A company visa quota is the number of work permits your business is allowed to hold at one time, and on the mainland it is set by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation rather than by a published formula. Free zones run their own allocations, and the officer who signs for them need not be a UAE resident at the point of appointment. The widely repeated rule that MOHRE divides your office area by nine square meters does not appear in any MOHRE resolution or service page we could locate. What MOHRE does publish is the three-category establishment classification introduced by Cabinet Resolution No. 18 of 2022, in force since 1 June 2022, which decides what you pay per work permit and how the Ministry treats your file. Industrial and warehousing operations feel this constraint first, which our industrial and warehousing route sizes against the facility.
This guide separates what is actually documented from what circulates as folklore: how a quota differs from a visa, who sets yours, what the classification system does to your permit costs, how to apply for an increase, and the administrative suspension rules that freeze a quota outright regardless of how much office space you lease.
What a Visa Quota Actually Is
A visa quota is an allocation of work permits, not residence visas. The work permit is the labor authority’s approval to employ a specific worker; the residence visa is the immigration authority’s separate approval for that worker to live in the UAE. A company can exhaust its quota while holding a valid establishment card, and it can hold an unused quota while being unable to sponsor anyone because the immigration file lapsed.
The full chain for a mainland hire runs in this order:
- Trade license issued by the economic department
- Immigration establishment card opened, which is covered in our guide to the UAE establishment card and company immigration file
- MOHRE labor establishment file opened, which is where the quota lives
- Quota approval for the number and type of roles
- Work permit issued against that quota for a named worker
- Entry permit, medical, Emirates ID, and residence visa stamping
Owners usually discover the distinction at step four, after signing an offer letter. The quota is checked before the work permit application will even open, and a role the quota does not cover cannot be filled by paying more.
Who Sets Your Quota
Mainland private sector companies get their quota from MOHRE. Free zone companies get theirs from the free zone authority, usually tied directly to the facility they lease. The two systems do not share rules, and a free zone quota cannot be used to employ someone on a mainland contract.
Free zone allocations are the more predictable of the two because several zones publish the ratio. The examples below come from the zones’ own material.
| Free zone | How the allocation is set |
|---|---|
| Jebel Ali (JAFZA) | By facility type: a workstation carries a small allocation, a showroom more, and a land plot substantially more |
| Dubai Internet City | One visa per 60 square feet of leased commercial space, per the zone’s own FAQs |
| Dubai South | Package allocation, with additional quota charged as a separate published tariff line |
| Flexi-desk and virtual office zones | Small fixed allocations, sometimes zero, sold in tiers with the license package |
The detail behind those figures is set out in our guides to JAFZA company setup for trading and logistics and to Dubai South, CommerCity, and Dubai Internet City. Zone package prices are promotional and move often, so treat every quoted allocation as indicative until the zone confirms it against the specific unit you are leasing.
This is also why the choice of workspace is a hiring decision rather than a cost decision. A zero-visa license tier is cheaper on day one and blocks your first employee entirely, a trade-off explored in our comparison of virtual office versus flexi-desk for a Dubai trade license.
What the Mainland Formula Really Is
MOHRE has not published a quota formula. Setup consultancies almost universally quote a figure of one visa per nine square meters of office space, and that number may well reflect how assessments have historically landed, but it is not stated in Cabinet Resolution No. 18 of 2022, in the labor law, or on MOHRE’s service pages. We were unable to verify it against any official source and do not present it as a rule.
What can be documented is the set of factors the Ministry weighs, which are visible in how its own systems behave: the licensed activity, the physical premises registered against the license, the company’s classification category, and its compliance history. A quota request is an application with a stated business justification, not an automatic calculation, and MOHRE may inspect the premises before approving one.
The honest summary for a new company is that the first allocation tends to be modest, and that increases are granted against demonstrated activity rather than ambition. Budget for a smaller opening quota than your hiring plan assumes.
The Classification System That Sets Your Permit Costs
Cabinet Resolution No. 18 of 2022 places every private sector establishment in one of three categories, and the category determines what a work permit costs. MOHRE announced fees not exceeding AED 250 over two years for first category companies, AED 1,200 for second category, and AED 3,450 for third category. Employment of UAE and GCC nationals is exempt from these fees.
| Category | Who lands here | Work permit fee announced (AED, over two years) |
|---|---|---|
| First | Fully compliant companies that also meet one of: Emiratisation at least three times above target, training at least 500 citizens a year with Nafis, being a young-citizen-owned venture, or operating as a training and employment center supporting the Workforce Planning Policy | Not exceeding 250 |
| Second | The default for companies that comply with the law and the cultural and demographic diversity policy without meeting a first category criterion | 1,200 |
| Third | Companies that breach labor market laws or worker protection standards, or that fall under a violation listed in Ministerial Resolution No. 209 of 2022 | 3,450 |
MOHRE names the third category triggers explicitly: a final verdict confirming human trafficking, recruiting a worker without a work permit, submitting incorrect data or documents to the Ministry, breaching obligations on wages, housing, or safety standards, and fake Emiratisation. The Ministry also stated that companies achieving major results in hiring and training citizens can see MOHRE fees reduced by up to 80 percent.
