Who pays, the permit sequence, and your notice rights
FreeThe UAE is the one market on this list where the law says the employer pays for everything. Recruitment costs, travel, the permit, the residence: all of it sits with the company, and charging any of it to you is illegal. Most of what goes wrong for candidates here comes from not knowing that single sentence.
The rule that protects you, quoted exactly
"The costs of the recruitment and travel, as well as the expenses for obtaining your residency permit in the UAE shall be borne by the employer." And: "Charging recruitment fees to prospective employees is illegal in the UAE." Passports are covered too: "The confiscation of workers' passports is prohibited and workers do not require their employer's permission to leave the country."
u.ae, Protection of workers' rights, last updated 12 August 2026. Wages are enforced through the Wage Protection System under Ministerial Resolution No. 346 of 2022.
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Mainland or free zone, gratuity, and Emiratisation
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