai work permit and employment visa.
Your Dubai work permits and employment visas will last differently from one to ten years.
If you are a foreigner and want to work in Dubai, you need to get a residence visa and a Dubai work permit.
While this amount might vary based on different options, a Dubai typical two-year work visa would cost about AED 3000 – AED 7000 including all taxes.