Working in Dubai: the work permit, the contract and the rules to know before you sign

Working in Dubai is only possible with a work permit from the federal labour ministry MOHRE. The labour law says it plainly in article 6: nobody may work in the Emirates without such a permit, and no employer may take anyone on without one. The employer applies for the permit and pays for it, as it does for your residence permit. What you need to know is in your contract, and it contains a few rules that do not exist in the Netherlands. The sharpest: whoever resigns during probation without the employer having done anything wrong, and leaves the country, gets no new work permit for a year.

Which work permit do you get?

MOHRE has thirteen types. For a Dutch person moving to Dubai, three of them matter:

• the permit to recruit a worker from outside the Emirates: valid for two years, applied for by the employer;
• the permit for Golden Visa holders, also two years;
• the freelance permit, for those who work independently without an employer and without an employment contract, including on a self-sponsored residence visa.

According to the government portal, a work permit costs between AED 250 and AED 3,450, depending on the class A, B or C in which MOHRE places the company according to how well it complies with the labour rules. MOHRE's welcome guide for new workers is clear about who pays: the employer bears the recruitment costs and your residence permit. Since the Work Bundle, the employer arranges permit, visa, medical test and Emirates ID in one process, which according to the government takes five working days instead of thirty.

What does the contract look like?

It starts with a job offer, in Arabic and English, which you sign while still in the Netherlands. That signed offer goes with the application for the permit. On arrival you and your employer sign it again, after which MOHRE registers it as a binding contract, within fourteen days of your arrival. The employer may then change nothing in the terms without your consent. So keep the offer safe: it is the yardstick for everything that follows.

Rule	What the law says
Length of the contract	always fixed-term, at most three years, renewable without limit
Probation	at most six months, not extendable
Dismissal by employer during probation	14 days' written notice
You move to another employer during probation	at least one month's written notice
You leave the Emirates during probation	14 days' written notice
Notice period after probation	30 to 90 days, the same for both parties
Non-compete clause	at most two years after the end
Salary	through the Wage Protection System, by the first of the month

Two things in there deserve attention. The salary must go through the Wage Protection System, via a bank, an exchange house or another institution authorised for this by the central bank; so arrange that account before your first payday. And the labour law sets no statutory minimum wage; the amount in your offer is what you get.

Walking away during probation has a price. According to MOHRE, a worker gets no new work permit for a year, counted from their departure from the Emirates, if they ended the employment during probation while the employer met its obligations. If you have doubts about a job, decide before you sign, not in month three.

What happens when the contract ends?

If your employer gives notice, you are entitled during the notice period to one day of unpaid leave per week to look for other work. In the case of unlawful dismissal, for example after a complaint to MOHRE, the compensation is at most three months' wages. On top of that comes the end-of-service gratuity, which is calculated on your basic salary and must be paid within fourteen days. How it works out and why it is not a pension is explained in no pension in Dubai.

Your residence visa hangs on the job. If it is cancelled, you have sixty days in Dubai to find a new employer or another route.

Can I work as a self-employed person?

Yes, with MOHRE's freelance permit, and for residence without an employer the Green Visa for the self-employed. The GDRFA sets three requirements for it: the freelance permit, at least a bachelor's degree or an equivalent diploma, and income from self-employment of at least AED 360,000 per year over the two preceding years, or demonstrable financial solvency. The visa is valid for five years, and after expiry or cancellation you have 180 days to leave the country or arrange something new.

What happens to my degree?

For work, visas and government services a recognition report from the Ministry of Higher Education may be needed: the University Qualifications Recognition service checks qualifications from accredited foreign institutions. For a Green Visa as a freelancer a bachelor's degree is a requirement, and you then have to be able to prove it. A Dutch degree first goes through the legalisation chain for that, which you do before departure: how that works is explained in documents for Dubai.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 2 of 5 of the journey, step 2.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Dubai or go straight to step 2.1 in the open plan.