A job offer contains a detailed description of the rights and obligations of both parties in accordance with the UAE Labour Law, in addition to the terms and conditions of employment.
The job offer must be provided in Arabic and English, as well as in a third language that the worker understands. It must be accompanied by an annex (available on the MoHRE’s website), containing a detailed outline of the provisions of the UAE Labour Law.
The employer must sign the job offer electronically and send it to the worker in their home country either directly, through a recruitment agency, or via any designated entity, for review and approval by the worker. Workers must provide their signature if they are employed in professional levels 1, 2 or 3. Fingerprint is accepted if they are employed in levels 4 and 5.
Employers must ensure that workers have read and understood the job offer before signing the employment contract, as providing false information to the ministry can result in fines of up to AED 20,000.
Initial work permit
The signed job offer must be attached to the application for initial work permit approval, which is reviewed by MoHRE to ensure all required documents are complete. This approval allows the worker to enter the UAE.
Upon arrival, both the employer and worker must sign the job offer, which is then officially registered with MoHRE as a legally binding employment contract. No clause in the contract may be replaced or amended as long as:
When the worker is in the UAE
The same procedures apply when the worker is already in the UAE. The worker must sign the job offer before the employer can apply for initial approval to employ him/her.
An employment contract is a document signed between the employer and the employee under which the worker undertakes to perform duties under the employer’s supervision, in return for wages paid by the employer. The contract must specify the start date, type of work, workplace, terms and conditions, duration and salary.
The employment contract should be based on the offer letter signed by both parties and must be submitted to MoHRE within 14 days of the employee's arrival in the UAE or from the date of the status change if the worker is already in the country.
Under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Employment Relationships (UAE Labour Law), an employment contract must be for a fixed term not exceeding three years. Employers and workers may agree to extend or renew the contract for a similar or shorter term, as many times as they desire.
Language of employment contract
Job offers, employment contracts and annexes are usually provided in Arabic and English. Since 2016, MoHRE approved a third language to be added, upon the request of the worker, with the aim of reducing labour disputes and fostering a clear and fair relationship between the new worker and the employer.
The third language may be chosen from among the following 9 options: Bengali, Chinese, Dari, Hindi, Malayalam, Nepalese, Sinhalese, Tamil and Urdu.
This applies to workers coming from outside and those residing in the UAE that are seeking a new job, or moving from one company to another.
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04 Sep 2025
