Moving to the UAE for a Job: Your First 30 Days Checklist

Published · by JOBB GROUP FZE

Your first month in a new UAE job is mostly paperwork that happens in a set order: entry permit, contract, medical test, Emirates ID, residence visa, insurance, first salary. Most of it is your employer’s job to arrange and pay for, but several steps need you to turn up, sign or check something, and a few have deadlines that are easy to miss. This checklist puts them in the order you are likely to meet them.

Timings vary by emirate, employer and free zone, so treat the weeks below as a guide rather than a schedule. Rules are as of November 2026. This is general information, not legal advice: for private-sector employment questions, contact the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) on 600590000, or its labour claims and advisory line on 80084.

Before you fly

  • Keep a copy of your signed job offer. Under MoHRE’s process, the employer signs the offer electronically and sends it to you. It must be in Arabic, English and a third language you understand. Keep a copy: the UAE government portal says the contract you sign later must be based on it, and the offer cannot be changed afterwards without your agreement.
  • Do not pay recruitment fees. Article 6(4) of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 prohibits employers from charging workers recruitment and employment fees, directly or indirectly. u.ae adds that recruitment and travel costs, and residency permit expenses, are borne by the employer.
  • Check your entry permit dates. In Dubai, once MoHRE approves the work permit, your entry permit lets you enter within 60 days to complete the process. If you are already in the country, a change of status permit is used instead.
  • Bring your certificates. Ask your employer before you travel whether your degree or other certificates must be attested for your role, and bring the originals.
  • Scan everything. Passport, photos, certificates, offer letter. You will upload these more than once. A set of PDF tools helps you merge and compress scans to fit upload limits.

Week 1: arrive, sign, get tested

  • Sign your employment contract. u.ae says you are expected to sign it after you arrive and that its terms must be consistent with the job offer you signed at home. Compare salary, allowances, job title and contract length line by line before you sign.
  • Know the 14-day deadline. The contract must be submitted to MoHRE within 14 days of your arrival in the UAE. Ask HR to confirm when it has been done.
  • Take the medical fitness test. It is done at an authorised centre. Dubai’s government portal says it typically includes a blood test and chest X-ray.
  • Keep your passport. Article 13(2) of the Labour Law requires employers not to withhold workers’ official documents, and u.ae states that confiscating workers’ passports is prohibited. HR may need it briefly for processing; it should come back to you.

Week 2: Emirates ID, visa and insurance

  • Give your Emirates ID biometrics. In Dubai, you submit fingerprints and a photo at an authorised typing centre.
  • Watch for your residence visa. Dubai’s portal says that after your medical result is released, your employer applies online and the visa is issued within 48 hours. The standard work residence visa there is valid for two years.
  • Confirm your health insurance. MoHRE says a Cabinet decision made a basic health insurance package mandatory for private-sector employees from 1 January 2025, with employers responsible for the cost, and that the policy must be bought before a residency permit is issued or renewed. MoHRE’s basic package costs AED 320 a year. Its target list names Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain; if you work in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, ask HR which scheme your policy falls under. Get your insurance card or policy number and find out which clinics accept it.
  • Subscribe to unemployment insurance. Federal government and private-sector employees must subscribe to the Involuntary Loss of Employment (ILOE) scheme, through the ILOE Insurance Pool website or app. The premium is AED 5 a month if your basic salary is AED 16,000 or less, and AED 10 a month above that. Unpaid premiums more than three months overdue incur a AED 200 fine and cancellation of the certificate.

Weeks 3 and 4: money, probation and family

  • Set up how you will be paid. Private-sector salaries go through the Wage Protection System (WPS), via banks, exchange houses or financial institutions licensed by the Central Bank. Ask HR which route your employer uses and what they need from you, and if you are opening a bank account, ask the bank which documents it needs from a new resident.
  • Know when your salary is due. Under Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026, as summarised on u.ae, salaries for the previous month are due on the first day of each Gregorian month. If you started mid-month, ask how your first, partial payment will be calculated.
  • Understand your probation. Article 9 of the Labour Law allows a probation period of up to six months. During it, an employer ending your employment must give at least 14 days’ written notice. A foreign worker who resigns during probation to leave the country must give at least 14 days’ written notice, and one who resigns to move to another UAE employer must give at least one month’s written notice. Leaving the UAE without following Article 9 can bar a foreign worker from a new work permit for a year.
  • Plan family sponsorship. To sponsor family members, u.ae says you need a minimum salary of AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. Family members aged 18 and over must pass a medical fitness test at an approved centre. Check current conditions with the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) or Dubai’s GDRFA.
  • Do not sign a long lease in a hurry. Staying somewhere short-term until your visa and Emirates ID are issued gives you time to learn the commute and compare areas.

Day 30: your end-of-month check

By the end of the first month, you should be able to tick off each of these. If you cannot, ask HR which step is outstanding and why.

  1. Contract signed, matching your offer, and registered with MoHRE.
  2. Medical test passed.
  3. Emirates ID biometrics done and ID issued or in progress.
  4. Residence visa issued.
  5. Health insurance card or policy number in hand.
  6. ILOE subscription active.
  7. Salary account set up and first salary date confirmed.
  8. Passport in your possession.
  9. Probation length and notice rules understood.

If something goes wrong

u.ae advises contacting MoHRE promptly if the agreed job is not provided or your salary is not paid in full and on time. MoHRE’s labour claims and advisory call centre is free on 80084, and complaints can also be filed through MoHRE’s digital services. Workers are exempt from litigation fees for claims under AED 100,000.

A smaller, practical point for the first week at your desk: set up a consistent work email signature with your new title and direct number. An email signature generator does this in a few minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Who pays for my visa, medical test and Emirates ID?

The UAE government portal says the costs of recruitment and travel, and residency permit expenses, are borne by the employer, and the Labour Law prohibits charging workers recruitment and employment fees. If you are asked to pay, ask HR to explain in writing and contact MoHRE if needed.

Can I start work before my residence visa is issued?

The MoHRE process registers your signed offer as a binding employment contract once you arrive and sign it, and the work visa follows. Ask your employer what you can do while the visa is processing, since practice varies by role and emirate.

How long is a Dubai work residence visa valid?

Two years, renewable under the same conditions, according to Dubai’s government portal.

What if my contract is different from my offer letter?

u.ae says the contract terms must be consistent with the job offer you signed. Raise the difference with HR before signing, and contact MoHRE on 80084 for advice if it is not corrected.

Sources

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