Visa Quota for a UAE Company (2026): How It's Set, the Establishment Card, Mainland vs Free Zone and How to Increase It

Every UAE company that wants to hire foreign staff, or sponsor its own owners, runs into the same two gatekeepers: a work permit quota and an establishment card. Together they decide how many people the company can bring onto its payroll and visa file. This guide is for founders planning their first hires, HR and PRO teams, and anyone choosing between a mainland licence and a free zone package partly on the number of visas. It explains how quotas are set by MOHRE and by free zones, what the establishment card is and what it costs in Dubai in 2026, the 2022 rules for high-priority sectors, how to increase a quota, and worked examples.

Quick answer

A UAE company's visa quota is the number of residence visas it can sponsor, set by MOHRE (as work permit quotas) for mainland companies and by the free zone authority for free zone companies. You also need an immigration establishment card — in Dubai from GDRFA, which lists an issuance fee of AED 200 plus small add-on fees and VAT. MOHRE assesses quota requests on your licence, activity, compliance and Taqyeem evaluation and lists two working days for a decision; free zones usually tie visas to the office or package you lease.

• Mainland: no published square-metre ratio; prove workload, premises and compliance

• High-priority sectors: new establishments get 20 work permits under the 2022 e-quota rules

• Free zones publish allocations, e.g. up to 3 visas on a DMCC flexi desk

• An expired establishment card or licence blocks new visas and quota requests

Two files, two authorities

People talk about "visa quota" as one thing, but for a mainland company it sits on two separate government files.

The labour file is with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE). When a mainland company opens its establishment file with MOHRE, it gets a quota of work permits: the number of foreign employees it may hire. MOHRE describes work permit quotas as a subsidiary procedure of opening and updating the establishment file, and it evaluates establishments through Taqyeem, its establishment assessment. Every employee on a mainland employment visa needs a MOHRE work permit drawn from that quota, and a MOHRE labour contract; our labour contract guide covers the contract itself.

The immigration file is the establishment card, sometimes called the immigration card or company card. In Dubai it's issued by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA); in the other emirates, by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). It records the company, its owners and its authorised signatories, and it's what the residence visa application is attached to. No establishment card, no residence visas, for employees or owners.

Free zones run both functions under one roof for their companies. The zone authority issues the licence, sets the visa allocation, and processes the immigration card and visas through its own government services office, with fees on its own schedule.

From licence to first employee visa (mainland Dubai)

Step 1

Trade licence and Ejari

Step 2

Establishment card

GDRFA

Step 3

MOHRE establishment file

Taqyeem, quota

Step 4

Work permit

from the quota

Step 5

Entry permit and status change

Step 6

Residence visa and Emirates ID

medical, biometrics

How MOHRE sets a mainland work permit quota

MOHRE doesn't publish a simple formula such as one visa per so many square metres. Its quota service lists the conditions instead: a valid trade licence, an establishment in private status without restrictions on its file, and a valid Taqyeem report. MOHRE lists a completion time of two working days and says the service is free through its website and app, with only government fees applying; its establishment services carry a Taqyeem government fee of AED 406, and business service centres can add a commission.

What MOHRE weighs, in practice, is whether the number of permits fits the business. Advisers who file these requests describe MOHRE asking for evidence of workload, such as contracts, projects or vehicle lists for transport firms; for job titles that match the licensed activities; and for a lease showing the premises can hold the staff. A one-person consultancy on a small desk asking for twenty permits will be asked why. A contracting company with signed projects and a site office can justify far more.

Compliance history also counts. Unpaid fines, WPS breaches or labour violations put restrictions on an establishment's file, and a restricted file can't get new quota. Paying salaries on time through the Wage Protection System and keeping contracts current protects your ability to hire.

The 2022 e-quota rules for high-priority sectors

In April 2022 MOHRE introduced electronic quotas under Resolution No. 203 of 2022, effective from 15 April 2022. Establishments whose activities are on the list of high-priority economic sectors don't have to apply for a quota in the usual way: they can obtain electronic work permits for up to 50% of their registered workforce, and a new establishment in one of those sectors gets an electronic quota for 20 work permits. Which activities count as high priority is set out in the resolution's annex; ask MOHRE or check its service channels with your activity code before assuming you qualify.

