Amer vs Tasheel 2026: Which Centre Handles What, Fees, Tawjeeh, Twa-fouq and ICP Typing Offices Explained

Amer vs Tasheel is the difference between Dubai’s immigration counters and the UAE’s labour counters: Amer centres submit residence and entry transactions to GDRFA Dubai, while Tasheel and the other MOHRE business service centres submit work permit, contract and labour file transactions to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. Amer and Tasheel centres look alike from the street: both take your documents, type an application and hand you a receipt. The difference between Amer and Tasheel is the system behind the counter. An Amer centre cannot issue a work permit, and a Tasheel centre cannot renew a residence. A mainland hire needs both, in order, and the Emirates ID sits with a third authority, ICP.

This guide maps Amer and Tasheel and everything around them: Tawjeeh and Twa-fouq, ICP’s centres and typing offices, and the domestic worker centres that grew out of Tadbeer. It sorts more than forty transactions into Amer or Tasheel (or neither), explains centre charges, lists the apps that replace the counter, and shows how to check a centre is authorised. For each authority in its own right, read our GDRFA guide, our complete guide to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and our comparison of ICP and GDRFA. Every figure was checked against official pages on 23 and 24 September 2026; where a page is silent or out of date, we say so.

Amer vs Tasheel at a glance

The first table sets Amer and Tasheel side by side; the second adds the other centres you will meet. Each row is explained below, with its source.

Amer vs Tasheel: how MIRDXB PRO helps

People rarely ask about Amer vs Tasheel out of curiosity. They have been sent from one counter to the other, or a file is stuck and nobody can say whether the block is on the labour or the immigration side, or two quotes differ for the same thing. We are a PRO and visa services firm in Al Barsha 1, Dubai. We submit MOHRE transactions through the business service centre system, GDRFA transactions through Amer, and ICP transactions for the other six emirates, so one office carries the file from the labour side to the immigration side. For the counter work itself, see our Amer centre services and our Tasheel and MOHRE services.

What we do

• Tell you where the transaction belongs before you queue: Amer or Tasheel, ICP, Tawjeeh, Twa-fouq, or an app.
• Check both records first: the MOHRE side (permit, contract, labour fines or bans) and the immigration side (residence, Emirates ID, fines).
• Run Amer and Tasheel files in order: hires, renewals, cancellations and status changes that need MOHRE first and GDRFA or ICP second.
• Explain the Amer and Tasheel receipts: government fee, centre charge and VAT on every line.
• Act for you if you are abroad, under a power of attorney.

How it works

1. WhatsApp us what you need, with your passport, visa or Emirates ID (companies: the trade licence).
2. We confirm the route: Amer or Tasheel (or ICP), the documents, the government fees and our fee.
3. You approve the written quote. We book any medical or biometrics.
4. We submit and follow up and send you every receipt and approval.

What it costs

Government fees are passed on at cost, exactly as on the Amer and Tasheel (or ICP) receipt, with the centre charge and VAT shown separately. Our fee depends on the transaction and the number of people, and it is quoted in writing before we start. Our general pricing approach is on the fees page.

Why residents and companies use us

• We publish our sources, and where official pages disagree we show both.
• We work on both sides, so a file that crosses between Amer and Tasheel does not fall between two offices.
• We tell you when you do not need us. Plenty of Amer and Tasheel transactions can be done on the MOHRE or GDRFA app, and we will say so.
• You can walk in. Our office is in Al Barsha 1, open by appointment; whatsApp us any time, 24 hours; office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 (Dubai time).

Why Amer and Tasheel exist: government services through private centres

The authorities that decide your case (GDRFA Dubai, MOHRE and ICP) put much of their public-facing work through licensed private centres, and Amer and Tasheel are the best known. The centre owns the shop, employs the typists and charges for the service. The authority sets the rules, supplies the system, approves the operator and sets or caps the charge.

