Is it allowed to work on a tourist visa in Dubai?

Every year, thousands of people come to Dubai for employment or vacation. Many people think that working and living in Dubai is a sign of success and prestige.

Unfortunately, many of them are blinded by alluring employment offers and don’t realise that they could get into huge difficulty.

It’s crucial to know that you can’t work in the UAE on a tourist visa. The Emirati government has strict rules about how people can work there.

You will be interested on: UAE Work Visa

Working in the United Arab Emirates

Without a work permit: flee!

Foreigners (those who are not from the UAE) need a work permit and a residency visa in order to lawfully work in the UAE.

If you want to work in the UAE without a job contract and on a tourist visa, you should go away.

Some UAE-based organisations take advantage of the fact that tourists to Dubai are on tourist visas by telling them they can acquire a job there.

How the law treats tourists is pretty clear. No one can work in the country if they are there on a tourist visa.

Many travellers find themselves in this predicament every year, which is sad. Most of the time, a corporation will tell an employee on a tourist visa that they will be able to work and live there, but when the tourist visa runs out, they will tell the employee that they cannot give them a work visa.

The biggest difficulty is that the visitor may go to the police station and get the employer in trouble, but the illegal worker could also be kicked out of the country.

This is why this kind of behaviour, which is against the law, is still common since no one gets in trouble for it.

In Article 11 of Federal Law No. 6 of 1973, it says that a foreigner with a visitor’s visa can’t work anywhere in the country, for pay or for free.

There is no question that a tourist visa can’t be used to work in the UAE.

Keep reading: How to get Permanent Residency in the UAE

Illegal workers will not go unpunished

What companies risk: heavy fines

Those who don’t follow the rules face quite serious consequences.

Federal Decree No. 7 of 2007 says that a company that hires a person with a visitor’s visa will have to pay a fee of AED 50,000 per worker if the MoHRE finds out.

This order says that a corporation that hires someone on a tourist visa will have to pay a fine of AED 50,000 per worker. If the corporation does it again, the penalty will go up to AED 100,000.

What visitors risk: a lifetime ban from the UAE!

No one can work if they are in the country on a tourist visa. Some people who break the law and get caught are sent away right away and can never come back to the Emirates again. This is true for all seven Emirates.

The Emiratis, on the other hand, might spend six months in jail.

The normal recruitment process

There are laws that spell out how to hire people in both the public and private sectors. The employee will get a letter of employment that both the employer and the employee will need to sign. Next, the employee will sign the employment contract, and then the employer will get the work permit and work visa.

• Job Offer Letter

The first stage in the hiring process is the employment offer letter. This document has all the basic information on how to hire people.

Once a contract is signed, it can’t be changed unless both sides agree.

• Validation by the Ministry

The MOHRE must sign off on this letter of employment for it to be valid.

For the offer of employment to be legal, the employer must make sure that the employee has read and understood all the parts of it. If it turns out that a worker didn’t have access to the annexes before signing the employment contract, the company is fined AED 20,000 for giving MOHRE the wrong information.

• Employment contract in the United Arab Emirates

Both parties sign the employment contract. It shows that the employee is willing to work for his boss and do what he tells him to do in exchange for money. The job offer letter lists the things that are in the employment contract.

• Work permit or residence permit

Then, your employer will provide you with a work permit and a visa to live there.

Keep in mind that for some jobs, you will need to get your diplomas legalised and certified at the UAE consulate in your home country. Then, you’ll need to go to the MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) of the Emirates to get your diplomas signed off.

• Keep your passport!

You’ve probably heard countless stories of bosses who keep their workers’ passports and keep track of everything they do.

You have the right to keep your passport with you. In the UAE, it is against the law to keep someone else’s passport against their will. Your future boss can’t ask you to give him your passport so that he can keep it. They can only keep it if the worker gives them formal permission.

As a PRO, our team will take care of the paperwork for you and your employees to get resident visas.

Our firm can help you set up a business in the UAE, and our partner, Blackswan, can help you with any labour or commercial legal difficulties.

Blackswan works with a local law firm on all legal matters, so they will be able to help you with your plans.

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