UAE onboarding, explained from both sides.

UAE Labour Contract & Offer Letter: The MOHRE Onboarding Flow for Employers

In the UAE private sector, hiring runs through MOHRE in a fixed sequence: a signed job offer, an initial work-permit approval, then a bilingual (Arabic + English) fixed-term employment contract that both parties sign and that the employer registers in the MOHRE system. The registered contract must mirror the offer letter, and it must be submitted within 14 days of the worker's arrival or status change. Governing law is Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 (as amended), and the contract must set out the work model, term, wage, hours, leave, probation and notice up front.

1. 1Issue the job offer letter. The employer sends the worker a written job offer setting out job type, workplace, start date, term, wage and conditions. It must be provided in Arabic and English plus one further language the worker chooses from nine options (Bengali, Chinese, Dari, Hindi, Malayalam, Nepalese, Sinhalese, Tamil or Urdu). The later MOHRE contract must reflect these offer terms.
2. 2Obtain the initial MOHRE work permit approval. MOHRE reviews the submitted documents and, once approved, this permits the worker to enter the UAE (or begin a status change if already in-country). Providing false information at this stage carries fines of up to AED 20,000.
3. 3Sign the standard employment contract. On the worker's arrival, both parties sign the MOHRE standard bilingual fixed-term contract, which must not contradict the offer. Signatures are required for professional skill levels 1-3; a fingerprint is accepted for levels 4 and 5. Choose the correct work model at this point: full-time, part-time, temporary, flexible, remote or job-sharing.
4. 4Register the contract with MOHRE within the deadline. The employer files the signed contract in the MOHRE system to make it a legally binding employment contract. Submission must occur within 14 days of the employee's arrival in the UAE or from the date of the status change if the worker is already in the country.
5. 5Set the key onboarding clauses correctly. Fix the contract term (fixed-term, per the official u.ae guidance not exceeding three years, renewable/extendable as many times as agreed), probation, notice period, basic wage vs allowances (basic drives gratuity), working hours, weekly rest, and leave. Wages must be paid through the Wage Protection System (WPS).

Fees and timelines vary by emirate, free zone and nationality - confirm the current figure with the regulator before you rely on it.