UAE visit visa, work permit or secondment: when may the person start work?

A UAE visit or tourist visa permits entry for its stated purpose; it does not authorise work, whether paid or unpaid. A job offer, secondment letter or group services agreement also does not replace the applicable UAE work permit. The person may start duties only after the permit and status required for the actual arrangement are active.

This guide owns comparison intent. The existing UAE work-visa service remains the transactional owner.

Route comparison

“Business visitor” describes a purpose of travel, not a universal permission to perform productive work. The factual activities, direction, host, duration, place of performance and benefit decide whether a work route is required.

Why a secondment agreement is not a permit

A secondment agreement can identify:

• the home employer and UAE host;
• reporting line and supervision;
• salary, benefits and cost recharge;
• duration and return;
• confidentiality, IP and data duties;
• liability, insurance and termination.

Those clauses regulate the entities and employee. They do not bind MOHRE or the immigration authority and cannot turn visit status into work authorisation.

For a group assignment, record who employs, directs and pays the individual, where services are performed, which entity receives the benefit and which entity files the permit. If the contract says one thing but daily work shows another, the authorities and a later dispute will follow the facts.

Temporary work permit

The current MOHRE temporary-work service is for a specified task during a specified period in a MOHRE-registered establishment. It currently states:

• permit duration: six months;
• federal fee: AED 50;
• stated completion time: two working days;
• application by the employer's authorised signatory;
• current-employer electronic approval, subject to the published labour-complaint exception;
• official job offer signed by employer and employee.

The AED 50 line is not the total cost of an assignment. Immigration, residence, insurance, professional licensing, document, service-centre, tax and collection items may sit elsewhere.

Mission or temporary permit?

The UAE Government describes a mission permit as the route for bringing a worker from outside the UAE for a short-term task or time-bound project. The temporary permit service is framed around employing a worker for a specified task and period and can require approval from the current employer.

The names should not be chosen by desired duration alone. Check:

1. whether the worker is outside or inside the UAE;
2. current residence and employer;
3. employing and host establishment;
4. task, project and duration;
5. role and professional licence;
6. mainland or free-zone jurisdiction; and
7. whether a transfer, part-time or another permit is the real route.

Lawful-start checklist

The employee should not start productive duties until all applicable items are confirmed:

• the employing establishment is eligible and its licence is valid;
• the role matches the licensed activity;
• the correct work permit is approved and active;
• the signed offer/contract matches employer, role, salary and term;
• entry or current immigration status supports the route;
• a required professional licence is active;
• residence, medical, insurance and Emirates ID dependencies are scheduled; and
• workplace, payroll and WPS obligations are ready.

Laptop access, onboarding, customer calls, coding, sales and delivery can be work even if no first salary has been paid. The UAE Government preparing-to-work guidance states that work on visit/tourist status is prohibited whether paid or unpaid.

Mainland and free-zone boundary

MOHRE rules cover the establishments and workers within its jurisdiction. Free zones use their own employment channels, while immigration, identity, medical and professional steps can involve other authorities. A MOHRE service card should not be copied as the universal free-zone procedure.

At the start, identify the actual employing entity and licensed location. A group brand or shared office does not answer that question.