UAE Job Offer Letter: What to Check Before You Sign

You got a job offer for Dubai. Before you sign, resign or buy a ticket, check it properly. A few minutes now can save you months of trouble. This guide explains the difference between a company offer letter and the MoHRE contract, and the items to check line by line.

Offer letter vs MoHRE contract

Most people see three documents during hiring.

MoHRE is the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, the federal labour ministry.

The UAE government portal u.ae explains the official process:

• The job offer contains the rights and obligations of both parties. It must come with an annex that summarises UAE labour law.
• The job offer must be in Arabic and English, plus a third language the worker understands. The list includes Hindi, Urdu and Tamil.
• The employer signs the offer electronically and sends it to the worker.
• The signed job offer is attached to the application for the initial work permit approval.
• The employment contract “should be based on the offer letter signed by both parties”. It must be submitted to MoHRE within 14 days of the worker’s arrival in the UAE.
• The employer is not allowed to alter or replace any provisions of the signed offer unless the employee consents and the change is within the law.

So the MoHRE offer matters most. Check it before you sign. If the company letter promised more than the MoHRE offer shows, ask why before you sign the MoHRE one.

Tip: UAE labour law says the contract is made in two copies, one for the employer and one for the worker (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 8). Ask for your copy and keep it.

Check 1: Salary and the salary split

Most UAE salaries are split into parts:

• Basic salary
• Housing allowance (if housing is not provided)
• Transport allowance (if transport is not provided)
• Other allowances (phone, food, site allowance)

Why the split matters: under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 51, end-of-service gratuity for full-time foreign workers is calculated on the basic wage. Gratuity is the end-of-service payment. The law sets it at 21 days’ basic wage for each of the first five years, and 30 days for each year after that.

Example: two offers both pay AED 6,000 per month in total.

Same monthly pay, but Offer A gives a bigger gratuity. Some overtime pay is also linked to the basic wage under the law.

Check 2: Housing

• Is housing provided by the company, or do you get an allowance?
• If provided: shared or single room? How many people per room? Where?
• If an allowance: is it enough for the area you will work in? Our sister site lists the cheapest areas to rent in Dubai with typical rents.

Check 3: Transport

• Is there a company bus? From where, and at what time?
• If an allowance, is it enough for your daily trip? Long trips from Sharjah or far areas can cost a lot of time and money.

Check 4: Working hours, days off and leave

• Daily hours and weekly days off.
• Shift work or night work?
• Overtime: when it applies and how it is paid.
• Annual leave. UAE labour law gives at least 30 days of paid annual leave for each year of service (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 29).

Check 5: Probation

Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 9, and u.ae set these rules:

• Probation cannot be longer than six months.
• You cannot be put on probation more than once with the same employer.
• If the employer ends your job during probation, it must give 14 days’ written notice.
• If you want to move to another UAE employer during probation, you must give at least one month’s written notice.
• If you want to leave the job and the UAE during probation, you must give 14 days’ written notice.

Check the probation length in your offer. Six months is the legal maximum, not a requirement.

Check 6: Notice period

Under Article 43 of the law, the notice period in the contract must be between 30 and 90 days, and it should be the same for both sides unless it favours the worker. A longer notice period makes it harder to switch jobs later. Many people prefer 30 days.

Check 7: Contract type and work pattern

The law allows several work patterns, including full time, part time, temporary and flexible work (Article 7). Make sure the offer shows the pattern you agreed. Check the start date and the contract term.

Check 8: Job title and employer name

• Is the job title the one you applied for? Your work permit is issued for this job.
• Is the employer the company you interviewed with, or a manpower supply company? Read how recruitment agencies in Dubai work to understand the difference.

Check 9: Costs

The law is clear. Article 6(4) says: “The employer is prohibited from charging the worker for the fees and costs of recruitment and employment or collecting them from him, whether directly or indirectly.”

So check that the offer does not say you will pay for:

• Work permit or visa
• Medical test in the UAE
• Emirates ID
• Recruitment or agency fees

Warning: If an offer letter asks you to pay a “visa fee”, “processing fee” or “deposit”, it is probably a scam. Read how to spot a fake job offer in the UAE.

Check 10: Verify the offer on MoHRE

Gulf News explains how to verify a job offer on the MoHRE website:

1. Open the official MoHRE website.
2. Go to Services, then Employee Services, then Transactions Inquiry Service.
3. Choose Enquiry for Job Offer.
4. Enter the transaction number from your offer, plus the other details the form asks for.

If the offer does not appear, it may be fake, or the employer may not have submitted it properly. Ask the employer before you go further. You can also contact MoHRE through its official website or app.

Before you resign or travel

1. Verify the offer on MoHRE.
2. Get your signed copy.
3. Wait for the work permit or entry permit before you resign or book flights.
4. Read our sister site’s guide on how to get a Dubai work visa for the visa steps after the offer.

If you are abroad, read find a job in Dubai from abroad next.