The official pages say so. MOHRE describes Tawjeeh centres as “licensed by the Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation (MoHRE) to provide the governmental services”, operating “under the supervision and management of the ministry”, in a partnership with the private sector, and Twa-fouq centres in the same way. GDRFA Dubai runs a page headed “Apply for new Amer center” that is “dedicated to investors who want to open an ‘Amer Center'”, with a form that offers Bur Dubai or Deira as locations. ICP’s FAQ lists “authorized typing offices” as one of its four service channels, alongside its app, its website and its own customer happiness centres.

Three things follow, and they explain most of the confusion about Amer and Tasheel:

• A centre can only submit to the system it is connected to. An Amer centre is connected to GDRFA Dubai. A Tasheel or other business service centre is connected to MOHRE. Some operators run an Amer counter and a MOHRE counter in one building, which is why people think Amer and Tasheel are the same. They are two licences under one roof.
• Amer and Tasheel do not decide. A good typist spots problems early, but approval or rejection comes from the authority. A file “under process” is with GDRFA, MOHRE or ICP, not the centre.
• The centre’s charge is separate from the government fee. The fee is printed on the authority’s service card; the charge is the centre’s own, and VAT applies to it.

Amer centres: GDRFA Dubai’s immigration counters

Amer is the network of centres through which GDRFA Dubai (now officially the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai) takes immigration applications. If your residence was issued in Dubai (file number starting 2), or you are sponsoring someone into Dubai, Amer is one of your counters.

What an Amer centre handles

GDRFA’s service cards list “Amer Service Centers” as a channel for most residence services, next to the website, app and GDRFA’s customer happiness centres. That covers:

• Entry permits for employees, family and others sponsored in Dubai.
• Residence issue and renewal for employees, family, investors, partners, domestic workers and Golden and Green holders on Dubai files.
• Status change from a visit or tourist visa to residence without leaving the country (GDRFA calls it “Status Amendment”).
• Residence cancellation, inside or outside the country. GDRFA’s FAQ gives AED 190 for an individual sponsor inside the country “+ Amer Center Fees”, and AED 290 outside, “+ Amer Center Fees”.
• Return permits for Dubai residents who have been abroad for more than six months.
• Family sponsorship, from the sponsor’s file registration onwards.
• Data amendment, such as a new passport or profession on the residence.
• Company immigration files: the establishment card and PRO card.
• Fines and reports, such as immigration fines (GDRFA’s fine card lists Amer centres, including at Hatta land port) and a travel movement statement.
• Visit visa extensions, which the GDRFA FAQ prices at AED 810 per extension “+ Amer Centers fees” for the categories it lists.

What an Amer centre does not handle

• Anything on the MOHRE side. Work permits, job offers, contracts, quotas and labour files are Tasheel work.
• Residence files from other emirates, which are ICP’s.
• A card-only Emirates ID transaction. A Dubai residence application at Amer includes the Emirates ID, but renewing or replacing the card alone goes through ICP’s channels. Some operators also hold an ICP typing authorisation; ask which counter you are at.
• Labour complaints and disputes, which are MOHRE’s.

The Amer call centre: 800 5111

GDRFA’s contact page gives 800 5111 (inside the UAE), +971 4 313 9999 from abroad and amer@gdrfad.gov.ae. A GDRFA news item (February 2020) says the Amer contact centre answers enquiries 24 hours a day, tells customers which documents a transaction needs, and arranges appointments with officers. If you are unsure whether a Dubai transaction is Amer or Tasheel, or needs a GDRFA officer, call it. GDRFA also offers a video call service with officers.

What Amer charges

GDRFA does not print a public tariff of Amer charges on the pages we checked; its FAQ adds “Amer Center Fees” without a figure. The clearest evidence is a real receipt. On 4 September 2026, a GDRFA “Return Permit for Resident outside UAE More than 6 months” for three periods, filed through Amer, came to AED 622.50: AED 570 to GDRFA (application AED 100 × 3, smart fee 100, typing 100, admin 50, Innovation Dirham 10, Knowledge Dirham 10), plus AED 50 Amer charge and AED 2.50 VAT on that charge. Two things to notice: the government total already includes a “typing” line that GDRFA itself levies, and VAT was charged on the Amer line only.

Other transactions carry different Amer lines, and the payment screen is final. Ask for the itemised receipt and compare the government lines with the GDRFA card.

