A mainland company registered with the labour ministry pays AED 250 to AED 3,450◆ to issue or renew each work permit, depending on its classification. A free zone company does not use that permit: Meydan Free Zone says hiring and visas there are managed by the free zone authority◆, and it charges a visa allocation of AED 1,850 per visa◆ plus AED 3,500◆ for the visa, AED 5,350 per hire before the medical test and Emirates ID.
General information about fees, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Confirm the amount with the authority before you pay.
Mainland or free zone: who issues the permit?
The UAE has two hiring systems, and the fee lines follow them. Companies licensed on the mainland register with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE), which issues work permits to establishments registered with it. Companies licensed in a free zone hire through the zone.
Meydan Free Zone puts it directly: on the mainland, hiring is governed by MoHRE; in Meydan Free Zone, MoHRE rules do not apply, and hiring and visas are managed by the free zone authority◆. DMCC describes the same arrangement for its companies. An employment residence visa there is issued and sponsored by the free zone authority, not the employer◆, and the last step of the process gives the employee a residence visa and an employment card◆.
So a free zone quote should not carry a MoHRE work permit line. If one does, ask what it is for.
Hiring on the mainland: the MoHRE work permit
The UAE government portal puts the cost of issuing or renewing a work permit at AED 250 to AED 3,450◆. Where a company lands in that range depends on its classification, which is A, B or C◆. Two mainland companies can pay very different amounts for the same hire because of the class they sit in.
A new company has no history yet, so ask the consultant which class they expect and which end of the range their quote assumes. The permit is only the labour side of the hire; the residence visa, medical test and Emirates ID follow it, and the portal's work permit page does not price those.
Hiring in a free zone: quota, then visa
In a free zone the equivalent lines come from the zone. Meydan lists a visa allocation of AED 1,850 per visa◆ and an employment visa at AED 3,500◆. The allocation is the right to sponsor one person under your licence; the visa is the processing for that person. Both are paid for each hire, which is where the AED 5,350 above comes from.
Show the numbers as a table
| Item | Amount (AED) |
|---|---|
| Employment visa | AED 3,500 |
| Visa allocation (quota), per visa | AED 1,850 |
| Medical test and Emirates ID (estimate) | AED 2,000 to 2,500 |
Source: Meydan Free Zone setup and running-cost pages, checked 16 September 2026
Zones cap the number of allocations a licence can hold. Meydan allows up to six◆ under one licence, so a team that will grow past that needs a different licence or workspace arrangement, and that decision is cheaper to make before the first hire than after the sixth.
| Line | Mainland company | Meydan Free Zone company |
|---|---|---|
| Permission to employ | MoHRE work permit, AED 250 to AED 3,450◆ | Visa allocation, AED 1,850 per visa◆ |
| Employment visa | Not priced on the work permit page | AED 3,500◆ |
| Medical test and Emirates ID | Not priced on the work permit page | AED 2,000 to AED 2,500◆ (Meydan's estimate) |
| At renewal | The permit fee covers issuing or renewing | Visa costs apply again at renewal◆ |
The owner's visa and the family
If you are the owner, your own visa is usually an investor or partner visa rather than an employment visa. Meydan gives that at around AED 4,000◆, a rounded figure it words as an approximation. It still needs an allocation, because it uses one of the licence's visa slots.
Dependent visas are the line that changes a budget most. Meydan puts a dependent visa at around AED 6,000 per person◆, also an approximate figure. For a spouse and two children that is three visas on top of your own, which can cost more than the licence. If your family is moving with you, count them in the first-year budget from the start.
What comes back every year?
Hiring costs recur. The MoHRE fee is quoted for issuing or renewing a permit, and Meydan's running-costs article says visa costs apply again at renewal◆. The renewal guide lists everything that repeats.
Where the published figures stop
Not every zone publishes visa detail. The RAKEZ Biz Starter page gives a package price, but its visa allocation is not stated◆. IFZA's prices are not published◆ on its homepage, and DMCC's are not published◆; it sends visitors to a setup wizard instead. For those zones a consultant's written quote is the only number available, so ask for each line separately.
Online guides also repeat an age-based work permit surcharge for older workers. We could not find it on a government page, so it is not printed here. If you are hiring someone near retirement age, confirm the fee with MoHRE or your free zone before you make an offer.
Questions to ask about any hiring quote
- Is the company mainland or free zone, and does every line match that?
- For a mainland company, which classification does the permit fee assume?
- For a free zone company, is the allocation priced separately from the visa?
- Are the medical test and Emirates ID included for each person?
- What will the same hire cost again at renewal?
Common questions
Does a free zone employee need a MoHRE work permit?
Not in a zone like Meydan, which says MoHRE rules do not apply there and that hiring and visas are managed by the free zone authority◆. The MoHRE permit at AED 250 to AED 3,450◆ is for companies registered with the ministry.
What does one employee cost in the first year at Meydan?
The allocation and visa come to AED 5,350. Adding Meydan's estimate for the medical test and Emirates ID gives AED 7,350 to AED 7,850, before salary, health insurance or any consultant's fee.
Can I hire more than six people on one Meydan licence?
Meydan allows up to six◆ allocations under one licence. For a bigger team, ask the zone which licence or workspace arrangement lifts that limit and what it costs.
Is the owner's visa cheaper than an employee's?
Not at Meydan. Its investor visa is around AED 4,000◆ against AED 3,500◆ for an employment visa, and both use a visa allocation.