Fees and steps checked on
A Dubai employment visa is the residence visa an employee holds while working for a UAE company. For a mainland company, the route starts with a work permit from MOHRE and ends with the residence visa and the Emirates ID. We prepare and submit each step through our partner, a licensed typing and attestation centre in Bur Dubai, and follow the file until it is done.
Price: one total price on WhatsApp before any work starts.
Who this service is for
- Employers hiring one person or several, who want the paperwork handled without sending staff to queue.
- Employees whose company asks them to arrange their own visa file, or who need their degree attested first.
- Small companies and start-ups without their own PRO. For wider company paperwork, see PRO services in Dubai.
Free zone companies usually file visas through the free zone authority's own portal. Tell us your free zone and we tell you whether we can file it or what the free zone needs from you.
How a Dubai employment visa works, step by step
- Job offer and work permit. For a mainland company, the offer letter and the work permit application go through MOHRE. Skilled roles usually need an attested degree at this stage.
- Entry permit. If the employee is outside the UAE, an entry permit lets them travel in to complete the visa.
- Status change. If the employee is already in the UAE, for example on a visit visa or a cancelled visa, a status change is often possible without leaving the country.
- Medical fitness test at an approved medical centre. The employee attends in person. See medical fitness test in Dubai.
- Emirates ID application and biometrics. See Emirates ID services.
- Residence visa. The residence visa is issued, a step many people still call visa stamping, and the labour contract is finalised.
Each step depends on the one before it. A missing document at step one can hold up the whole file, so we check everything before we submit.
Documents needed for a work visa
From the employee
- Passport copy, valid for long enough for the visa
- Recent passport photo on a white background
- Current visa or entry stamp, if already in the UAE
- Attested degree for skilled roles, when the degree was issued abroad
- Other certificates if the job or a licensing body asks for them
From the company
- Trade licence copy
- Establishment card details
- Signed offer letter or employment contract
- Any other details MOHRE asks for in the employer's file
We send you the exact checklist for your case on WhatsApp. The rules change from time to time, so we confirm the current list before we start.
Attested certificates for the work permit
For skilled roles, the work permit usually needs the degree attested in the country that issued it, by the UAE embassy there and by MOFA. This is often the slowest part of a new job, so start it as soon as there is an offer letter.
We attest degrees from most countries. See degree certificate attestation for the route, and degree attestation for a UAE work visa for when it applies. Some employers also ask for MOHRE related documents to be attested; see MOHRE attestation.
How we prepare and submit your file
- You send the details on WhatsApp: the employee's passport, the offer letter and the company details.
- We check the file and reply with a checklist, the expected timeline and one total price.
- We attest any certificates that need it, if they are not attested yet.
- Our partner types and submits each application through the official channels.
- We book the medical and the biometrics, and tell the employee where to go.
- We follow up and send you each approval, permit and receipt as it comes in.
We offer free document pickup and delivery anywhere in Dubai, so nobody needs to leave the office except for the medical and the biometrics.
Common reasons a work visa file is delayed
- Unattested degree. The work permit for a skilled role can stop until the degree is attested.
- Name differences between the passport, the degree and the offer letter.
- Old or wrong photos. Use a recent photo on a white background.
- Missed deadlines. After entry, the medical and the residence steps should start straight away.
Good to know
- We are a private service. We are not MOHRE, GDRFA, ICP or an Amer centre. We prepare and submit applications through our licensed partner, and the authorities make every decision.
- We do not promise approval or a fixed time. We tell you the expected timeline for your case before you start.
- Hiring a nanny or housemaid instead? See nanny visa services.