Amer centre or GDRFA customer happiness centre?

GDRFA cards list both. Amer centres are the everyday counters. GDRFA’s own customer happiness centres deal with cases that need the directorate’s staff (GDRFA’s headquarters is at Al Jafiliya, next to the Bur Dubai police station, opposite Al Jafiliya metro station), and the Amer call centre can arrange an appointment with an officer. If an Amer typist says a case “needs to go to the department”, an officer has to review it; ask why, or call 800 5111.

Tasheel and MOHRE business service centres: the labour counters

Tasheel is the name most residents still use for the centres that submit MOHRE transactions; in the Amer vs Tasheel pairing it is the labour half. MOHRE’s own pages and lists now speak of approved “business service centres” (its service cards say “Business Centers”) and, in the title of its published list, “MOHRE-Approved Business Services and Guidance Centers”. Many operators still carry “Tasheel” or “Tassheel” in their trade names, and MOHRE’s directory of approved centres includes such names. Whatever the sign says, the centre must be on MOHRE’s approved list; in any Tasheel vs Amer comparison, that approval is what matters.

How many there are and where

Gulf News reported on 10 November 2025 that MOHRE had published an updated list of 152 accredited business service centres: 73 in Dubai, 50 in Abu Dhabi (41 in the city, 8 in Al Ain and 1 in Al Dhafra), 8 in Sharjah (7 in the city and 1 in Kalba), 7 in Ras Al Khaimah, 6 in Ajman, 6 in Fujairah and 2 in Umm Al Quwain, with each centre’s details on the Ministry’s website. It also described Tawseel, a mobile service vehicle for senior citizens, pregnant women and people with disabilities; MOHRE’s page says to contact a centre on the Tawseel providers list.

What a Tasheel or business service centre handles

• Company labour files: opening, updating signatories and details, and classification (category 1, 2 or 3).
• Quota: requests for the number of work permits the company may hold.
• Job offers and work permits: new permits, renewals, amendments and every permit type (part-time, temporary, juvenile, family-sponsored).
• Employment contracts: preparing, amending and renewing the MOHRE contract.
• Cancellation of work permits and employment contracts, which comes before the immigration cancellation at Amer or ICP.
• Labour card records and worker protection lines on hiring sheets.
• Some domestic worker services (Gulf News), though specialist centres handle most.
• Submitting a complaint, which MOHRE then examines.

The AED 72 commission cap

MOHRE’s service card for the cancellation of work permits and employment contracts says: “Except for federal charges, the service is free of charge via MOHRE’s website and smart app”, and “Business Centers commission is capped at 72 dirhams”. The same cap appears on the card for a new domestic worker work permit. The cards also say the fees shown “do not include tax and collection charges”.

So at a Tasheel counter you pay the federal fee, up to AED 72 commission, and tax and collection charges. Real sheets can still show charges that look higher. An itemised Tasheel sheet for a Dubai hire that our UAE employment visa cost guide reconciles line by line carried AED 384.42 of transaction charges across five lines, including AED 216.80 on a job offer line whose fee was AED 50.36. Some lines on such sheets (insurance, ILOE, Tawjeeh) may not be MOHRE service packages at all. If a charge looks higher than AED 72, ask which part is MOHRE commission, or do the step yourself online.

Online instead of Tasheel: UAE PASS since October 2024

Since 18 October 2024, MOHRE’s online services for individuals require UAE PASS; establishments use company credentials or a signatory’s UAE PASS. For approving a cancellation, viewing a contract or checking a permit, the app beats a Tasheel queue and has no centre charge.

Tawjeeh centres: orientation, contracts and certificates

Tawjeeh (Arabic for “guidance”) is a separate kind of MOHRE-licensed centre, often confused with Amer and Tasheel. MOHRE’s page says its purpose is to “provide orientation and raise awareness of Labor Law among employers and employees to ensure a smooth flow of business in labor market”. It lists four services: orientation and awareness for employers, orientation and awareness for employees, “work contracts and work permits delivery services”, and “work certificates issuing services”. Tawjeeh material is available in 15 languages.

