Recruitment Agency Licence in the UAE 2026: MOHRE Categories, Fees, AED 300,000 Guarantee and Dubai Steps

In short: To open a recruitment agency in the UAE you need two things: a trade licence with a recruitment or labour supply activity from your economic department (in Dubai, the Department of Economy and Tourism), and an employment agency licence from MOHRE. MOHRE charges AED 25,000 for a mediation licence, AED 50,000 for temporary employment and outsourcing, or AED 75,000 for both, and it takes 10 working days once your file is complete. You must also give MOHRE a bank guarantee of at least AED 300,000 (mediation) or AED 1 million (outsourcing or combined), or an insurance scheme instead, and keep it in place while the licence is valid. The licence is renewed every year, and agencies may never charge workers for recruitment.

This guide is for founders who want to open a recruitment, placement or manpower supply business on the Dubai mainland, and for HR consultants who are not sure whether their work needs a MOHRE licence. Every fee and condition below comes from MOHRE’s service cards, the MOHRE-published texts of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 and Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, and Invest in Dubai’s activity register, all checked on 14 October 2026. For the article-by-article legal text, read our UAE labour law chapter on work permits, recruitment and work types; this page is the practical licensing playbook.

What counts as a recruitment agency under UAE law?

Article 6(3) of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 says it is not permissible to carry on “the activity of employment or mediation to recruit or employ workers” except with a licence from MOHRE. Article 9 of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, the law’s implementing regulation, then defines the two activities that make a business an “employment agency”:

An agency can hold either activity or both. A business that only advises companies on HR, without recruiting or supplying workers, is a different activity; our consultancy business guide explains where HR consultancy stops and recruitment starts.

Which MOHRE licence category do you need?

MOHRE’s “Issuance of a New License for Temporary Employment and Mediation Agency” service sets out three categories. These are the published federal figures:

MOHRE says the fees do not include tax and collection charges. Applying through the MOHRE website or app carries no extra service charge, and business service centres may charge a commission of up to AED 72. The new licence takes 10 working days and renewal takes 5 working days.

Which DET activity codes go on a Dubai trade licence?

MOHRE’s document list starts with an initial approval from the economic department, so the activity you choose on the trade licence matters. Invest in Dubai’s official activity register lists these under the group “Labour Supply and Employment Agency”:

All three are “Professional” activities, show MOHRE as the regulating entity, are marked as open to foreign ownership, and can be held by a sole establishment, a civil company, an LLC, a one-person LLC or a partnership. The register also shows a separate Medical Manpower Supply activity (7810003). As a rule of thumb, the two brokerage codes match MOHRE’s mediation category and the labour supply code matches temporary employment and outsourcing. Our Dubai mainland licence types guide explains how activity codes and external approvals fit together, and the initial approval guide covers the first DET step.

Who can own a recruitment agency?

MOHRE’s service card and Article 9(2) of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 set these conditions for the owner of a sole establishment or every partner in a company:

• No disqualifying conviction. No conviction for a crime involving moral turpitude or dishonesty, human trafficking, or a crime under the labour law, unless the person has been rehabilitated after a prison sentence, or one year has passed since a fine.
• No link to MOHRE staff. The owner or partners may not be MOHRE employees or their relatives up to the second degree, including a spouse, and the legal representative signs a written acknowledgement of this.
• No history of a closed establishment. The applicant may not own or be a partner in an establishment that was stopped for breaking the labour law, its regulation or related decisions.
• A real business address. The agency needs a clearly identifiable address used only for its business, unless MOHRE allows it to recruit electronically.
• A credit report from the competent authority for the applicant and each partner.
• A signed statement from the legal representative accepting the rules that govern agencies.
• The bank guarantee or insurance described below, for the whole life of the licence.

After licensing, any change to the licence details needs MOHRE’s written approval first, and the Minister can add further conditions by resolution.

How does the AED 300,000 or AED 1 million guarantee work?

Article 9(2)(b) of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 requires the agency to give MOHRE a bank guarantee “at all times throughout the validity of the licence”. The minimum is AED 300,000 for a mediation agency and AED 1 million for a temporary employment and outsourcing agency or for a licence that combines both activities.

• It must renew automatically, or the agency can provide an insurance scheme as an alternative.
• MOHRE can draw on it. The Ministry may use all or part of the guarantee or insurance to pay amounts the agency owes because it failed to meet its obligations or ignored MOHRE’s instructions and resolutions. In practice this is the workers’ safety net if wages go unpaid.
• It is not a fee. The guarantee is security held for MOHRE, not money paid to the government. Your bank sets its own terms and charges for issuing it, so ask for them before you sign a lease.
• It must stay valid. MOHRE’s amendment service asks for a valid, complete guarantee or insurance, and a guarantee is needed again if you add or remove an activity.

What documents does MOHRE ask for?

MOHRE’s new licence service lists nine documents:

1. Initial approval from the economic department
2. A diagram showing the location of the establishment
3. Copies of the licensee’s passport and Emirates ID
4. A copy of the company’s valid trade licence
5. An acknowledgement of the legal rules governing agency activities
6. Credit reports
7. A valid police clearance certificate
8. A certificate of financial solvency
9. The licensee’s property report

MOHRE’s amendment service describes the solvency certificate as a bank statement and the property report as one issued by the Land Department, which suggests what to prepare. Because the list includes both the DET initial approval and a valid trade licence, plan the DET and MOHRE steps together and confirm the order with both authorities when you start.

