Jenny Hunt
- 3 min read

How To Calculate The Cost Of Work Permits When Processing Visas in Abu Dhabi

6th November 2018

Calculating the cost of work permits is a crucial part of calculating the total cost of an expat employee`s visa in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Work Permits are now linked to a classification system, based upon a company’s number of employees, the level of their employee’s skills and the cultural diversity of its staff. Companies fall in to one of six (6) categories. UAE-based companies should be aware of these fees as it affects the costs of processing visas for their employees.

The cost of a work permit for each category is as follows:

Category 1: AED300 (skilled and low-skilled employees);

Category 2A: AED1,200 (low skilled) and AED500 (skilled);

Category 2B: AED2,200 (low skilled) and AED1,000 (skilled);

Category 2C: AED2,700 (low skilled) and AED1,500 (skilled);

Category 2D: AED3,200 (low skilled) and AED2,000 (skilled)

Category 3: AED5,000 (skilled and low-skilled employees).

Please check the table below to identify your company’s category:

Company Categories For Work Permits

Category 1

Youth support entities

Category 2A

Organisations with over 10 employees and the cultural diversity is over 50% and over 40% of the employees are skilled

Category 2B

Organisations with 1-3 employees or 4-10 employees and the cultural diversity is more than 50%
Organisations with over 10 employees and the cultural diversity is over 5% and 10-40% of the employees are skilled

Category 2C

Organisations with over 10 employees and the cultural diversity is over 50% and 5-10% of the employees are skilled

Category 2D

Organisations with 4- 10 employees and the cultural diversity is less than 50%

Organisations with over 10 employees and the cultural diversity is over 50% and less than 5% of the employees are skilled

Organisations with over 10 employees and the cultural diversity is less than 50%

Category 3

Companies violating the Labour Law more than 10 times
The more culturally diverse the business and the more skilled workers employed results in cheaper Work Permit Fees.
Abu Dhabi companies should also bear in mind that as they expand they will automatically move into a different category and the fees will change.

How can Gateway Group help with your work permits and visas

Gateway Group processes employment visas for your expatriate staff and their also visas for their dependents. Our mantra is speed of implementation, so you can be sure that your team will be legally able to work as quickly as possible and their families' visas will be taken care of, thus reducing the anxiety associated with organizing visas and ensuring that your employees can focus on their job and not the unecessary distraction of what is happening with their visa.

Organizing work permits is part of the visa process. However, this will also need to be arranged in the instances that your organisation is employing staff who only need a Labour Card because their visa is sponsored by a family member or they are Emirati nationals. For peace of mind that your organisation's visas will be professionally managed, email us: info@GatewayToUAE.com

Written by Jenny Hunt, Founding Partner & CEO

Gateway Group of Companies, Abu Dhabi & Dubai UAE