Company employee visa in the UAE (Employee)
A work residence visa (Emirates ID) for a company's employees.
- Relocators
- Families
- Remote professionals
From the medical test until the residence visa is issued the partner advises staying in the country. No agency regulation forbids leaving, but a trip breaks the order of the steps: the fingerprinting and the medical test usually have to be repeated and the timeline slips. Better not to plan trips in that window.
How to arrange a work visa for an employee in the UAE
To take someone on at a UAE company, the employer first obtains a work permit from the labour ministry, and only then are the residence visa and Emirates ID arranged.
The order is the reverse of the familiar one: the company opens the visa for a specific position rather than the person going out to look for one. So it is the employer who starts the procedure and is responsible for the document set.
How a UAE residence visa works
A UAE residence visa is not a stamp in a passport but a chain of three documents. First comes the entry permit, then the residence visa itself, and only after that the Emirates ID, the resident's plastic card. Without an Emirates ID you cannot open an account, rent a home or get a phone line.
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A visa always rests on a basis: property, your own company, employment, income from abroad. Once the basis is gone, the status is not renewed.
Midway through the procedure you have to come to the UAE for the medical test and fingerprinting. This is the only step that cannot be done remotely, and you cannot leave the country before the visa is issued: leaving resets the procedure.
Medical insurance is mandatory. Since 1 January 2025 a policy is a prerequisite for issuing and renewing a residence visa; the rule is addressed to private-sector employers and applies on a mandatory basis in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. An investor or freelancer sponsors themselves, so the policy is taken out in their own name.
What is needed from the employer and from the employee
From the employee
This option- A passport valid for at least six months
- A photo meeting the immigration authority's requirements
- A legalised diploma
From the company
- The original Emirates ID of the founder or the general manager
- The original e-signature card
The diploma is legalised in advance and in the country that issued it — this is the longest item in the set.
What to do if the employee already has a UAE visa
There are two routes here, and the choice depends on whether the person is staying with their previous company.
- Keep the existing visa and obtain a work permit at the second company
- Cancel the existing visa and obtain a new one through the new employer
The first option suits holding both jobs, the second a full move.
Employee visa or company owner's visa
The difference is who sponsors you: your own company or an employer. The owner's visa rests on their licence — the company is registered first, and the Emirates ID is then arranged through it. The employee visa starts with the employer: they obtain a work permit from the labour ministry, and only after that is the residence visa opened. From there the paths coincide — entry permit, a trip in for the medical test and biometrics, Emirates ID.
One does not rule out the other: the owner's company then opens visas for its own staff, and their number depends on the licence package.
| Employee visa | Company owner's visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sponsors you | The sponsor is the employer: the company opens a visa for a specific position | The sponsor is your own UAE company: the visa comes from your own firm and no employer is needed |
| What is needed before filing | A UAE employer with spare visa quota is needed before filing — the quota is checked before hiring | A company is needed before filing — already open, or registered alongside |
| Order of the process | First the work permit from the labour ministry, then the visa | First the licence and the company's registration with the immigration authority, then the visa |
| Processing time | 7–30 days; before the start, legalisation of the diploma in the country that issued it | 10–21 days, including one trip in for the medical test and biometrics |
| Price | Price upon consultation; government duties and visa fees are not included | From $1,400: RAKEZ — $1,400; AFZA — $1,520; Mainland, IFZA, Meydan, SHAMS, DMCC — $2,100; company formation is paid for separately |
A visa rests on a basis: with your own company that basis is in your hands, with an employee visa it is in the employer's, and when the basis disappears the status is not renewed.
The terms the expert works on
Guarantees the outcome by contract
Writes the outcome and the timeline for every service — including opening a bank account — into the contract, and answers for them.
Bills in stages
You do not pay the whole sum up front: invoices come in instalments as each stage closes.
Fixes the price in the contract
The cost is locked in and does not grow as the work goes on. Prices on the site are indicative — the final figure comes after your case is reviewed.
Charges no hidden fees
No penalties or surcharges beyond the contract. No Pactors markup either: you pay the expert their own price.
Works with lawyers of 8+ years in UAE law
The licence for your activity is matched, and the requirements worked through, by qualified lawyers.
Thinks a step ahead
Picks the zone and the licence so that a year from now you do not hit a limit and have to redo the whole thing.
Deals with authorities directly
Handles government bodies, free zones and UAE banks personally — no chain of subcontractors.
Residence permit in the UAE: comparing the options
The difference is not the price — it is who each option suits. The “Best for” column is the business profile the option is built around.
| Option | Best for | Timeline | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emirates ID on the basis of a UAE company | Business owners, entrepreneurs | 1–3 weeks | from $1,400 |
| A UAE residence visa for family members (Dependent) | Bringing the family over once you have your own Emirates ID | 2–4 weeks | from $1,650 |
| Remote worker visa in the UAE (Remote Working Visa) | Remote workers, digital nomads, employees of foreign companies | 1–3 weeks | from $2,500 |
| UAE property visa: 2 years and the 10-year golden visa | Property investors, buyers of studios and apartments, families with children, long-term investors | 2–6 weeks | from $4,900 |
| Company employee visa in the UAE (Employee)you are here | Relocators, families, remote professionals | 1–4 weeks | Upon consultation |
What the service includes
| Entry permit | |
| medical test | |
| biometrics | |
| Emirates ID | |
| Government duties and visa fees— billed separately | |
| Flights and accommodation— billed separately |
Documents and programme requirements
- 1A passport
- 2Proof of income or of the basis
How the process runs
1–4 weeks- Step 1We check the company's visa quota and prepare the employer's documents.
- Step 2We legalise the employee's diploma in the country of issue.
- Step 3We obtain the work permit from the Ministry of Labour.
- Step 4We arrange the entry permit.
- Step 5The employee arrives, takes the medical test and gives biometrics.
- Step 6The residence visa is issued.
- Step 7Emirates ID and enrolment in the salary system.
Frequently asked questions
Who arranges the work visa — the employee or the company?
Is a legalised diploma required?
Can I work at two UAE companies?
How many visas can a company open?
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