VoxxArrive · Jurisdiction
Hiring & onboarding in DAFZA (Dubai Airport Free Zone): visas, contracts, gratuity
Dubai Airport Free Zone (DAFZA) sits inside the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZA), which since 1 January 2022 has overseen DAFZA alongside Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai CommerCity. Crucially, DAFZA is a "civil-law" free zone: unlike DIFC or ADGM it has no standalone employment code or separate courts, so onshore Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 effectively governs the employment relationship. The free zone authority is your visa sponsor and issues the establishment card, while entry permits and residence visas are processed through GDRFA Dubai.
What's different
- Authority stack: DAFZA is administered by DIEZA (Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority) under Law No. 16 of 2021, effective 1 January 2022. The statute makes DIEZA the legal successor of the Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority and the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (i.e. it merged DAFZA and Dubai Silicon Oasis); Dubai CommerCity is not named in the law but is administered within the DIEZ umbrella. The DAFZA/DIEZA authority issues the trade licence and establishment card and acts as sponsor for employees' residence visas; because it is a Dubai-based zone, the entry permit and residence visa run through GDRFA Dubai (with DHA medical fitness and ICP Emirates ID), not the federal ICP channel that northern-emirate zones use.
- Employment law is federal, not a bespoke code. DAFZA does not have its own common-law employment law like DIFC or ADGM; its practice is 'heavily informed by' and defaults to Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. Practically this means onshore rules on contracts, notice, probation, working hours, leave and termination apply much as they do on the mainland, and disputes route through the ordinary UAE/Dubai courts rather than an independent free-zone employment tribunal.
- End-of-service is traditional statutory gratuity, NOT a DEWS-style savings scheme. Expatriate employees accrue the standard federal end-of-service gratuity based on final basic salary after one year of service. DAFZA has no funded workplace-savings equivalent to DIFC's DEWS; that mandatory monthly-contribution model is DIFC-only, so DAFZA employers carry the usual unfunded gratuity liability under Decree-Law 33/2021.
- Visa quota is tied to leased workspace, set by the authority, not to a MOHRE headcount rule. Entitlement scales with the size/type of space you lease inside the zone (smart desk / flexi-desk packages carry only a small number of visas; larger physical offices carry proportionally more). The specific per-square-metre allocation is set case-by-case by DAFZA rather than published as a fixed federal formula.
- Wage protection applies, and no Emiratisation quota. Salaries must be paid through the UAE Wage Protection System (DAFZA is not WPS-exempt the way DIFC/ADGM are). As a free-zone entity, a DAFZA company sits outside MOHRE's Nafis Emiratisation targets. As a matter of MOHRE policy those targets apply to mainland firms with 50 or more skilled employees (a 2% annual increase in Emirati hires), with a separate expansion covering firms of 20–49 skilled staff in 14 designated sectors - so these quotas are generally not a free-zone onboarding obligation.
- Sector profile: adjacent to Dubai International Airport, DAFZA hosts 3,400+ companies across 20+ sectors, concentrated in aviation and aerospace, freight/logistics, technology and electronics, pharmaceuticals and high-value goods (jewellery, luxury) - an air-cargo and re-export cluster rather than a financial or media zone.
Which onboarding steps this affects
This affects 41 of the 57 onboarding tasks, concentrated in the Pre-boarding, Day 1, Week 1, Month 1, Month 3+ phases. Work through them in the live demo to see the compliance-readiness score respond as each is ticked off.
Your task slice
41 of the 57 onboarding tasks apply here.