MOHRE says Tawjeeh centres are “available in all Emirates of UAE and in areas intensive with employees”. The page gives hours of “Saturday to Thursday from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM”; that wording predates the UAE’s 2022 change of weekend, so check a centre’s current hours before you go. A Tawjeeh line (for example the observed AED 152 “Tawjeeh services” line in our employment visa cost guide) can appear on a hiring sheet. MOHRE’s page does not publish a fee, so we do not state one as official.

In practice people also use Tawjeeh centres for MOHRE lookups, such as a labour ban check. For orientation or a work certificate, Tawjeeh is the one.

Twa-fouq centres: labour disputes

Twa-fouq (also written Tawafuq, “agreement”) centres are MOHRE-licensed centres for labour disputes in the private sector. MOHRE’s page says their role is to “ensure the provision of labor dispute services in as short period of time as possible and to reach a cordial settlement between both parties”. They examine complaints and make recommendations to MOHRE; they do not issue binding judgments.

The page lists nine centres: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Khor Fakkan, Kalba, Al Ain and Al Gharbia (Al Dhafra). It gives an average wait of 3 to 10 minutes, up to an hour for complex cases, service in three main languages with certified translators for others, and hours of Saturday to Thursday, 8:00 am to 8:00 pm (again, older wording; check before you go).

MOHRE’s labour complaint service card sets out what happens after a complaint is filed: the Ministry contacts both sides to try to settle it; if that fails, a meeting is scheduled and both parties are told by text message; if the dispute is still unresolved, “the complaint will be referred to the appropriate court”. The card gives 14 working days. The complaint is filed on the MOHRE app or website, through a centre or by phone; our guide on how to file a labour complaint with MOHRE walks through it, and our labour dispute service is the “we handle it” route. In the Amer vs Tasheel question, disputes belong to neither.

ICP customer happiness centres and authorised typing offices

ICP is the third authority, the one people forget when they think only of Amer and Tasheel. It issues every Emirates ID and handles residence files from the six emirates other than Dubai, where there is no Amer. ICP’s FAQ lists four channels: “The smart application on Android and iOS”, “The official website (Smart Channels)”, “Customer Happiness Centers” and “Authorized typing offices”.

Customer happiness centres

ICP’s centres list shows seven Dubai locations (Al Barsha, Alghazal, Al Rashidiya, Al Nahda, Alyalyis, the Al Baraha office and the Hatta office), thirteen in Abu Dhabi emirate (including Khalifa, Mussafah, Al Ain and the Al Dhafra offices), five in Sharjah, and centres or directorates in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. Some are marked relocated or closed for maintenance; check before you travel.

The Al Barsha centre, for example, is in Al Barsha 3 near Saudi German Hospital and is listed as open Monday to Thursday 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Friday 7:30 am to 12:00 pm and 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm. It handles Emirates ID issue, renewal and replacement, fingerprints and urgent card collection, which is why Dubai residents meet ICP even though their residence is GDRFA’s.

Authorised typing offices

An ICP-authorised typing office submits ICP applications: Emirates ID and residence files outside Dubai. u.ae says you can “apply for a new Emirates ID card through the website of ICP or through an accredited typing centre”. The ICP FAQ we checked does not publish a list of authorised offices or a cap on their charges. To confirm an office, ask it which ICP system it submits through and check the application number it gives you on ICP’s status page (ICP application numbers start with 010), or call ICP on 600 522222.

What ICP charges and what the office adds

ICP’s card fees are covered under the Emirates ID section below. A typing office adds its own charge and VAT, neither printed on the ICP card. For timelines and tracking, see how long an Emirates ID takes, biometrics appointments and checking your Emirates ID status.

Domestic workers services centres (Tadbeer): outside Amer and Tasheel

Hiring a maid, nanny or driver is a MOHRE matter, so it is neither Amer nor Tasheel in the usual sense. The counters are MOHRE-approved domestic workers services centres, for years branded Tadbeer.

