Article 6 makes two things absolute: no one may work in the UAE without a MOHRE work permit, and no employer may recruit or employ a worker without one. The permit is issued to the employer for a specific worker under a specific model — the pairing matters as much as the paperwork.
Since February 2022 the law recognises only fixed-term contracts. Unlimited-duration contracts no longer exist for new hires; the default term is up to three years, renewable by mutual agreement.
MOHRE issues twelve permit types keyed to the recruitment reality — the ones an employer touches most often are:
- Standard work permit — recruit a worker from outside the UAE.
- Transfer work permit — move a non-national worker between establishments.
- Dependent-residency permit — employ someone already resident on a family or spouse visa.
- Temporary work permit — a job whose nature or completion requires a specified period.
- Task work permit — a foreign hire recruited for a specific project with a fixed term.
- Partial (part-time) work permit — fewer hours than a full-time counterpart; a partial permit lets the worker take secondary work with other employers after further MOHRE approval.
- Juvenile work permit — for 15–18-year-olds under statutory restrictions.
Beyond permits, the law formally recognises six work models: full-time, part-time, temporary, flexible, remote, and job-share. Each has its own permit and contract template. Switching a worker between models mid-contract requires a fresh permit and a new signed contract; retroactive reclassification is not accepted.
Recruitment fees sit with the employer by law. Workers cannot be charged directly or indirectly for a job placement — whether by the employer, an in-country recruiter, or an overseas agent operating on the employer's behalf. Charging a worker any part of a recruitment cost is an explicit violation under Article 6, and the most common finding in a MOHRE inspection dispute.