Employer of Record in the United Arab Emirates: limits, cost and providers
EREditorial team · Updated 14 Oct 20267 min read18 providers compared12 sources
AED 15,000 employer cost a month before the EOR fee, AED 180,000 salaryNot all-in: what it leaves out is under the cost table.
≈0% employer social security for a non-GCC expatriate
US$199 lowest published EOR fee a month, in US dollars
18 EOR providers covering the UAE
An Employer of Record can employ staff in the UAE for you if it holds the MoHRE licence the Labour Law requires for employing workers as an activity. For a non-GCC expatriate the cost before the provider's fee is AED 15,000 a month.
Short answer
We rate an EOR allowed, with limits: the Labour Law permits employing or recruiting workers as an activity only with a MoHRE licence.
On a AED 180,000 salary an expatriate costs AED 15,000 a month before the fee, gratuity, health insurance and permit fees.
Published EOR prices, mostly global lists in US dollars, run from US$199 to US$699 a month; Rivermate quotes €299.
UAE law has no employer-of-record regime of its own. The Labour Law allows the activity of employing or mediating to recruit or employ workers only with a MoHRE licence, so a provider that employs staff for clients needs one. As the employer, the provider needs a work permit for each employee and applies for the work visa. MoHRE also has a separate temporary work permit for assigning a worker already in the UAE to a different company for a limited period.
What one hire costs
Monthly cost of an employee on AED 180,000 a year: the cost before the EOR fee.
Assumes: a non-GCC expatriate employee; for Emirati and other GCC staff the employer also owes pension contributions, which this total leaves out.
Cost before the EOR fee, a monthAED 15,000
Gross salaryAED 15,000100%
Percentages are shares of the total, not of salary.
What one hire costs
Item
Rate
AED / month
Gross salary
—
15,000
Employer social security for expatriate employees (none due)[5]
0%
0
Cost before the EOR fee
15,000
Plus the EOR fee, not in this total. Published fees per employee: US$199 to US$699 a month (15 providers, USD); €299 a month (one provider, EUR). We add a fee to the total only when at least 3 providers publish one in AED, and we do not convert currencies.
Expatriate employees carry no employer social security contribution, so the employer cost equals the salary. The total leaves out three costs the employer bears: the end-of-service gratuity, accrued and paid when the contract ends (21 days' basic pay per year of service for the first 5 years, 30 days after that, capped at 2 years' wage); the employee's health insurance, which employers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai must buy before applying for a residency permit; and the work permit (AED 250 to AED 3,450, by the company's MoHRE category) and residency permit fees. The unemployment insurance premium is paid by the employee.
How an EOR works in the United Arab Emirates
The provider’s UAE entity, or a partner entity it uses, signs the labour contract and pays the salary, while your company sets the work. Pay runs through the ministry’s system like any other employer’s: establishments registered with MoHRE pay wages on the due date through the Wage Protection System[6].
Who does what when an EOR employs for you in United Arab Emirates
Your company signs a service agreement with the EOR provider and pays it the salary, the employer contributions and a fee.
The EOR provider is the legal employer in United Arab Emirates: it signs the employment contract and runs payroll, social contributions and benefits.
Your company and the EOR provider split duties by contract. The provider holds the work permit and the labour contract; the Labour Law defines a worker as someone working under the supervision and direction of the employer.
Your companyNo entity in United Arab Emirates
Service agreementYou pay salary, contributions and a fee
EOR providerLegal employer in United Arab Emirates
Employment contractPayroll, social contributions, benefits
EmployeeWorks in United Arab Emirates
Duties split by contract
Your company and the EOR provider split duties by contract. The provider holds the work permit and the labour contract; the Labour Law defines a worker as someone working under the supervision and direction of the employer.
The limit is a licence. The Labour Law does not allow the activity of employing or mediating to recruit or employ workers without a licence from MoHRE[1], so the entity that employs staff for you needs one. As the employer, it also needs a MoHRE work permit for each person[2] and applies for the standard work visa[3]. The labour contract and the visa file therefore carry the provider’s name, not your company’s. A different case, lending a worker already in the UAE to another company for a limited period, has its own temporary work permit[4].
EOR or your own UAE company
For an expatriate the monthly employer cost is the salary on either route, so the difference is the EOR fee set against what running your own company costs. Both routes carry the same end-of-service gratuity, which the employer pays within 14 days of the contract ending[7].
Headcount matters on the own-company side. A company with 50 or more workers has to raise its share of Emiratis in skilled jobs by 2 per cent a year[8], and one that misses the target pays a monthly amount for every citizen it should have employed[9]. Companies with 20 to 49 workers in listed sectors face a yearly charge too[10].
What your own company has to set up, from the trade licence and work permits to pension registration for Emirati staff, is on the payroll page, and the two routes sit side by side under own entity or EOR.
Leave
Statutory paid leave
30 days[11]Fully paid after one year of service; 2 days for each month of service where service is over six months but under one year.
Publishes a flat EOR price of $399 per employee a month.
