Employer of Record UAE — Hire Employees in UAE Without Setting Up an Entity

An Employer of Record in UAE is a locally licensed company that legally employs your staff on your behalf. The EOR sponsors UAE work visas, runs WPS-compliant payroll, manages end-of-service gratuity and ensures full compliance with UAE labor law — while you direct the day-to-day work.

MasdarEOR’s UAE management fee starts from AED 1,277.50 per employee per month, with skilled expat roles in Abu Dhabi up to AED 3,200/month. This is separate from statutory costs like work permit (AED 6,300), mandatory medical insurance, and end-of-service gratuity. Onboarding is free, with a refundable one-month salary deposit. Contact MasdarEOR for a tailored UAE EOR quote.

Through MasdarEOR, in-country candidates can be fully onboarded in approximately 20 days, covering MoHRE application, Work Entry Permit, medical screening, UAE Residence Visa, and Emirates ID issuance. Outside-country candidates typically take around 33 days end-to-end, including GAMCA medical certification, Work Entry Permit/Visa issuance, in-country medical, residence visa stamping, and Emirates ID. Emirati Nationals can be onboarded in just 11 days. Health insurance enrolment runs in parallel and takes around 14 working days.

Yes. A licensed Employer of Record in the UAE can legally sponsor employment visas under its own mainland entity. MasdarEOR operates a direct mainland entity in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and processes work visas through MoHRE (Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation) and GDRFA (General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs). We handle the entire process end-to-end — Work Entry Permit, medical screening, UAE Residence Visa stamping, Emirates ID issuance, and mandatory health insurance enrolment — fully compliant with UAE labour and immigration law.

Setting up a UAE entity typically takes 4–12 weeks and costs around USD 10,000–35,000 in first-year fees, plus office lease, MoHRE establishment card, and visa quota commitments. An Employer of Record (EOR) like MasdarEOR has zero setup cost, no minimum entity requirement, and you can hire compliantly within days through our direct UAE mainland entity. EOR is ideal for testing the market, hiring small teams, or rapid expansion — while a local entity makes sense once headcount and operations justify the long-term investment.

Yes. MasdarEOR manages full Emiratization compliance for clients hiring in the UAE, including MoHRE quota tracking, Emirati hire registration on the MoHRE Tasheel/Tawteen platforms, and integration with the NAFIS program for eligible incentives. We also handle the mandatory pension contributions for UAE Nationals — GPSSA (15% employer + 11% employee) for Dubai-based Emiratis and ADPF (Abu Dhabi Pension Fund) for Abu Dhabi-based Emiratis. Our Emiratization fee is included in the management fee for Abu Dhabi hires and billed at AED 750/month for Dubai hires.

The Wage Protection System (WPS) is a mandatory electronic salary transfer system in the UAE, regulated by the Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation (MoHRE) in partnership with the UAE Central Bank, requiring all private-sector salaries to be paid through licensed UAE banks, exchange houses, or financial institutions. MasdarEOR processes 100% of EOR payroll through WPS-compliant channels, including SIF (Salary Information File) generation, bank transfers, and on-time MoHRE submission to prevent fines, work permit blocks, or visa restrictions. MasdarEOR also manages WPS-equivalent payroll compliance in Saudi Arabia (Mudad), Qatar, and other GCC countries through our direct in-country entities.

Yes. MasdarEOR regularly converts independent contractors and freelancers into fully compliant UAE employees under our direct mainland entity. For contractors working full-time or exclusively with one foreign company, employment via an EOR is the safest long-term structure — it eliminates misclassification risk, permanent establishment (PE) tax exposure, and labour law violations under UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. MasdarEOR handles the full transition: MoHRE work permit issuance, UAE Residence Visa, Emirates ID, mandatory medical insurance, WPS payroll, and end-of-service gratuity accrual — typically completed within 20 days for in-country candidates.

No. Masdar is a direct Employer of Record — we hold our own UAE establishment license and operate our own in-country team. We do not resell another provider’s license or aggregate third-party EORs.