The framework has changed. Gulf News reported on 1 March 2022 that MOHRE’s Decision No. 92 of 2022 set up a licensing regime for domestic worker recruitment agencies, with requirements including UAE citizenship for the licence holder, good conduct and a AED 500,000 bank guarantee or insurance alternative, and that residents may not use unlicensed agencies. MOHRE’s list of approved domestic workers services centres, published on u.ae (the version we read is dated 29 March 2023), names roughly 130 centres across the emirates, and some of them still have “Tadbeer” in their names. We did not find the decision’s full text on MOHRE’s site.

The fees are MOHRE’s. Its card for a new domestic worker work permit gives AED 5,335.75 for a resident, employer or investor sponsor in Dubai, AED 5,215 for the same category (one year) in the other emirates, less for UAE and GCC citizens, excluding tax and collection charges, with commission “capped at 72 dirhams”. The residence still goes through GDRFA or ICP. Our domestic worker visa service handles the whole file.

The difference between Amer and Tasheel, transaction by transaction

This is the Amer or Tasheel decision table. Find your transaction, read the counter, and check the online column first: many can be done on an app. “Amer” means a Dubai file; for any other emirate read “ICP” wherever the table says Amer. “Tasheel” means any MOHRE-approved business service centre.

Two patterns explain almost every row of the Amer vs Tasheel table. First, the job goes to MOHRE before the residence goes to GDRFA or ICP, whether employment is starting, changing or ending. Second, the Emirates ID is ICP’s in every emirate.

Amer and Tasheel on one file: a new hire in Dubai

The clearest way to see the difference between Amer and Tasheel is to follow one mainland hire: a candidate abroad, a Dubai mainland employer with a MOHRE labour file and a GDRFA establishment card.

1. Tasheel (MOHRE): job offer and work permit application. The candidate signs the offer and the employer applies. GDRFA’s work visa card makes MOHRE’s approval a condition, so nothing at Amer starts before it. Fees: AED 50 application and AED 250, 1,200 or 3,450 for two years, depending on the company’s category (Cabinet Resolution 21 of 2020; MOHRE card).
2. Amer (GDRFA): entry permit, or a status change if the candidate is already in the UAE.
3. After entry: medical and biometrics, at a DHA-approved centre and an ICP centre, not at Amer or Tasheel.
4. Tasheel (MOHRE): contract signed and work permit issued.
5. Amer (GDRFA): residence and Emirates ID. GDRFA issues the residence and ICP the card. Since 2022 there is no passport sticker; the Emirates ID carries the residence.

The order after entry can vary and steps may run in parallel, but MOHRE always comes first and the residence last: five stages, Amer and Tasheel, and three authorities plus the health authority. Our employment visa cost guide prices every line, and our employment visa service is the route if you want it done for you.

The Work Bundle: Amer and Tasheel steps in one request

On 11 March 2024 the UAE Government launched the Work Bundle, one platform for private-sector hiring. Digital Dubai says it cuts documents from 16 to 5, visits from 7 to 2 and time from 30 working days to 5, starting in Dubai through Invest in Dubai. The Work in UAE site (workinuae.ae) lists hiring, pre-renewal of work permits, and cancellation of permits and residence, with one UAE PASS login; it shows Dubai as live and the other emirates as “Coming Soon”, and also lists a domestic workers bundle.

For a Dubai mainland employer, the Work Bundle turns Amer and Tasheel into one screen; authorities and fees are unchanged. Many companies still have a centre or PRO operate it, because someone has to prepare documents and answer requests.

Outside Dubai: what replaces Amer

Outside Dubai the Amer vs Tasheel question becomes ICP vs Tasheel. ICP’s channels replace Amer: its customer happiness centres and directorate offices, ICP-authorised typing offices, the ICP website and the UAEICP app. The labour side is the same everywhere: MOHRE, its centres, and its website and app.

A Sharjah mainland hire follows the Dubai sequence with an ICP typing office in place of Amer. A Dubai resident working for an Abu Dhabi company deals with MOHRE and ICP, not Amer. The authority follows the emirate that issues the residence, not where you live; our ICP and GDRFA comparison explains the file-number test in full.

