VoxxArrive · Jurisdiction
Hiring & onboarding in Meydan Free Zone: visas, contracts, gratuity
Meydan Free Zone (MFZ) is a Dubai-based free zone that sponsors your employees itself: it issues the trade licence and establishment card, and routes entry permits and residence visas through GDRFA Dubai and ICP rather than through MOHRE. Employment relationships still follow the federal UAE Labour Law (Decree-Law 33/2021), but contracts are administered by the free zone in-house, not filed on the MOHRE system. Your visa headcount is capped by the workspace package you take (flexi-desk or office), not by a mainland labour quota.
What's different
- Sponsor and immigration channel differ from mainland: MFZ is the sponsoring entity and holds the immigration file, but visas are processed through GDRFA Dubai and ICP, not MOHRE. There is no MOHRE work permit or MOHRE-attested offer letter step - MFZ issues the entry permit (60-day validity for applicants outside the UAE, or an in-country status change) then medical, Emirates ID biometrics and e-visa stamping follow, typically over roughly 5-7 working days for an integrated-file setup. Residence visas run 2 years (some routes 3).
- Employment law: MFZ has NO standalone employment code of its own - unlike the financial free zones DIFC and ADGM, which run their own employment laws and courts. Federal Decree-Law 33/2021 governs contracts, probation, working hours, leave, notice and end-of-service, but the contract is registered and administered inside the free zone rather than on MOHRE, so mainland MOHRE dispute/registration workflows do not apply.
- Visa quota is space-based, not labour-quota-based: the number of visas is fixed by the facility package you lease (flexi-desk/GO packages carry a small allocation; larger private offices scale up on leased area). There is no Nafis/Emiratisation headcount obligation as there is for mainland firms - the percentage-based Emiratisation quota (2% annual growth of skilled roles toward 10% by end-2026) applies to mainland companies with 50+ skilled employees, and a separate lighter rule requires 20–49-employee firms in 14 designated sectors to hire one Emirati by end-2024 and a second by end-2025. Free zones sit outside these Nafis private-sector Emiratisation targets. (Nitaqat is Saudi Arabia's separate Saudisation scheme, not a UAE programme.)
- Wage payment sits outside MOHRE WPS: MFZ companies are not enrolled in MOHRE's Wage Protection System and generally pay staff by ordinary bank transfer. The federal duty to pay wages on time (Art. 22, Decree-Law 33/2021) still applies, and firms may opt into WPS if a client, bank or mainland expansion requires it.
- End-of-service is standard federal gratuity (21 days' basic pay per year for the first 5 years, 30 days per year thereafter, pro-rated) - MFZ has NO funded workplace-savings scheme, unlike DIFC's mandatory DEWS. Gratuity remains an unfunded end-of-service liability on the employer.
- Sector mix skews to SMEs, solo founders, e-commerce/trading, consulting, IT, professional and media services across 1,800+ activities; media activities need Ministry of Culture & Youth / regulator approval. MFZ markets fast/low-cost setup (including 'Fawri' instant licensing) rather than industrial or logistics operations.
Which onboarding steps this affects
This affects 35 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
35 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
Employee signs the employment contract on Day 1
Signed employment contract
Collect original passport and entry permit for residence visa processing
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
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)
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
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
- Meydan Free Zone - Apply for a UAE Residence Visa in 5 Minutes (official; GDRFA Dubai/ICP coordination, entry permit vs status change, medical/Emirates ID steps, 2-3 year validity)
- Meydan Free Zone - Employment Visa UAE Applications (official; establishment card, flexi-desk visa slots, processing timeline)
- Business Dubai - How Free Zone Visa Quotas Work / Meydan (quota tied to facility package, flexi-desk vs office, per-sqm guideline)
- UpperSetup - Meydan Free Zone 2026 breakdown (1,800+ activities, media approval, quota basis, sector mix)
- AKMC - Complete Guide to Meydan Free Zone Visas (GDRFA reference, entry permit 3-7 days, medical/biometric and stamping timelines, establishment card fee)
Frequently asked
Does Meydan Free Zone use MOHRE or GDRFA for visas?
Neither for the labour side as mainland does - Meydan Free Zone sponsors the employee itself and processes entry permits and residence visas through GDRFA Dubai and ICP. There is no MOHRE work permit or MOHRE labour contract; the free zone issues the establishment card and administers the employment contract in-house.
Which employment law applies to Meydan Free Zone staff?
The federal UAE Labour Law, Federal Decree-Law 33/2021, governs contracts, probation, working hours, leave, notice and end-of-service gratuity. Unlike DIFC and ADGM, Meydan does not have its own separate employment law - it applies the federal law but administers contracts within the free zone rather than via MOHRE.
How many visas can a Meydan Free Zone company get?
The allocation is tied to your workspace package, not a labour quota. Flexi-desk/entry packages carry a small number of visa slots, while larger leased offices scale the quota up on floor area. You choose a package sized to the headcount you plan to sponsor.
Is WPS mandatory at Meydan Free Zone?
Meydan companies are not enrolled in MOHRE's Wage Protection System and typically pay salaries by standard bank transfer. The federal obligation to pay wages on time still applies, and a company can opt into WPS voluntarily if a bank, client or mainland expansion requires it.
Does Meydan have a DEWS-style savings scheme instead of gratuity?
No. End-of-service is the standard federal gratuity (21 days' basic pay per year for the first five years, 30 days per year thereafter). Meydan has no mandatory funded workplace-savings scheme - that is a DIFC feature (DEWS), not a Meydan one.