Labour file opening Dubai

In short: Opening a company labour file in Dubai means registering your mainland establishment with MOHRE so it can hold work permits. The GDRFA immigration establishment card comes first, because MOHRE asks for a copy: GDRFA lists AED 200 plus VAT, AED 20 in Knowledge and Innovation fees and an AED 50 service fee, within 48 hours. MOHRE's establishment card takes about 2 working days and has no service fee on its website and app apart from government fees (its service card lists a Ta'qeem fee of AED 406); business service centres may add up to AED 72. A work permit quota follows, then each permit costs AED 250 to AED 3,450 by MOHRE classification.

The most common sequencing mistake we see from new businesses is hiring first and registering second. The licence arrives, the founder makes an offer, the candidate resigns from their current job — and only then does anyone discover there is no labour file, no establishment card and no quota.

What registrations does a new company need before hiring?

All three are separate from the trade licence and from each other. Missing any one of them stops hiring completely.

The order matters. MOHRE's establishment card service lists a copy of the ICP or GDRFA establishment card, showing the owners and authorised signatories, among its required documents, and the signatory registered with MOHRE must also be authorised with ICP.

How do you open a labour file with MOHRE?

1. Trade licence and premises. You need a valid mainland trade licence and a valid, approved rental contract (MOHRE does not ask for one with instant licences). In Dubai that means a registered Ejari.
2. Immigration establishment card. Apply to GDRFA Dubai on its website or smart app with UAE Pass, at a Customer Happiness Centre, or through an Amer centre (AED 100 extra). GDRFA asks for the partners' appendix, passport copies of the authorised signatories and, where a manager applies, a notarised authorisation. Later changes to the card go through GDRFA's digital channels only.
3. MOHRE establishment card. Log in with UAE Pass on the MOHRE website or app, or use a business service centre such as Tasheel, and register the owners, the authorised signatories and their signature samples, the activity and the location. Every owner and signatory needs a MOHRE personal identification number.
4. Work permit quota. MOHRE grants some quota automatically; for electronic quota it asks for evidence of work volume, the trade licence, a vehicle list where the activity needs one and a Ta'qeem (establishment evaluation) report. Our guide to company visa quota covers this step and later increases.
5. WPS and the first hire. Set up WPS registration with an approved agent before your first payroll, then start the employment visa: MOHRE work permit first, then the GDRFA entry permit.

MIRDXB PRO is a private PRO and visa services company in Al Barsha 1, Dubai. We prepare these applications and submit them through the MOHRE, Tasheel and GDRFA channels; we are not a Tasheel or Amer centre.

How much does it cost to open a labour file in Dubai?

GDRFA's page also states that the issuance or renewal fee is AED 100 per year, and MOHRE's figures exclude tax and collection charges, so confirm the total shown at payment. Amending the GDRFA card later is AED 100 plus VAT, with the same AED 20 and AED 50 fees. Our own fee is separate and quoted in writing before you commit.

How is a company's work permit quota decided?

Quota is the number of work permits your establishment is approved to hold. It is assessed on your office space, licensed activity and legal form, not on how many people you intend to hire.

MOHRE's quota service lists the official evidence: proof of work volume, a valid trade licence, a vehicle list where the activity needs one and a Ta'qeem report. Each profession must match the licensed activity, and the establishment must have no restrictions on its file.

What documents do you need to open a labour file?

How long does MOHRE establishment registration take?

The official times run from a complete application. The ranges are our working estimates: the gap between them and the overall total usually comes from the Ejari, signatory Emirates IDs, the Ta'qeem evaluation for quota and bank set-up for WPS.

Plan hiring around that. A candidate who resigns on Monday cannot start in two weeks if your establishment file does not yet exist.

Set it up right the first time

Three things are much cheaper to get right at registration than to fix later:

• Quota headroom. Apply for what your twelve-month plan needs, not just your first hire. Increasing quota later means a fresh application and often a bigger office.
• WPS registration. Set it up with an approved agent before your first payroll run, not after. Salaries are due on or before the 1st from your first month.
• The renewal calendar. Licence, Ejari, establishment card and partner Emirates IDs all interlock. Put them on one calendar on day one.

We handle all three as part of setup, then run them ongoing under a corporate PRO retainer so nothing lapses.

Labour file questions