Do not pay a recruiter to obtain a job. For hiring under the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, the employer bears recruitment, travel and residence-permit costs, and recruitment fees must not be charged to the worker.
That is set out in worker-rights guidance. The job-search guide confirms that the employer pays the recruitment agency's fees.
You can browse jobs on TalenDir, review the vacancy and the advertiser, then apply through the app.
Go to: Who pays each item · Job-search travel · Verify before you pay · If you are asked for money
Separate recruitment fees from your personal costs
| Item | How to treat it |
|---|---|
| Recruitment-agency commission for placing you | The employer pays it. It must not be collected from you for the job |
| Recruitment, travel and residence-permit costs tied to the hire | The employer pays these costs for the agreed hire |
| Medical tests in the UAE required for post-arrival employment processing | The employer pays, as explained in the official worker guide |
| A trip you choose in order to look for work | Budget it yourself, unless a named employer has agreed in writing to pay it |
| Residence for a spouse or children | Do not assume it is included in the employee's residence. Check written benefits and sponsorship conditions |
| Certificates, attestation or a professional licence | Identify the service, the purpose and the body that asked for it. Do not accept them bundled as a vague "job fee" |
For housing, family residence and other benefits, read what to check before accepting a UAE job offer. Keep the employer’s commitments in writing.
A written job offer does not justify collecting a recruitment fee from you. A high salary or a familiar logo in the message also does not prove that the sender represents the company.
Document costs serve different purposes. You may need a marriage or birth certificate for family residence, a professional licence, or a document required for your work permit. Ask for the exact service name and keep the invoice. The certificate-attestation guide explains documents and fees, so you do not pay to attest papers you do not need.
If you travel to look for work at your own expense
Do not assume that a company that later hires you will automatically reimburse a trip you arranged yourself. Hotel, food, transport and a job-search or visit visa are costs you plan before you travel, unless a written agreement says otherwise.
That does not make your later recruitment costs your responsibility. Separate a personal search trip from the costs of bringing you in and completing your hire with the company.
Before you accept an interview invitation inside the UAE, write down who books the ticket and lodging, who pays them, and whether the company pays in advance or reimburses you after invoices.
To plan the amount you need, use the UAE job-search budget. If you do not yet have an offer, read when to travel to search and when to wait.
A visit or tourist visa does not allow work, even during a probation period. Being inside the country, or having paid the visa fee, does not change that. Official jobs FAQs.
How to verify an offer before you send money or papers
- Match the company name: use the legal name on the offer, and search for the company in the National Economic Register. Company registration alone does not prove that the message came from that company.
- Check the offer reference: for an establishment under the ministry, use the job-offer inquiry service with the offer details, or ministry inquiry services.
- Check the sender: open the company website yourself, and compare the email domain and sender details. Do not rely on a WhatsApp number in the message alone.
- Check what the payment is for: you should know the service name, the beneficiary, who is meant to pay it, and you should receive a receipt. The phrase "processing fee" does not make collecting a recruitment commission lawful.
- Do not start before the permit: a contract, a visit visa or a promise to issue a permit later does not allow you to begin work.
Official guidance on checking offers is in the English tips to avoid labour and visa fraud.
Free zones have their own procedures. The name of the body that issues the work permit determines the verification path. Absence of a free-zone offer from the ministry inquiry service is not enough proof that it is fake. Dubai International Financial Centre and Abu Dhabi Global Market have independent employment systems.
If you are asked to pay a recruitment fee
Stop the transfer, and keep the offer, the messages and the payment request. Ask the sender to name the service in writing. Do not pay to reserve a job or to guarantee that you will be accepted.
If the amount has already been paid, keep the receipt and the beneficiary details. Use the appropriate official complaint channel: the ministry for a transaction under that ministry, or the competent free-zone authority. If someone impersonated a company or asked for a fraudulent transfer, report it quickly to the police and to the bank you used.
Looking for staff for your company? Contact TalenDir about hiring, or send a free job advertisement for review.
Official sources reviewed on 23 September 2026. The rules above follow the authority named in the text. Cover image generated with AI for illustration.