Free zones: often neither Amer nor Tasheel

Free zone authorities such as DMCC, JAFZA, DAFZA and IFZA issue their own employment cards or permits and handle residence through their own portals, which submit to GDRFA or ICP. A free zone employee usually does not need Amer or Tasheel. Moving to a mainland employer brings MOHRE, and so Tasheel, into the file. Our free zone and mainland comparison and free zone visa services cover this.

Where the Emirates ID fits in Amer vs Tasheel

The old version of this guide said Amer centres “process Emirates ID applications”. That is half right. For a Dubai resident the Emirates ID is part of the residence application at Amer or on the GDRFA app, so the card that comes with each residence starts at Amer. A card-only transaction is different. u.ae says a new card can be applied for “through the website of ICP or through an accredited typing centre”, and renewal through “customer happiness centres or the smart services system (website and the UAEICP application)”.

ICP’s cards give AED 100 per year of residence, AED 100 smart service fees, 5 days’ completion, AED 300 for a replacement and AED 150 for the urgent service at ICP’s own centres. Biometrics are taken only at ICP centres. For the details that belong to the Emirates ID itself, use our Emirates ID guides: processing times, delays after biometrics, name corrections and how the ID and the visa are linked. If you want the card handled for you, see our Emirates ID renewal or lost or damaged card services.

Amer and Tasheel fees: government fee, centre charge and VAT

Every Amer and Tasheel receipt mixes three kinds of money, and separating them is the fastest way to compare quotes.

• The government fee is printed on the service card and is the same at every centre and on the app. GDRFA’s often includes the Knowledge and Innovation Dirhams (AED 10 each) and its own “typing” and “admin” lines.
• The centre’s charge is its income: capped at AED 72 for MOHRE centres; “Amer Center Fees” without a published figure at GDRFA; not shown on ICP’s cards.
• VAT at 5% applies to the centre’s charge: AED 2.50 on the AED 50 Amer line below, nothing on the government lines. MOHRE’s cards say fees exclude “tax and collection charges”.

How to read an Amer or Tasheel receipt in five checks

1. Ask for the itemised receipt: fee, charge and VAT per line.
2. Compare the government lines with the service card. They should match to the dirham.
3. Find the centre’s line: no more than AED 72 at Tasheel; the “Amer” line at Amer.
4. Check the VAT: 5% of the centre’s charge, not of the government fee.
5. Keep the receipt; its application number tracks the file.

A quote that does not separate these lines hides how much is government money. Compare PRO quotes the same way: the government lines should be identical. Our list of UAE government fees for 2026 collects the card lines in one place.

Skipping the counter: apps and portals that replace Amer or Tasheel

Most standard Amer and Tasheel transactions have an online route. You save the charge and the trip, and lose someone checking the file first.

When a centre (or a PRO) is still the better choice

• The file has a history: a fine, ban, absconding report, data mismatch or earlier rejection.
• The transaction needs both Amer and Tasheel, such as a transfer or a cancellation with an unreachable sponsor.
• You are outside the UAE and need someone to act for you.
• You have no UAE PASS yet, or the company signatory is unavailable.

How to check that an Amer or Tasheel centre is authorised

Many businesses offer “Amer and Tasheel” typing. Some are authorised centres, many are intermediaries that take your documents to one, and a few are websites with official-sounding names. Here is how to tell.

Amer and Tasheel counters vs a PRO: not the same thing

An Amer or Tasheel counter (or an ICP office) submits the transaction you bring, one at a time, and its job ends at submission and payment. A PRO works for you across transactions and authorities: it works out what you need and in what order, checks your records, prepares documents, submits through the right channel, answers requests and follows the file to the end. Companies keep a PRO for recurring labour and residence files; individuals use one for a hard case.

You do not need a PRO for a simple app renewal. You may want one when a file crosses between Amer and Tasheel or something has gone wrong. Our guides on why companies use PRO services in the UAE and what PRO services cost go into the choice, and for businesses our corporate PRO service covers the recurring files.

Amer or Tasheel in practice: six cases, worked through

These cases are built from the situations we see most often. Names and identifying details are left out, and the figures are the published ones.

