MOHRE establishment categories (1, 2, 3) and permit fees

MOHRE places every private establishment registered with it in one of three categories (u.ae calls them A, B and C). The category reflects how well the company complies with the labour law, the Wages Protection System (WPS), MOHRE decisions, workers' rights and the policy on cultural and demographic diversity; companies with a history of violations are placed in Category 3. The category decides the main work permit fee. For a two-year permit to recruit from abroad or to transfer a worker from another company, MOHRE's service cards show: application AED 50 for all categories, then issuance AED 250 for Category 1, AED 1,200 for Category 2 and AED 3,450 for Category 3. Many other permits (temporary, mission, part-time, juvenile, student, Golden Visa holder, national trainee, modification) have a flat federal fee of AED 50, and the UAE national / GCC citizen permit has no federal fee. Business service centres may add a commission capped at AED 72 per service, and the fees exclude tax and collection charges; the same services are free on the MOHRE website and app apart from the federal fee. MOHRE may refuse or cancel permits if a company gives false documents, is fictitious or does not follow WPS. A company can improve its category by staying compliant. If you are an employee, ask your employer which category the company is in before comparing prices with friends. The official fee tables are in Cabinet Resolution No. 37 of 2022 (in force since 1 June 2022), which has three categories only; older lists with sub-categories such as 2A-2D are no longer valid.