Working in United Arab Emirates

Legal ways to work there

• Employer sponsored work permit and residency; the employer applies through MOHRE. Domestic workers are covered by Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 on domestic workers.

Your rights

• Charging recruitment fees to workers is illegal; recruitment, travel and residency costs are paid by the employer.
• Passport confiscation is prohibited, and workers do not need the employer's permission to leave the country.
• Health insurance paid by the employer (required in every emirate since 1 January 2025), and wages paid through the Wage Protection System.
• End of service gratuity after one year: 21 days' basic pay per year for the first five years, then 30 days per year, paid within 14 days of the contract ending.
• Before you travel you sign a job offer issued through MOHRE; your entry permit follows. After you arrive you sign the employment contract, which must match the offer you signed.

Pay floor

There is no general minimum wage for foreign private sector workers; pay is set by the contract registered with MOHRE.

Red flags

• Anyone asking you to pay for a job, a "visa slot" or a medical test booking before you have a real written offer.
• An offer without an interview, or a contract sent only by WhatsApp.
• An agent who is not registered with TaESA, or who asks to keep your passport.
• Being asked to repay visa or recruitment costs from your salary.

Where to get help

• MOHRE Labour Claims and Advisory Call Centre: toll free 80084.
• The Tanzanian embassy in Abu Dhabi.

Tanzanian embassy contacts

From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (official list) and each mission's own website, checked 5 November 2026. Call before you visit.