1. Amer or Tasheel for a resignation?

Situation: A Dubai employee resigned and was told to “cancel the visa at Amer”. Amer’s system would not accept it.

Position: Amer or Tasheel first? Tasheel: the MOHRE permit and contract are cancelled first, and the employee approves on the MOHRE app. Only then does Amer accept the residence cancellation. The employer’s step has no fee on MOHRE’s website and app, or up to AED 72 commission at a business centre; GDRFA’s FAQ gives AED 225 for a company sponsor inside the country plus the Amer charge.

Outcome: The MOHRE step was done online and approved the same day; Amer went through next morning. Our guide on cancelling an employment visa has the full sequence.

2. A Sharjah residence holder queuing at an Amer centre

Situation: A Dubai resident with a Sharjah-issued residence went to an Amer centre to renew it.

Position: A file starting 3 is ICP’s, so no Amer or Tasheel counter can renew the residence. It goes through an ICP typing office, an ICP centre or the UAEICP app; the MOHRE side goes to any business service centre or the MOHRE app.

Outcome: She renewed on the ICP app after her employer renewed the permit, with no counter at all.

3. Two Amer and Tasheel quotes that did not match

Situation: A Dubai company had two very different quotes for one hire, both “Amer and Tasheel charges included”.

Position: The government lines (MOHRE, GDRFA, ICP, medical) must be identical, so the gap is centre charges or service fee. We asked for itemised sheets.

Outcome: The cheaper quote had left out the medical and worker protection. Like for like, the gap was much smaller. Compare line by line, not by total.

4. A lost Emirates ID: not Amer or Tasheel

Situation: A Dubai resident lost his Emirates ID and went to Amer, since Amer handled his residence.

Position: A replacement is ICP’s (AED 300 on its card): UAEICP app, ICP website, typing office or ICP centre. Amer and Tasheel counters cannot do it.

Outcome: He applied on the ICP app. See our lost or damaged Emirates ID service if you want it handled.

5. An unpaid salary and a dispute that did not settle

Situation: An Ajman worker unpaid for two months asked a typing centre to “open a case”.

Position: The complaint is filed with MOHRE (app, website, a centre, 600590000 or 80084). MOHRE contacts both sides; without settlement a meeting is set, and then the court. No Amer or Tasheel counter decides it.

Outcome: Filed on the MOHRE app; no settlement at first contact, so it went to a meeting. Our guide to what to do when your salary is not paid covers the next steps.

6. A nanny: Amer or Tasheel?

Situation: A Dubai family wanted to sponsor a nanny already in the UAE: Amer or Tasheel?

Position: Neither, strictly: the permit is MOHRE’s, through an approved domestic workers centre or MOHRE e-services (AED 5,335.75 for a Dubai resident sponsor, commission capped at AED 72). Residence and Emirates ID follow through GDRFA and ICP.

Outcome: They used a centre from MOHRE’s list, checked the fees against the card, and the centre ran the immigration steps too.

What circulates online that is not true

How to verify every figure in this guide

Every Amer and Tasheel figure above can be checked at the source below.

What we will and will not do

We will tell you whether your transaction is Amer or Tasheel (or ICP) before you pay anything, check the MOHRE and immigration records first, submit through the right Amer, MOHRE or ICP channel, pass government fees on at cost with the receipts, quote our own fee in writing before we start, act for you under power of attorney if you are abroad, and tell you plainly when the app will do the job without us.

We will not promise an approval (only the authority decides), quote a government fee that is not on the official card or receipt, fold our fee into “government charges”, suggest a way around a ban, fine or rule, or ask for your UAE PASS password.

Related guides

• GDRFA Dubai: the services behind every Amer counter
• The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation explained
• ICP or GDRFA: which authority holds your file
• ICP smart services, step by step
• Every line of a UAE employment visa cost
• The 13 MOHRE work permit types
• Cancelling an employment visa, MOHRE first
• The labour card record and how to print it
• Tracking your Emirates ID
• What the establishment card is

Working out whether a transaction is Amer or Tasheel, and carrying it through MOHRE, GDRFA and ICP in the right order, is what our PRO services in Dubai team handles.