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VoxxArrive · live demo

UAE onboarding, explained from both sides.

Step through one new hire's journey - employer and employee side by side, with a callout on each explaining every hand-off. Read-only: nothing is saved, and it resets on refresh.

Priya · India → Dubai · Software Engineer

One hire, two sides, zero dropped balls.

Press play and walk Priya's UAE onboarding step by step - see exactly what the employer does, what Priya does, and how each hand-off flows.

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5/ 100

Compliance readiness

Pre-boarding

Onboarding day -28 · 2/57 tasks complete

What's happening

The moment Priya signs, the onboarding clock starts.

Employer

Pre-boarding

Employer is doing

The PRO verifies the MOHRE establishment card and labour quota - confirming the company can legally hire for this role.

  • ✓Verify MOHRE establishment card is active and labour quota is available for the role
  • ✓Assess Emiratisation/Nitaqat impact of the hire before proceeding (skilled-role headcount)
  • ✓Issue MOHRE-standard job offer letter and obtain the employee's signed copy
  • ✓Apply for the MOHRE work permit (labour card) via Tasheel/MOHRE portal
  • ✓Apply for entry permit (e-visa) or initiate in-country status change

Priya · her view

Pre-boarding

Priya is doing

Priya accepts and uploads her passport and photo. That's all that's needed from her for now.

Nothing for Priya this phase - her team has it covered.

Step 1 / 8

Questions along the way? Ask Voxy

Voxy

UAE HR concierge · grounded

Residence visa issuance & the onboarding sequence: entry permit → medical → Emirates ID → residence visa

A new expatriate hire's UAE residency is issued in a fixed order: an approved work permit/entry permit lets them enter the country, then inside the UAE they complete a medical fitness test, give biometrics for the Emirates ID, and the residence permit is issued electronically by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). All in-country residency steps must be completed within 60 days of entry, and the labour contract must be registered with MOHRE within 14 days of arrival. Since 2022 there is no passport visa sticker - the Emirates ID itself carries the residency data.

  1. 11. Pre-arrival - job offer and initial work permit approval. The employer issues a signed job offer (Arabic, English and a third language the worker understands, with the Labour Law annex) and submits it to MOHRE for initial work permit approval. Per u.ae, this approval is what allows the worker to enter the UAE. Free zone hires go through the free zone authority instead of MOHRE. Onboarding phase: pre-boarding / documentation.
  2. 22. Entry permit issued and employee enters the UAE. An employment entry permit is issued (via ICP, or GDRFA for Dubai). Widely cited as valid 60 days from issue and non-extendable - the employee must enter within that window. For candidates already in the UAE, an in-country status adjustment replaces travel (ICP status-adjustment fee AED 500). Onboarding phase: arrival / day-one logistics.
  3. 33. Medical fitness test. Inside the UAE the hire takes a government medical fitness test screening for communicable diseases (HIV and active pulmonary tuberculosis are the core screens; hepatitis applies to certain categories such as food handlers and healthcare/domestic workers). Run by DHA in Dubai, SEHA in Abu Dhabi, and EHS/MOHAP in the northern emirates. A 'fit' result is a precondition for the residence permit. Onboarding phase: week-one compliance.
  4. 44. Emirates ID biometric registration (ICP). The hire registers for the Emirates ID with ICP, giving fingerprints, facial photo and signature (biometrics required for ages 15+). The card is issued by ICP and its validity is tied to the residence visa - when the visa is cancelled the Emirates ID is cancelled automatically. Onboarding phase: week-one compliance (runs alongside the medical).
  5. 55. Labour contract registration with MOHRE. The job offer is converted into a registered MOHRE employment contract (start date, role, workplace, terms, duration, salary). u.ae states this must be submitted within 14 days of the employee's arrival in the UAE, under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. All new contracts are limited-term. Onboarding phase: HR/legal set-up.
Timeline: Once the employee is in the UAE, the medical → Emirates ID → residence permit chain typically completes within roughly 2–4 weeks; ICP quotes…

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

Sources · MOHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation) - work permit and labour contract for mainland private-sector hires, ICP (Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security) - entry permit, residence permit and Emirates ID (federal, and the residency authority for Abu Dhabi and the northern emirates), GDRFA (General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs) - entry permit and residence permit issuance in Dubai (via Amer centres)