Which employment documents must a UAE company keep for each employee?

Last updated: 5 November 2026

Why does a UAE company need a complete file for each employee?

Every mainland employee is tied to several government records at once: a contract registered with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), a work permit, a labour card, a residence visa and an Emirates ID. Each one has its own number, its own issuing body and its own end date. If one lapses and nobody notices, the employee can end up with a problem that the employer is expected to have prevented.

A complete file also protects the company. When a dispute, an inspection or a renewal comes up, the first question is usually "where is the document?" A file that holds the signed contract, the permit and the visa side by side answers that question in minutes rather than days.

This guide lists the documents, explains what each one proves, says who normally handles it and shows which ones need a renewal date in your calendar. It covers private-sector employees of mainland companies. Free zones have their own authorities and rules, so check with your free zone for those staff.

What happens between a job offer and the first working day?

The u.ae portal, quoting MOHRE, describes a fixed order: a formal job offer, a signed contract, a work permit and then the work visa. The offer must be written in Arabic and English, with a third language added if the worker asks for one, and it comes with an annex summarising the labour law.

The employer sends the offer to the worker. The signed offer is attached to the initial work permit application, MOHRE reviews it, and approval allows the worker to enter the UAE. On arrival both sides sign the offer again and it is registered with MOHRE as the binding employment contract. For a worker already in the UAE, the offer is signed before the employer applies for initial approval.

Before any of this, the employer needs an establishment card linked to its business licence and an electronic signature card from MOHRE. The u.ae page calls the signature card a prerequisite for work permits.

Which documents belong in every employee file?

The table below lists the core records. It combines the steps described on the u.ae recruiting pages with the employer duties in Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. Medical insurance is included because the decree-law places the cost of insurance and medical care on the employer, even though the u.ae recruiting steps do not list it.

Other items often sit in the same folder: the authenticated qualification certificates, a photo with a white background and, for some professions such as doctors, pharmacists, nurses and teachers, an approval letter from the relevant authority. Medical fitness test results belong here too.

What does the employment contract prove and what must it contain?

The employment contract is the central record. According to the u.ae employment pages, it must state the start date, the type of work, the workplace, the terms and conditions, the duration and the salary, and it must be based on the signed offer. It is submitted to MOHRE within 14 days of the employee arriving in the UAE, or from the date of the status change for a worker who is already in the country.

The same page says that under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 a contract is fixed-term and cannot exceed three years. It may be renewed for a similar or shorter term, as often as the parties agree. That makes the contract end date a renewal trigger in its own right.

Later changes are allowed only when the worker agrees, the worker's rights are not undermined and MOHRE approves. Keep every amendment with the original contract so the file shows the current terms and how they changed. Giving false information to the ministry can lead to fines of up to AED 20,000, so the registered contract and your internal copy should match.

What do the work permit, labour card and residence visa each show?

The work permit is MOHRE's approval to employ a specific worker. The u.ae page says it is valid for 60 days, and within that period the employer must pay the approval fees and a bank guarantee of AED 3,000 per employee. If it does not, the permit is cancelled automatically. The employer bears the guarantee, and it may be refunded after the employee's service ends and the labour card is cancelled. Fees and amounts change, so confirm them on the MOHRE website before you budget.

After the initial approval, the employer opens a company file with GDRFA, which allows it to obtain a work entry permit. The u.ae page gives this permit two months of validity. Inside that window the employee completes the medical fitness test, applies for the Emirates ID through ICP and obtains the labour card from MOHRE. The employer is the party that instructs and tracks these steps.

The residence visa follows once the documents are complete. It is based on the work permit and stamped in the employee's passport with its validity period. The labour card shows the worker is registered with MOHRE under your establishment. The visa shows legal residence. They are separate records with separate end dates, so store and track both.

How is the Emirates ID linked to the rest of the file?

Applying for an Emirates ID is mandatory for all citizens and residents, and for an employee it is one of the steps inside the two-month entry window. ICP handles renewals through customer happiness centres and its smart services. The u.ae page says a card can be renewed after it expires or up to six months before expiry.

Late renewal has a cost. If a card is renewed more than one month after expiry, a late fee of AED 20 per day applies, up to a maximum of AED 1,000. The Emirates ID is also tied to the visa: cancellation of the Emirates ID is linked to cancellation of the residence visa, and the sponsor, which for staff is the employer, submits the cancellation request.

For your file, record the 15-digit number and the expiry date, and keep a copy of both sides. The number follows the 784-YYYY-NNNNNNN-C layout described in our Emirates ID number format guide.

Who is responsible for which document?

The u.ae recruiting pages split the work clearly. The employer registers the establishment, obtains the signature card, applies for the work permit, pays the fees and guarantee and opens the GDRFA file. The employer then instructs the employee to complete the medical fitness test, the Emirates ID application and the labour card within the entry window.

