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The employer legally bears the visa costs, not you

UAE
Employment Visa

A job offer from a UAE company instead of an investment — and unlike many other countries, the employer legally covers the full cost of the visa, not the employee.

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Salary from
AED 4,000/mo (≈$13,070/yr)
Time to status
3–7 wks
Stay requirement
continuous, tied to employment
Visa duration
2 years

Two versions of the minimum salary

The threshold is formally modest compared to other programmes in this index, but it has two variants — with or without employer-provided housing.

REQUIREMENT
AMOUNT
WHAT TO KNOW
Salary without employer housing
AMOUNTfrom AED 4,000/mo
The general rule from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE).
Salary with employer-provided housing
AMOUNTfrom AED 3,000/mo + housing
A lower cash threshold if housing is provided.

What the full cost consists of

A key difference from many programmes in this index: by law, visa costs must be borne by the employer, not the employee. The figures shown are not what you pay.

COST ITEM
RATE
WHO PAYS
Work permit
RATEAED 250–3,450
the employer, depending on company category
Full visa cost (visa + stamping + insurance)
RATEAED 3,000–7,000
the employer, cannot be shifted to the employee by law
Health insurance
RATEmandatory
the employer

How the process runs

01
Job offer and employment contract
The employer offers a position matching its licensed activity and issues a compliant contract.
02
Pre-entry approval
The employer files documents through MOHRE — takes about 1–2 weeks.
03
Entry on the entry permit
The employee enters the UAE on the pre-approval permit for further local processing.
04
Medical test and residency processing
In-country procedures — another 2–5 weeks depending on appointment availability.
05
Residency visa stamping
The final step — the visa is valid for 2 years, tied to the current employer.

A good fit if

You have a concrete job offer from a UAE-registered company.
The salary meets the MOHRE minimum — AED 4,000/month without housing or AED 3,000/month with employer-provided housing.
A relatively fast timeline — 3–7 weeks from job offer to residency stamp — works for you.
It matters to you that visa costs fall on the employer, not your own budget.

A poor fit if

You have no specific employer willing to sponsor the visa — the process depends entirely on the company.
The offered salary is below the MOHRE minimum.
The employer asks you to cover visa costs yourself — by law that is their obligation, not the employee’s.
You need a path to citizenship — the UAE employment visa does not grant it, same as the Golden Visa.

Who runs this programme

Your request goes to two or three firms from this list. You see exactly which ones before it is sent, and you can exclude any of them.

No matching firms in the directory for this category yet — the list is curated by hand and grows over time.

This is an independent list of firms in the market, not our partners — we do not forward requests to them or receive payment for referrals. Contact them directly via the link.

Frequent questions

Is it true the employee doesn’t pay for the visa?

Under UAE law, yes — all visa costs (work permit, processing, insurance) must be borne by the employer. This is set directly in MOHRE regulation and cannot be shifted to the employee by contract.

What is the minimum salary?

AED 4,000/month without provided housing, or AED 3,000/month if the employer provides housing — the general MOHRE rule; specific requirements can vary by emirate and industry.

How long does it really take?

From job offer to residency visa stamp: 3–7 weeks — about 1–2 weeks for pre-approval, then another 2–5 weeks for in-country procedures.

How long is the visa valid?

2 years, tied to the current employer — changing jobs usually requires new processing.

Does this visa lead to UAE citizenship?

No, same as the Golden Visa from the same country — the UAE does not offer citizenship by investment or employment at all.

How is it different from the UAE Golden Visa?

The Golden Visa grants 10-year status through a property investment and is not tied to an employer. The Employment Visa is shorter (2 years), requires a job offer, and depends on a specific company.

Sources

MOHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation) — work visa regulation↗SmartBiz — detailed breakdown of the process, timeline, and cost for 2026↗

Figures are for reference only. Verified against official sources on 26 August 2026. A precise quote is issued by the appointed firm after document review. This material is not legal advice, a public offer or investment advice.