The commercial effect compounds across headcount. On the announced figures, a company of twenty foreign staff pays roughly AED 5,000 in the first category and about AED 69,000 in the third for the same permits, before any fines. Emiratisation performance is therefore a direct input into hiring cost, which is why the targets in our guide to Emiratisation and Nafis for private sector employers matter beyond the penalty schedule.
These fee figures were announced when the system came into force in 2022. Confirm the current amounts with MOHRE before you build a hiring budget on them.
How to Apply for a Quota Increase
A quota increase is a formal request submitted through MOHRE’s channels, typically via a Tas’heel service center or the Ministry’s digital platform, using the company’s registered authorized signatory.
- Confirm the establishment file is clear. Outstanding fines, an expired trade license, or an expired immigration establishment card will block the request before it is assessed.
- Match the request to the licensed activity. Roles must be consistent with what the license permits. If they are not, the license amendment comes first, which is covered in our guide to setting up and licensing a business in Dubai.
- Prepare the premises evidence. A current lease or Ejari for the registered premises is the document the assessment turns on, since workspace is the most visible proxy for capacity.
- State the business justification. Number of roles, job titles, and why current activity requires them. Generic requests for headroom are weaker than requests tied to signed work.
- Expect an inspection where the increase is material. The Ministry may verify that the premises exist, are occupied, and can accommodate the requested headcount.
- Issue permits within the approved allocation. Approval grants capacity; each individual work permit is still applied for separately, with the contract registered as set out in our guide to MOHRE labor contract registration.
Leasing more space does not raise the quota by itself. The additional space is evidence supporting an application that still has to be made, approved, and paid for.
The Real Quota Killer: Administrative Suspension
Under Ministerial Resolution No. 543 of 2022, MOHRE can administratively suspend a company file, which stops new work permits entirely no matter what quota the company holds. The Ministry has published four triggers and the duration attached to each.
| Trigger | How long the suspension lasts |
|---|---|
| Breaches under Cabinet Resolution No. 21 of 2020 on service fees and administrative fines | Until the fines are paid |
| Failure to provide appropriate labor accommodation under Ministerial Resolution No. 44 of 2022 | Until suitable accommodation is provided |
| Human trafficking allegations | Until proven innocent, and two years after a final conviction |
| Abuse of the electronic powers granted to access the Ministry’s systems | Six months from the date the violation is proven |
Two features of this resolution matter to anyone who owns more than one company. First, MOHRE stated that administrative suspension is applied to the rest of the companies owned by the same owner after six months have passed from the date of suspension. A problem in one entity migrates into the others. Second, the Ministry can apply administrative suspension for a proven violation of any provision of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, which is a broad reserve power rather than a closed list.
The fourth trigger, abuse of electronic powers, is the one that surprises owners. It targets misuse of the company’s system access, which in practice includes handing portal credentials to an unaccountable third party. It is a direct reason to keep the authorized signatory record accurate rather than convenient.
If Your Quota Request or File Is Refused
MOHRE’s resolution allows a grievance against an administrative suspension decision, following the procedure in Ministerial Resolution No. 45 of 2022 on the formation of the grievance committee for decisions issued by the Ministry. That route exists specifically for decisions of this kind and is separate from a labor dispute between an employer and a worker.
Refusals of the quota itself are more often solved by fixing the underlying facts, since the assessment weighs premises, activity, and compliance history. Clearing fines, registering the correct lease, and correcting the activity list generally do more than resubmitting the same request.
One Employer, Several Companies
MOHRE’s own guidance on the 2022 resolution contains a useful and little-known rule for group structures. A foreign worker may be employed in the same profession in any branch of the company owned by the same employer and licensed for the same activity, without a new work permit. Moving that worker into a different company owned by the same employer, one that is a separate entity rather than a branch, does require a work permit from the Ministry. The Ministry treats failure to follow that procedure as a violation of Cabinet Resolution No. 21 of 2020, with the company file suspended until the fines are paid.