7.8Our score 7.8 of 10Limited dataOur EOR score
EOR price from
US$399per employee a month
EOR countries185 claimed, 157 documented
ServicesEOR · Contractors · Payroll
Best for
Startups, growing companies and enterprises, the three segments Pebl writes a page for
Not for
Buyers who need a Contractor of Record: we list Pebl for contractor management, not COR
Top pro
Own SOC 2 Type 2 report and ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certificate, both on Pebl's security page
Top con
No live support channel named: Pebl lists its Alfie AI assistant, in-house experts and a Help Center; its pages say 24/7 support and do not say who answers
Its UAE page leaves the employing entity undisclosed.
7.4Our score 7.4 of 10Limited dataOur EOR score
EOR price from
US$459per employee a month, billed annually
EOR countries160 claimed, 106 documented
Onboarding2–3 days
ServicesEOR · COR · Contractors · Payroll
Best for
Companies from startups to enterprises, going by Multiplier's segment pages
Not for
Buyers who need the deposit amount before signing: Multiplier calculates it per contract
Top pro
Own SOC 2 (Type I and II), SOC 3 and ISO 27001:2022 on its security page; the AWS certifications listed there are kept apart as the host's
Top con
The "from" prices assume an annual contract. Monthly EOR costs $499 on Core and $559 on Growth, about 11% of countries are priced differently, and compliance-mandated add-ons come on top of EOR and COR
Companies from startups to enterprises: Playroll has pages for each, and its case studies include startups under 100 staff and mid-market firms of 100 to 1,000
Not for
Contractors who want to be paid other than through Payoneer, the only payout route Playroll uses
Top pro
Its own country pages document EOR hiring in 151 countries + 6 territories, against a claim of 180+
Top con
A refundable deposit of one month's salary per EOR employee; the unused part comes back within two months of the last working day, or once claims are settled if that is later
Enterprise teams and small and growing businesses (SMEs), in RemotePass's own words
Not for
Buyers who must review EOR contract terms up front: no EOR agreement is public
Top pro
EOR from $349 per employee a month with tax included; 13 of 20 other EOR prices in dollars start higher
Top con
No EOR agreement is public: the Terms say EOR runs under a separate Consultant Agreement "available on the Site", which we did not find. The public legal documents are the Terms, the Privacy Policy and the Acceptable Use Policy
List price from $599 per employee a month, not set for the UAE in particular.
6.6Our score 6.6 of 10Our EOR score
EOR price from
US$599per employee a month
EOR countries180 claimed, 151 documented
Minimum termNone
ServicesEOR · Contractors
Best for
A first hire in one new country or a team spread over many, at a startup, mid-market firm or enterprise (G-P has a page for each)
Not for
Buyers who rank EOR providers mostly by the monthly fee
Top pro
G-P claims EOR in 180+ countries; its Globalpedia country guides document 148 countries + 3 territories one by one
Top con
EOR from $599 per employee a month; 15 of 20 other EOR prices in US dollars that we compare start lower; volume discounts are offered but not quantified
Prices EOR by custom quote and publishes no figure.
5.9Our score 5.9 of 10Limited dataOur EOR score
EOR price
Custom quote
EOR countries80 claimed, 59 documented
ServicesEOR · Contractors · Payroll
Best for
Small businesses, including teams under 10 employees, startups and enterprises: the segments Rippling has pages for
Not for
Buyers who want to compare an EOR price before a sales call
Top pro
Contractor onboarding in 185+ countries and payments in 50+ local currencies, per its contractor page; 160 countries + 2 territories are documented here
Top con
No price for EOR, contractor management or global payroll: the pricing page asks for a custom quote
States on its UAE country page that it has its own entity there.
5.8Our score 5.8 of 10Our EOR score
EOR price from
US$599per employee a month
Entity in United Arab Emirates
Own entity
EOR countries160 claimed, 146 documented
ServicesEOR · AOR
Best for
Enterprise-level companies, the audience Atlas's enterprise page names
Not for
Buyers who need a Contractor of Record: under Atlas's AOR the contract stays between the client and each contractor
Top pro
EOR in 141 countries + 5 territories documented here, against a claim of 160+ with wholly owned entities
Top con
At $599 per employee monthly, the EOR price is above 15 of the 20 other USD EOR prices we compare and equal to 4; local employer services, FX and benefits premiums are billed on top
Can a foreign company employ staff in the UAE through an EOR?
We rate it allowed, with limits. The Labour Law allows employing or recruiting workers as an activity only with a MoHRE licence, and the provider, as the employer, needs a work permit for each employee and applies for the work visa.
What does an EOR cost in the UAE?
For a non-GCC expatriate on AED 180,000, the employer cost before the fee is AED 15,000 a month, leaving out gratuity, health insurance and permit fees. Published fees run from US$199 to US$699 a month, mostly in US dollars, and we neither convert nor add them.
How much annual leave does an EOR employee get in the UAE?
30 days fully paid once a year of service is complete. Between six months and a year of service, the employee earns 2 days for each month worked.
How much notice does an EOR employee in the UAE get?
At least 30 days and at most 90, as the contract sets. During probation the employer gives 14 days' written notice.
