EOR & Payroll · United Arab Emirates
Hire full-time employees in the UAE without setting up a trade licence or local entity. Hemiton Global manages WPS compliance, MOHRE contracts, Emirates ID, mandatory health insurance, end-of-service gratuity, and Emiratisation advisory — every employee live in 7–10 days.
Updated with the latest United Arab Emirates regulatory requirements — researched and applied before effective dates, not after.
Mandatory electronic salary transfer via MOHRE-approved banks. WPS covers all private sector — expanded to domestic workers April 2025. Missed payments freeze new work permits within 17 days.
21 days/year for first 5 years, 30 days/year thereafter under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. Provisioned daily from day one — no surprise exit cost.
2% annual increment target toward 10% Emirati skilled-role headcount by end 2026. AED 108,000/year fine per unfilled position. Companies with 20–49 staff in IT, finance, engineering must hire at least 2 Emiratis. MOHRE uses AI-powered monitoring — 1,818 companies fined in 2025.
AED 6,000/month minimum wage for Emirati employees from January 2026. All existing Emirati staff must be adjusted by June 30, 2026. Non-compliance after July 2026 triggers work permit suspension.
Legal employer obligation in Dubai (DHA) and Abu Dhabi (HAAD). All employees enrolled from day one. Group plan rates managed by Hemiton Global.
DIFC uses Employment Law No. 2 of 2019 — distinct from mainland Federal Labour Law. ADGM has its own framework. Hemiton manages free zone and mainland employees under the correct authority.
Research-backed, current — not generic EOR content. These are the specific regulatory changes and enforcement patterns affecting employers in United Arab Emirates in 2026.
From January 2026 a minimum wage of AED 6,000/month applies for Emirati employees. All existing staff must be adjusted by June 30, 2026. Non-compliance after July 2026 triggers work permit suspension and fines.
Hemiton updated all UAE client payroll for the AED 6,000 Emirati minimum before the January 2026 effective date.
WPS coverage expanded in April 2025 to include domestic workers — meaning every private sector employer must process all payroll through WPS-approved channels regardless of employee type.
Our WPS system covers all employee categories since the April 2025 expansion.
Under MOHRE’s expansion, companies with 20–49 employees in IT, financial services, and engineering must now hire at least two Emirati nationals. Previously the Emiratisation quota only applied from 50+ employees.
Hemiton tracks Emiratisation obligations for both large and mid-size UAE employers — alerts before deadlines, not after fines.
Misclassifying UAE employees as contractors under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 triggers fines, visa violations, and MOHRE penalties. MOHRE actively enforces the distinction between employment and contracting.
EOR removes entity risk entirely — your team works for you, we are the compliant legal employer.
One flat monthly fee per employee. Every compliance obligation, every filing, every benefit — managed end-to-end.
Bilingual Arabic/English contracts filed with MOHRE or the relevant free zone authority — compliant with Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021.
Monthly salary disbursement through WPS-approved channels in AED — SIF file generated and submitted on time, every month.
21 days/year (first 5 years), 30 days/year thereafter — provisioned daily, accurate exit settlement every time.
Work permits, entry permits, medical checks, Emirates ID registration, and residence visa — all under our UAE licence.
Dubai (DHA) and Abu Dhabi (HAAD) employer-obligated cover enrolled from day one.
Quarterly quota tracking, sector-specific targets, and proactive alerts — AED 108,000 fine never arrives unexpectedly.
Pension contributions for Emirati employees — registered and filed monthly with GPSSA at correct rates.
Keka, Greythr, Asentis, SAP, Zoho — your India or global HRMS feeds UAE payroll automatically via API.
One specialist for your UAE account — same-day responses, proactive compliance alerts, always the same person.
We’re headquartered in India with UAE operations — ideal for Indian companies expanding to UAE and UAE companies needing India teams. One partner, both markets, both directions.
UAE payroll since 2019. Zero MOHRE penalty record. WPS never missed. Emiratisation tracked. Gratuity provisioned correctly every month.
Mainland or free zone, expat or Emirati — first employee live in 7–10 days from a signed offer letter. No entity setup, no 3-month wait.
Indian companies on Keka or Greythr don’t change HRMS for UAE payroll. We integrate bidirectionally — your India HRMS feeds UAE payroll automatically.
One specialist for your full UAE account — knowing your visa pipeline, gratuity provisioning, and Emiratisation position. Not a ticket system.
We employ under both UAE mainland (MOHRE) and free zone licences — DIFC, ADGM, JAFZA, DMCC, and more. One partner covers your full UAE footprint.
We assess your role, salary structure, start date, and specific UAE compliance requirements — before any hire begins.
Labour contract issued under UAE law, registered with the relevant authority, HRMS connected, and benefits configured.
Work permit, residence ID, and all immigration documents managed under our UAE entity — on the fastest available timeline.
Payroll processed through UAE's mandatory system — correct contributions, accurate payslip, disbursed on time.
Monthly payroll, compliance alerts, EOSB provisioning, permit renewals, and account reviews — every month, both proactively and reactively.
VP People Operations · US SaaS Company → India expansion · 50 engineers in 6 months
“We’d spent four months trying to hire engineers in India — entities, lawyers, CA firms, all of it. Hemiton onboarded our first three in eleven days. Our account manager knew our business, our comp bands, and our compliance concerns before the first payroll ran. It didn’t feel like a vendor relationship. It felt like an extension of our team.”
VP People Operations · TechCorp APAC
GB → AE UAE expansion · 12 employees
SG→ VN Vietnam expansion · 8 employees
Yes. Through Hemiton’s UAE EOR, you legally employ UAE staff without a trade licence, mainland company, or free zone registration. We become the legal employer — MOHRE contracts, WPS payroll, Emirates ID, health insurance, and gratuity all handled. First employee live in 7–10 days.
WPS is a government-mandated electronic salary monitoring framework requiring all private-sector employers to pay wages through approved financial institutions. Monitored by MOHRE in real time. Missing two consecutive payroll cycles can freeze new work permits. Hemiton processes all UAE payroll through WPS-approved channels — never missed since 2019.
Emiratisation requires companies with 50+ UAE employees to increase Emirati staff in skilled roles by 2% annually toward a 10% target by end 2026. From January 2026, companies with 20–49 employees in IT, finance, and engineering must hire at least two Emiratis. MOHRE uses AI-powered monitoring — 1,818 companies were fined in 2025. The fine is AED 108,000 per year per unfilled position. Hemiton provides quarterly quota tracking.
Under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021: 21 days of basic salary per year for the first 5 years, 30 days per year thereafter. No cap. Hemiton provisions gratuity daily from day one — no surprise exit cost. Accurate calculation and disbursement on every employee exit.
Mainland employees are registered with MOHRE under Federal Labour Law. Free zone employees (DIFC, ADGM, JAFZA, etc.) are governed by zone-specific laws — DIFC uses Employment Law No. 2 of 2019. Hemiton manages both — we hold licences and operate under both frameworks, so you can hire across mainland and free zones through one engagement.
30 minutes. No obligation. Tell us the role, the United Arab Emirates location, and your start date — we give you a clear answer on compliance requirements, total cost, and realistic timeline. No entity setup needed. No 6-month wait.