Verify MOHRE establishment card is active and labour quota is available for the role
Establishment card / labour quota confirmation
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
MOHRE job offer letter (signed)
Apply for the MOHRE work permit (labour card) via Tasheel/MOHRE portal
Work permit approval
Apply for entry permit (e-visa) or initiate in-country status change
Entry permit (60-day validity)
Collect and attest pre-boarding documents (passport, photos, degree/qualification attestation)
Attested document pack
Prepare fixed-term employment contract aligned to the signed offer
Employment contract (draft)
Set probation period in the contract (must not exceed 6 months, FDL 33/2021)
Define working hours, overtime, and weekly rest-day terms in the contract
Register the new joiner in payroll with a WPS-compliant salary structure
Confirm the employee holds a WPS-eligible UAE bank account or salary card
Hiring Manager prepares role onboarding plan and 90-day objectives
Onboarding plan
Employee signs the employment contract on Day 1
Signed employment contract
Collect original passport and entry permit for residence visa processing
Employee acknowledges probation terms and success criteria in writing
Issue employee handbook and code of conduct; capture acknowledgement (incl. gross-misconduct grounds)
Handbook acknowledgement
Collect employee bank/IBAN details for WPS payroll set-up
Book and complete medical fitness test at an approved centre (communicable-disease screening)
Medical fitness certificate
Complete ICP Emirates ID biometrics (fingerprints, iris scan, photo)
Emirates ID application receipt
Submit residence visa application to GDRFA/ICP after medical and EID biometrics
Complete residence visa stamping / e-visa linking to the passport
Residence visa
Register the signed employment contract with MOHRE within the statutory deadline
MOHRE-registered labour contract
Activate WPS salary registration with MOHRE and the bank/agent
Confirm health insurance activation is linked to the residency file
Collect the issued Emirates ID card once produced by ICP
Emirates ID card
Agree probation objectives and measurable success criteria with the employee
Probation objectives
Register UAE/GCC national with GPSSA (within one month of joining)
GPSSA registration
Verify residence visa and Emirates ID are fully issued (post-entry chain within 60 days)
Run the first WPS payroll and confirm on-time salary transfer
WPS SIF file
Update Emiratisation/Nitaqat headcount records with MOHRE (if Emirati; counts only if GPSSA + WPS)
Conduct 30-day probation check-in and document feedback
30-day review note
Confirm gratuity/end-of-service accrual tracking has started in payroll
Assemble audit-ready employee compliance file (contract, visa, EID, insurance)
Employee compliance file
File original Emirates ID and residence visa copies in the personnel record
Conduct mid-probation performance review against agreed objectives
Mid-probation review
Decide probation outcome before the 6-month cap (confirm / extend / exit with 14-day notice)
Probation decision letter
Issue confirmation-of-employment letter on passing probation
Confirmation letter
Reset and communicate post-probation notice-period terms (30-90 days)
Verify ongoing WPS compliance across the first pay cycles
Confirm health insurance validity aligns with residency expiry
Reassess Emiratisation target contribution and Nafis eligibility
Some figures on this page vary by jurisdiction, zone or nationality, or could not be independently confirmed from a public source at time of writing - confirm the current figure with the regulator before relying on it.
Sources
- Dubai Media Office - Mohammed bin Rashid issues Law creating Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (Law No. 16 of 2021, effective 1 Jan 2022; covers DAFZA, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai CommerCity)
- Dubai Advocates - DAFZA Legal Guide (DIEZA as issuing authority; employment governed by/informed by Federal Decree-Law 33/2021; authority sponsors residence visas; WPS required; statutory gratuity after one year)
- DAFZA official site - sectors and scale (3,400+ businesses, 20+ sectors, ~20,000 professionals; aviation/logistics/technology focus; Talent Pass and visa services)
Frequently asked
Does DAFZA have its own employment law like DIFC or ADGM?
No. DAFZA is a civil-law free zone with no standalone employment code or separate court. Its rules default to and are governed by onshore Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, so contracts, notice, probation, leave and termination follow mainland UAE labour law, and disputes go to the ordinary Dubai/UAE courts.
Who sponsors and issues visas for DAFZA employees?
The DAFZA free-zone authority (part of DIEZA) is the sponsor and issues the establishment card and trade licence. As a Dubai zone, the entry permit and residence visa are processed through GDRFA Dubai, with a DHA medical fitness test and an ICP-issued Emirates ID.
How many visas can a DAFZA company get?
The quota is set by DAFZA and tied to the workspace you lease: a smart desk or flexi-desk package carries only a small number of visas, while larger physical offices carry proportionally more. There is no MOHRE-style headcount formula - confirm the exact allocation for your package directly with DAFZA.
Does DAFZA use gratuity or a DEWS-type savings scheme?
Traditional gratuity. Employees accrue statutory end-of-service gratuity on final basic salary after one year of service under Decree-Law 33/2021. DAFZA has no funded workplace-savings scheme; the DEWS mandatory-contribution model is specific to DIFC.
Do WPS and Emiratisation apply in DAFZA?
Salaries must be paid through the UAE Wage Protection System - DAFZA is not WPS-exempt. However, as a free-zone entity it falls outside MOHRE's Nafis Emiratisation quotas, which apply to mainland companies with 50 or more skilled employees (with a separate expansion covering 20–49-employee firms in 14 designated sectors).