UAE Employment Visa 2026: process, government fees, relocating a team

The employment visa (work visa) is the main way to work and live legally in the UAE. The employer is the sponsor: it submits the documents, pays the government fees and provides the employee with health insurance. This article covers the step-by-step procedure from offer to bank card, actual government fees on the mainland and in free zones, the grace period rules after leaving a job and how to relocate a team. The data is based on the recent experience of Russian-speaking UAE residents, January–July 2026.

More on all the ways to work and do business in the UAE in the complete guide to work and business in the UAE. All routes to residence are in the UAE residence guide 2026.

How the employment visa works: the sponsorship model

The UAE has no residence permit in the European sense. A residence visa is tied to a sponsor, an individual or a company that is responsible for you before the state. With an employment visa, the sponsor is the employer.

What this means in practice:

• The visa is valid as long as the employment contract is. If you resign or are dismissed, the visa is cancelled
• After leaving a job, most employees have a 30-day grace period to find a new employer or leave the country (longer for some categories, up to 6 months)
• By law, the employer may not charge the worker recruitment and employment costs and bears the cost of their healthcare (Articles 6 and 13 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33/2021)
• The 180-day rule: a resident who is away for more than 180 consecutive days risks losing the visa (does not apply to the Golden Visa)

Being tied to a sponsor is one of the most common worries for people considering a move to the UAE. In practice, the law has become softer: the grace period lets you change employers without leaving the country, and the visa can be cancelled through MOHRE even without contacting the former sponsor.

Step by step: from offer to Emirates ID

The standard path from signing an offer to full resident status takes 2–4 weeks. The steps run in sequence, each depending on the previous one.

Step 1. Job offer and employment contract

The employer makes an official offer (offer letter). Then an employment contract is signed and registered with MOHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation). The contract is the basis for the visa application.

Important: a sign of a genuine vacancy is that you pay for nothing. The law prohibits the employer from charging the worker recruitment and employment costs (Article 6 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33/2021). If you are asked to pay for "processing" or "reserving the vacancy", it is a scam.

Step 2. Entry permit

The employer applies for an entry permit through MOHRE or the ICA. The entry permit is an electronic document that allows you to enter the UAE to complete the residence visa. It is usually valid for 60 days from issue.

Step 3. Entry and medical test

After entering on the entry permit, the employee takes the mandatory medical fitness test: a blood test and a chest X-ray. The test is done at centres accredited by the DHA (Dubai Health Authority) or similar facilities in other emirates. In applicants' experience, the result comes within 2–5 working days. The cost of the test is usually included in the overall visa fee.

To enter the UAE on an entry permit, a return ticket is no longer required, as residents who obtained visas in 2026 confirm.

"A return ticket is no longer required."

»

— UAE resident, March 2026

Step 4. Biometrics and Emirates ID

After the medical test, you apply for the Emirates ID, the UAE resident identity card. The procedure includes biometrics (fingerprints, photo) at an ICA or Amer centre. In applicants' experience, the Emirates ID is ready in 5 to 15 working days.

Step 5. Residence visa stamp

The residence visa is placed in the passport (or issued electronically). From this point you are a UAE resident with the right to live, work and use banking services.

Step 6. Bank card

With a residence visa (or even with an Emirates ID application) you can open a bank account and get a salary card.

"In May I opened a salary card with ENBD. It took all of half an hour. And my Emirates ID wasn't ready yet; a copy of the application for it was enough."

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— Experience of a UAE resident, June 2026

The salary card is issued through the bank your employer works with. Emirates NBD is one of the most common options: it opens accounts quickly if the employer is good. FAB is also possible, but the procedure usually takes longer.

Government fees: mainland vs free zone

The amount of the fees depends on where the employer company is registered: on the mainland (the main territory of the emirate) or in a free zone.

Prices according to Russian-speaking expat chats, January–July 2026. Check current government fees on u.ae.

Who pays: under UAE law, the employer may not charge the worker recruitment and employment costs (Article 6(4) of Federal Decree-Law No. 33/2021), so the employer pays for the employment visa. The employee should not pay for the visa, entry permit, medical test or Emirates ID. If an employer asks an employee to pay for the visa out of pocket, this violates labour law, and you can file a complaint with MOHRE.

How not to overpay intermediaries

A separate warning: intermediaries often inflate government fees 2–3 times. You can check the fees yourself on the official UAE government portal (u.ae). If you are quoted an amount well above the ranges given here, double-check.