The worker reviews and signs the offer, supplies a passport that is valid for at least six months, the photo and the qualifications, and attends the appointments. Responsibility for tracking does not move to the worker, though. In practice the employer holds the sponsorship, so the employer is the one who submits renewals and cancellations and the one who is asked for the paperwork.

On insurance and cost, Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 says the employer bears the cost of the worker's medical care in line with the legislation in force, and the expenses of insurances, contributions and guarantees defined by that legislation. MOHRE also monitors whether employers provide health insurance. Ask your insurer or MOHRE which cover applies to your staff.

Which dates should trigger a renewal or a review?

Each record in the file has an end date that should sit in a calendar with a reminder ahead of it. The dates to track are the contract end date, the residence visa expiry, the Emirates ID expiry, the passport expiry, the labour card expiry and the medical insurance renewal date.

Check the rules for each renewal on the issuing body's website, because periods and fees are updated. What the official pages do tell you is useful by itself. An Emirates ID can be renewed up to six months early. Late renewal fees start after one month. A work permit lapses if fees and the guarantee are not paid inside 60 days. A contract is fixed-term and renewable.

A passport that is close to expiry is easy to miss, because the visa is stamped in it and a new application needs a passport with at least six months of validity. Put the passport date in the same reminder list as the others.

What records are needed when an employee leaves?

Exit creates its own set of documents. Under the u.ae end-of-service page, a full-time worker with one year or more of continuous service is entitled to gratuity. It is based on basic salary only: 21 days for each of the first five years and 30 days for each year after that, and the total cannot exceed the wage of two years. Partial years count proportionally after the first full year. Days of unpaid absence are not counted.

The employer must pay outstanding wages, other entitlements and gratuity within 14 days of the end of the contract. Amounts the worker legally owes can be deducted from the gratuity under the conditions in the law. Keep the calculation, the payment proof and the signed receipt together.

At the worker's request and when the contract ends, the employer must also give an experience certificate free of charge. The decree-law says it states the start date, the end date, the full service period, the job title or type of work, the last wage and the reason the contract ended, and it must not include anything that harms the worker's reputation or job prospects. Finally, the permit and visa have to be cancelled, which cancels the linked Emirates ID.

How long must the employee file be kept?

Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 says the period for keeping a worker's file must not be less than two years after the date of the worker's end of service. The same law says claims about rights under it are not heard once two years have passed since the employment relationship ended. A file kept for the full period is therefore the evidence you would rely on if a claim arrives.

Do not delete the contract, the final pay records or the experience certificate copy as soon as the employee leaves. Mark the file with the end-of-service date and a "keep until" date, and then review it when that date arrives. Personal documents such as passport and ID copies should be handled carefully: restrict who can open them and remove access for people who no longer need it.

What should a per-employee file checklist include?

Use this list for each employee. Tick an item only when the signed or issued document is in the folder and its expiry date is recorded.

1. Offer letter, signed by both sides, in the required languages.

2. Employment contract as registered with MOHRE, with amendments.

3. Work permit and proof of fee and guarantee payment.

4. Work entry permit and the medical fitness test result.

5. Labour card, with number and expiry date.

6. Residence visa page of the passport, with expiry date.

7. Emirates ID, front and back, with number and expiry date.

8. Passport copy with the expiry date.

9. Medical insurance policy or card, with the renewal date.

10. Qualifications, photo and any profession approval letter.

11. Renewal and cancellation records.

12. End-of-service calculation, payment proof and experience certificate copy.

How does InstantDrive help with employee documents?

InstantDrive stores each employee's documents together, so the contract, permit, visa and ID sit in one place instead of across inboxes and phones. You upload a PDF or a scanned photo from your phone.

For Emirates IDs, a deterministic pattern engine reads the number and expiry date from the file first, with no language model involved. A vision AI model is used only as a fallback when text recognition confidence is below 90 percent. InstantDrive then names the file with the pattern DocCategory_EntityName_Identifier_ValidityDate.pdf. A made-up example is EmiratesID_SaraAhmed_784198512345671_2028-06-30.pdf. Because the validity date is in the file name, the files sort by when they expire.

An expiry radar lists the documents that are close to their end date, so a renewal is on your screen before it becomes a problem. Plans start at $9 per user per month, with a 30-day free trial and no credit card.

What does InstantDrive not do?

InstantDrive does not submit anything to MOHRE, GDRFA or ICP, and it does not renew a permit, visa or card for you. It does not verify a document with any authority and does not confirm that a card or contract is genuine or current. It reads fields from the files you upload and helps you keep them organised.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules, fees and periods change, and some details depend on the employee's category, nationality and company type. Confirm the current requirements with MOHRE (hotline 600 590000), ICP or a qualified adviser before you act.

Primary source: u.ae: Recruiting on the mainland (steps published by MOHRE)