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Employee visas in Dubai

Sponsor your team through your own UAE company

Woman in a white blouse sitting in an armchair, looking at her phone in front of a brochure rack

What your company can do once it is an employer

Your company can sponsor the people you hire. Once it is registered as an employer and has a file with the immigration directorate, it becomes the sponsor on every employee visa it applies for, and each hire is tied to the company rather than to you personally. Dubai Tradeshore sets up that capability and runs the applications that follow.

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What your company needs before the first hire

1. A file and an establishment card with the ministry

On the mainland the employer applies to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation to register the establishment, which opens a file and issues an establishment card and number linked to the business licence. The company then applies for its electronic signature card, and the ministry schedules a visit to inspect the premises.

2. A company file with the immigration directorate

After the ministry has given its initial approval, the employer applies to open a company file with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs. Once that file exists, the company can apply for work entry permits for new employees.

3. An approved quota

The quota is the number of employees your company is allowed to hire. It is approved separately, and it is the part most buyers do not know about before they start.

In a free zone the route is different

The work permit and the residence visa are applied for with the zone’s own authority, and the quota follows the package you signed up for. Each zone sets its own scope for increasing it.

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How many people your company is allowed to hire

Your company does not decide how many employees it can sponsor. The authority does, through an approved quota.

On the mainland the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation sets the quota according to the company’s legal status, the size of the work facilities, the projects the establishment has undertaken, and its business requirements. Office space is one of four factors, and it is the one you control when you set up.

In a free zone the number of visas a business can get depends on factors such as the package it has signed up for, and each zone sets its own scope for increasing a quota.

Either way the hiring plan belongs at the start. A company that signs the smallest package and then needs to hire a team finds the quota is the constraint, not the budget. On the mainland there is also a bank guarantee of AED 3,000 for each registered employee, paid into the ministry’s account through an approved UAE bank. It can be refunded once the employee’s service ends and the labour card is cancelled.

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Dubai Tradeshore consultant in the office

Dubai Tradeshore’s employee visa services

We set up the capability to sponsor, apply for the quota, and run each hire through the process inside the deadlines.

1. Hiring plan before the licence

We ask how many people you expect to employ and in what order, and we let that shape the office and the jurisdiction rather than fixing it afterwards.

2. Registration as an employer

We register your company with the ministry, obtain the establishment card and open the company file with the immigration directorate, so the capability to sponsor exists before you need it.

3. Quota application

We prepare and submit your quota application to the authority that governs your company, and we tell you what a given office or package realistically supports before you sign it.

4. Employment contracts and approvals

We prepare the contracts the authorities require and obtain the approvals that precede the entry permit.

5. Entry permit, medical and Emirates ID, inside the deadlines

Two clocks run at once. The work permit is valid for 60 days, and the approval fees and the bank guarantee have to be paid inside that window, or the permit is cancelled automatically and the application has to be filed again. The work entry permit is valid for two months, and the medical fitness test and the Emirates ID application belong in that period. We track both and tell your new hire what to bring to each step.

6. Renewals, cancellations and quota changes

Staff change. We handle renewals and cancellations, and we apply to raise your quota when the company grows into it.

Why choose Dubai Tradeshore for your employee visas

One point of contact

One point of contact

The same consultant handles your company and your employees, so nobody has to explain the setup twice.

The quota is planned, not discovered

The quota is planned, not discovered

We raise the question before the licence is issued, while the answer is still cheap to act on.

Every step is documented

Every step is documented

You get a written list of what each hire needs, before the process starts.

Mainland, free zone or offshore?

Mainland business setup

Trade directly in the UAE market, operate across industries, and bid on government contracts.

Read about mainland setup

Free zone business setup

100% foreign ownership and a base built for international trade in one of Dubai’s free zones.

Read about free zone setup

Offshore business setup

A separate UAE-registered entity for international trade and for holding international assets.

Read about offshore setup

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can my company sponsor employees?

Yes, once it is registered as an employer and holds a company file with the immigration directorate. The company is the sponsor, not you personally, and the visa stays attached to the company.

How many employees can I sponsor?

That is set by your approved quota. On the mainland the ministry decides it from your company’s legal status, the size of your work facilities, the projects you have undertaken and your business requirements. In a free zone it follows the package you signed up for, and each zone sets its own scope for increasing it.

What does a hire cost before salary?

On the mainland the ministry requires a bank guarantee of AED 3,000 per registered employee, paid into the ministry’s account through an approved UAE bank. It can be refunded when the employee’s service ends and the labour card is cancelled.

Does my office size affect how many people I can hire?

On the mainland, yes. The size of your work facilities is one of four things the ministry weighs, alongside your company’s legal status, the projects you have undertaken and your business requirements. In a free zone the package you choose governs it. Either way it is decided at setup, which is why we raise it before the licence is issued.

Who applies for an employee’s visa, the company or the employee?

The employer applies. The company is the sponsor, and the visa stays attached to the company rather than to the person.

What does an employee have to do themselves?

Attend the medical fitness test and the Emirates ID appointment in person, and supply passport documents. We prepare everything else and tell them what to bring.

Can you guarantee a particular quota?

No. The ministry sets the quota, and it weighs your company’s legal status, the size of your work facilities, the projects you have undertaken and your business requirements. What we do is prepare and submit the application, and tell you before you sign a lease or a package what it realistically supports.

Does hiring change my own residence visa?

No. Your own residence visa as an owner is separate from the visas your company sponsors for staff.

Plan your hiring before you sign the lease

Tell us how many people you expect to employ in the first year. We come back with the office size and the jurisdiction that carry that number, and a written list of what each hire will need. Your consultant is the same person from the company setup through to the last Emirates ID.