Moving to Dubai for work: step-by-step checklist

By UAE law, the employer pays the costs of your work permit and visa. Never pay a company or agent for a job or a visa. Licensed recruitment agencies are listed on the MOHRE website.

The usual order is: 1) the university or education authority confirms it, 2) your country’s Ministry of Education, 3) your country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4) the UAE Embassy or Consulate in your country. After you arrive, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs adds the last stamp, online or at a service centre. Many people use an attestation agent, but you can do it yourself.

The entry permit has a time limit to use it, usually 60 days. Check the dates on it and book your flight in time. It is electronic: there is no sticker in your passport.

Many people stay in a hotel apartment or short-term rental for the first weeks, because renting a long-term home needs your Emirates ID or residence visa.

The Job Seeker visa needs no sponsor. It is for people in MOHRE skill levels 1 to 3 (mostly graduates and skilled jobs) or recent graduates of the world’s top 500 universities. Tourist visas are arranged by airlines, hotels or travel agents. Check what applies to your passport on the ICP or GDRFA website.

Attestation order: university or education authority, then your Ministry of Education, then your Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then the UAE Embassy or Consulate in your country. The final stamp is done by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs after you arrive.

It is illegal to work on a visit visa, even for a trial period: wait until your work permit is issued. Recruitment agencies may not charge job seekers. If your visa runs out, the overstay fine is AED 50 a day, so leave or extend in time.

If the change cannot be done inside the country for your type of visa, you leave and come back on the new entry permit. Do not let your visit visa expire while you wait: ask the employer to apply in good time.

The test checks for a few infectious diseases required for residence. Results go directly to the visa system, so you do not need to collect them.

Since 2022 there is no visa sticker in the passport: your Emirates ID is the proof of your residence. Keep a photo of both sides on your phone.

Your employer may not keep your passport. In Dubai, health insurance for employees is compulsory and paid by the employer, not deducted from your salary. Once you are a resident, subscribe to the job loss insurance (ILOE) within 4 months to avoid a fine.

Prepaid lines are topped up as you go; postpaid lines are billed monthly and usually need your Emirates ID. Every line must be registered to your ID, and your bank, government apps and employer will use this number, so keep it.

Salaries in the private sector are paid through the official Wage Protection System, so they must go into a bank or approved exchange account. Ask HR which bank they recommend.

Ejari is the official registration of your tenancy. You need it to connect electricity and water, to sponsor your family and for many government services. Ask for the agent’s licence (RERA) number before paying anything.

The deposit is returned when you move out and pay your last bill. If your building uses “district cooling” (for example Empower), register with that company too; ask the landlord or building management.

Ask the building management which provider is available before you sign up. In the meantime, a mobile data plan or hotspot will keep you connected.

If your country is not on the list, you take lessons and tests with an approved driving school. Until then, Dubai Metro, buses and taxis work well; get a Nol card for the metro and buses.

Sons can usually be sponsored until 25 and unmarried daughters without an age limit. Certificates from your home country must be attested in the same way as your degree. Check the latest requirements with GDRFA before applying.