How do you get a recruitment agency licence in Dubai, step by step?

How much does it cost to open a recruitment agency?

MOHRE publishes its own lines; the DET trade licence, office rent and visa costs depend on your setup and are not repeated here. Our mainland setup cost guide lists those government fees with sources.

Illustrative first-year MOHRE lines (not a quote)

This example uses only MOHRE’s published figures and leaves out tax and collection charges, bank charges, the DET licence, rent and visas.

The guarantee is the line most founders underestimate: a mediation agency must tie up at least AED 300,000 with its bank before it can trade, and an outsourcing agency at least AED 1 million.

What rules apply once you are licensed?

The licence is renewed every year, and MOHRE checks that you still meet every condition (Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 9(3)). Day to day, the key duties are:

• No fees from workers. Article 6(4) of the Decree-Law bans charging workers recruitment and employment fees, directly or indirectly. When MOHRE announced its 2022 Ministerial Decision on licensing and regulating employment agencies, it said agencies may not collect any amount, commission or fee from workers, and that the Ministry may require repayment of amounts a worker paid.
• Written contracts and records. MOHRE’s announcement says contracts with workers, employers and beneficiaries must be in writing, records must be kept for at least two years, and statements must be submitted to the Ministry every quarter.
• Repatriation and liability. A mediation agency returns the worker to the recruitment country at its own expense, and agencies are liable for damage from breaking their agreements, including workers who fail medical fitness or lack the qualifications promised.
• Outsourcing limits. An outsourcing agency must sign a contract with each beneficiary, may not supply workers to a beneficiary that MOHRE has administratively suspended, may not pass workers to another temporary employment agency, and must tell MOHRE about any breach of workers’ rights, health or safety by the beneficiary (Article 9(4) and (5)).
• Unlicensed partners are off limits. MOHRE’s announcement bars agencies from working with unlicensed persons or agencies, in the UAE or abroad.
• Pay on time. Non-payment of workers’ wages is a ground for suspending or revoking the licence, so run payroll through the Wage Protection System like any other employer.

Renewals, branches and changes

What happens if an agency breaks the rules?

Under Article 9(7) of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, MOHRE may temporarily suspend or revoke an agency licence if a licensing condition is no longer met, documents or data were false, the agency is involved in any form of forced labour or human trafficking, workers’ wages are not paid, or other MOHRE conditions are broken. The Decree-Law’s penalties also apply:

The guarantee can also be drawn down to cover what the agency owes.

Recruitment agency, domestic worker agency or HR consultancy?

• Company recruitment agency (this guide). Places or supplies workers for private sector establishments under Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 and Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022.
• Domestic worker recruitment agency. A separate regime under Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 on domestic workers and Ministerial Resolution No. 676 of 2022, with its own MOHRE operating manual (Administrative Decision No. 5 of 2024). If you want to supply housemaids or nannies, do not rely on the figures above. Families hiring a maid can read our maid visa page.
• HR consultancy. Advice on HR, manpower planning or training, without recruiting or supplying workers, sits under a consultancy activity and does not need the MOHRE agency licence.

Illustrative scenarios

These are illustrative examples to show how the rules apply. They are not real client cases.

• Example 1: an executive search boutique. Two partners want to place managers with Dubai companies and never employ the candidates. They choose Employment Brokerage Office Services (7810002) and a MOHRE mediation licence: AED 25,000 plus a guarantee of at least AED 300,000.
• Example 2: a facilities labour supplier. A founder wants to employ cleaners and security guards and place them at client sites. That is temporary employment and outsourcing, so the activity is On Demand Labors Supply (7820001), the MOHRE fee is AED 50,000 and the guarantee is at least AED 1 million. The workers’ employer is the agency, so the agency issues their permits and pays them through WPS.
• Example 3: an HR consultant who starts placing staff. A consultancy licensed only for HR advice begins charging clients placement fees for candidates. That is mediation, so it needs the recruitment activity and a MOHRE agency licence before it continues.

Can you set it up while living abroad?

Partly. MOHRE’s agency services run online with UAE Pass or a username and password. But MOHRE’s file asks for the licensee’s Emirates ID copy, a valid police clearance certificate, a property report and a real business address, and the bank guarantee or insurance has to be in place before the licence is issued. Founders in the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand should plan for at least one trip to Dubai. We work in person in Dubai only, at our Al Barsha 1 office, and our business setup service covers the trade licence and visa side.

Common mistakes

• Starting to place candidates on a consultancy or general trade licence without a MOHRE agency licence.
• Choosing a placement-only licence and then supplying workers to clients, which is outsourcing and needs the higher guarantee.
• Budgeting for the AED 25,000 fee but not the AED 300,000 guarantee.
• Charging candidates “processing” or “visa” fees, which the law bans.
• Using a shared or virtual address when MOHRE wants an identifiable office used only for the business.
• Working with unlicensed recruiters abroad.

Questions people ask