The job title on the visa: does it matter

A common worry is: "what will the visa say if my real job title is different?" Practice shows that the job title on the visa is in most cases a formality and does not affect your work.

"Nobody cares what your visa says… everyone understands. At my previous job, the finance directors were registered as some kind of machine operators."

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— UAE resident, February 2026

HR departments often register employees under standard job titles, such as Office manager, Sales manager or Electrician, regardless of the actual position. This has to do with internal quotas and a simpler procedure. It does not affect the quality of the visa or the scope of rights.

Grace period: from 30 days after leaving a job

When an employment contract ends (at the initiative of the employer or the employee), a grace period begins: 30 days for most employees (longer for some categories, for example skilled professionals at MOHRE levels 1–2; u.ae states up to 6 months depending on the category). Check the exact period with the ICP (File Validity service). During this period you can:

• Find a new employer and transfer the visa (change of status)
• Get your own visa (for example, through a free zone)
• Leave the country

Once the grace period ends without a new sponsor, an overstay fine of AED 50 a day applies (according to u.ae).

To cancel the visa without contacting the former employer, you can go directly to MOHRE. According to reviews, cancelling a visa through MOHRE takes up to 5 working days.

Relocating a team and employees

If you are moving a business to the UAE or hiring staff from other countries, each person needs a separate employment visa. The procedure is the same for every employee: offer, entry permit, medical test, Emirates ID, bank card.

What to watch when relocating a team:

• Each visa is processed separately, with government fees for each employee
• Processing one employee takes 2–4 weeks
• When several people are processed in parallel, medical test appointments become the bottleneck
• For employees with families, a sponsored visa for each family member is needed as well (AED 3,000–5,000 per person)
• The employer must provide health insurance for every employee

When relocating 5 or more people, it is advisable to start 6–8 weeks before the planned relocation date to allow for medical test queues and possible ICA delays. Companies that already hold a UAE licence and have HR staff can run the process in parallel: while one employee is taking the medical test, another is waiting for the entry permit.

Parallax helps companies with the visa side of team relocation: visas and employee status, end to end. More on the relocation for teams page.

Family visa through employment

A resident with an employment visa can sponsor family members: a spouse, children and, in some cases, parents. A separate sponsored (family) visa is issued for this.

Cost: AED 3,000–5,000 per family member (according to Russian-speaking expat chats, January–July 2026). The amount includes the government fee, medical test and Emirates ID.

Requirements for the sponsor: a salary of AED 4,000 a month or AED 3,000 with employer-provided housing (according to u.ae). An overview of all visa routes for families is in the UAE residence section.

Health insurance: what the employer must provide

By law, the employer bears the cost of the worker's healthcare in accordance with applicable legislation (Article 13 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33/2021). Specific insurance requirements (for example, the minimum coverage package) may differ between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates.

Basic employer insurance covers the minimum: emergency care, GP consultations, basic tests. Dentistry, maternity and chronic conditions are usually not included in the basic package.

Good health insurance costs AED 7,000–12,500 a year per person (according to Russian-speaking expat chats, January–July 2026). If an employer offers extended coverage, that is a significant plus when choosing an offer. If not, find out the cost of an upgrade at your own expense by comparing options on specialised comparison sites.

Fines for illegal work

Working without an employment visa is a serious violation, and both sides bear the consequences.

Besides the fine, the worker may face deportation (according to law firms and the media). Illegal work in the UAE is not a "grey zone" but a direct violation with real consequences.

A separate risk: some employers hire people "unofficially", promising to arrange the visa later. In an inspection or a dispute with such an employer, the employee is not protected by labour law and risks a fine along with the employer. If you are offered work without proper registration, take it as a signal to check the employer more carefully: ask for the licence number, check it on the MOHRE website and look for reviews from several independent sources.

Salaries by sector: what to expect

Actual salaries of Russian-speaking residents according to vacancies in specialised chats, January–July 2026:

According to a general estimate from the chats, about 60% of Russian-speaking residents earn up to AED 10,000 a month (~USD 2,700), 30% up to AED 20,000 (~USD 5,500), and the remaining 10% more.

Keep in mind that the UAE has no personal income tax, so the whole salary is paid net. This sets the UAE apart from European destinations, where the tax burden can be 20–40%.