The practical reading: branches share permits, sister companies do not. Structuring an expansion as a branch rather than a new entity can remove an entire quota problem, and the difference between the two structures is set out in our comparison of a branch office and a subsidiary in Dubai.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a company visa quota calculated in the UAE?
MOHRE does not publish a calculation for mainland companies. The assessment weighs the licensed activity, the registered premises, the company’s classification category, and its compliance record, and it may involve an inspection. The commonly quoted rule of one visa per nine square meters of office space appears widely in consultancy material but could not be verified against any MOHRE resolution or service page.
What is the difference between a visa quota and a work permit?
The quota is the total number of work permits your company is approved to hold. A work permit is issued against that quota for one named worker. The residence visa is a separate immigration approval that follows the work permit, which is why a company can hold spare quota and still be unable to sponsor anyone if its establishment card has expired.
How do I increase my company’s visa quota?
Submit a quota increase request to MOHRE through a Tas’heel center or the Ministry’s digital channel, with a clear establishment file, a valid trade license and immigration card, the current lease for the registered premises, and a justification stating the roles and why they are needed. Expect a possible inspection where the increase is significant. Leasing more space does not raise the quota automatically.
Does my classification category affect my quota?
Directly it sets your fees: MOHRE announced work permit costs of up to AED 250 over two years for first category companies, AED 1,200 for second, and AED 3,450 for third. Indirectly it reflects compliance, which is one of the inputs to how the Ministry treats your file, and third category status is triggered by the same violations that can lead to administrative suspension.
Why is my company unable to apply for new work permits?
The likely cause is administrative suspension under Ministerial Resolution No. 543 of 2022. The four published triggers are unpaid fines under Cabinet Resolution No. 21 of 2020, failure to provide appropriate labor accommodation, human trafficking allegations, and abuse of the electronic powers granted to access the Ministry’s systems. Each carries its own duration, and the first two lift once the underlying issue is fixed.
Can a suspension on one of my companies affect the others?
Yes. MOHRE stated that administrative suspension is applied to the rest of the companies owned by the same owner once six months have passed from the date of suspension. Owners of multiple entities should treat a suspension in any one of them as a group-level problem rather than an isolated one.
Do free zone companies have a visa quota?
Yes, set by the free zone authority rather than MOHRE, and usually tied to the facility leased. Dubai Internet City publishes one visa per 60 square feet of leased commercial space; JAFZA allocates by facility type, with a workstation carrying far less than a showroom or a land plot. Increasing a free zone quota normally means upgrading the facility and paying the zone’s per-visa charge.
Can I move an employee between two companies I own?
Between branches of the same company, licensed for the same activity and in the same profession, MOHRE allows it without a new work permit. Moving the worker into a separate company you own, rather than a branch, does require a work permit from the Ministry, and skipping that step is treated as a violation that suspends the company file until the fines are paid.
Does hiring UAE nationals reduce my work permit costs?
Yes. MOHRE stated that employment of UAE and GCC nationals is exempt from the classification-linked work permit fees, and that companies achieving major results in hiring and training citizens can qualify for fee reductions of up to 80 percent through first category classification.
Do I need an establishment card before I can get a quota?
Yes on the mainland. The immigration establishment card is opened first, then the MOHRE labor establishment file, and the quota sits on the labor file. A company without an immigration file cannot sponsor residence visas even if MOHRE has approved work permits against a quota.
Official Sources
- MOHRE — New classification of private companies comes into force (Cabinet Resolution No. 18 of 2022, categories and work permit fees)
- MOHRE — Four types of violations that lead to suspension of new work permits (Ministerial Resolution No. 543 of 2022)
- MOHRE — Services Directory, employer services including work permit and establishment services
- MOHRE — Laws and regulations, including Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021
- ICP — Issuing an Establishment Card, the immigration file that precedes the labor file
- JAFZA — Setting up, facility types and visa allocation
- Dubai Internet City — FAQs, visa allocation per leased area
Information current as of July 2026. All amounts are in UAE dirhams. Classification categories, work permit fee levels, and administrative suspension triggers are quoted from MOHRE’s own published announcements of Cabinet Resolution No. 18 of 2022 and Ministerial Resolution No. 543 of 2022; the fee amounts were announced in 2022 and should be confirmed as current before budgeting. MOHRE does not publish a quota calculation formula, and the widely circulated one-visa-per-nine-square-meters rule could not be verified against any official source, so it is not presented here as a rule. Free zone allocations are set by each zone and change with package terms. This article is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Confirm current requirements with MOHRE, ICP, or your free zone authority before you act.