Classification and diversity

MOHRE also classifies establishments into categories based on compliance, Emiratisation and workforce diversity, and work permit fees vary by category; consultants report fees from a few hundred dirhams in the best category to several thousand in the lowest. Gulf News reported in 2024 that MOHRE's system shows an alert asking companies to give one in five permits within their quota to a different nationality, and that a workforce dominated by one nationality can push a company into a costlier category. If you're hiring several people from one country, plan the mix early.

Quota and card figures at a glance (2026)

AED 200

GDRFA establishment card issuance

plus add-ons and VAT

48 hours

GDRFA expected completion

AED 406

MOHRE Taqyeem government fee

two working days

MOHRE quota decision time

The establishment card in Dubai

GDRFA's service for private-sector and free zone establishments asks for a copy of the appendix listing the partners, passport copies of the authorised signatories, and a notarised authorisation for the manager where relevant. You can apply online through GDRFA's smart services with UAE Pass or a username, or at a customer happiness centre or an Amer centre.

GDRFA lists the issuance fee as AED 200, plus a knowledge dirham and an innovation dirham of AED 10 each, a AED 50 service fee and 5% VAT, with an optional urgent fee of AED 100. Applying through an Amer centre adds AED 100. The same page notes an issuance or renewal fee of AED 100 per year, so the total you pay depends on the validity selected; check the payment summary before you confirm. GDRFA gives an expected completion time of 48 hours. The card should be renewed with the licence; once it expires, new visa and quota applications are blocked.

In the other emirates, the equivalent card is issued through ICP's channels, and in free zones the authority usually sets its own price: for example, DMCC lists its establishment card at AED 1,825 a year, and KEZAD charges AED 1,000 for a new one.

Free zone quotas: set by package and space

Free zones are much more explicit. Each authority sets how many visas a company may hold, usually by the type and size of space leased or the package bought, and publishes it. That makes free zones easier to plan, but it also means the only way to grow the quota is usually to lease more space or upgrade.

These are the zones' own published allocations, checked by our team in 2026; packages change often, so confirm with the zone before you sign. Some zones also charge a per-visa allocation fee on top of the licence, such as SHAMS at AED 1,600 per visa a year. Our guides to DMCC, JAFZA and SHAMS set out each zone's packages.

Mainland vs free zone visa quotas

	Mainland (MOHRE + GDRFA/ICP)	Free zone
Who sets the quota	MOHRE, per establishment	The free zone authority
Basis	Activity, workload, compliance, Taqyeem	Package or leased space, published
Increasing it	Request through MOHRE with evidence	Upgrade office or package
Immigration card	GDRFA (Dubai) or ICP	Issued through the zone
Emiratisation targets	Apply to qualifying mainland firms	Generally not, unless the zone adopts them

Who sets the quota

Mainland (MOHRE + GDRFA/ICP)

MOHRE, per establishment

Free zone

The free zone authority

Basis

Mainland (MOHRE + GDRFA/ICP)

Activity, workload, compliance, Taqyeem

Free zone

Package or leased space, published

Increasing it

Mainland (MOHRE + GDRFA/ICP)

Request through MOHRE with evidence

Free zone

Upgrade office or package

Immigration card

Mainland (MOHRE + GDRFA/ICP)

GDRFA (Dubai) or ICP

Free zone

Issued through the zone

Emiratisation targets

Mainland (MOHRE + GDRFA/ICP)

Apply to qualifying mainland firms

Free zone

Generally not, unless the zone adopts them

Owners' visas and the quota

Owners and partners need residence visas too, and they are sponsored through the company's establishment card. On the mainland, a partner's residence visa is generally an investor or partner visa issued through the immigration authority, not a MOHRE employment permit, though the owner still has to appear on the establishment card. In free zones, package visas usually cover owners and employees alike, so an owner's visa uses one of the slots.

Two alternatives reduce pressure on the company quota. Investors or entrepreneurs who qualify may hold a Golden Visa valid for 10 years, which doesn't depend on the company's quota; see our Golden Visa guide. And freelancers can work under a freelance permit or a Green Visa, with self-employment income of AED 360,000 a year for the latter; our freelance visa guide explains the options.

How to increase a quota, step by step

Getting more work permits (mainland)

1. 1

   Clear the file

   Renew the trade licence and establishment card, pay any fines and fix WPS issues. A restricted file can't get new quota.

2. 2

   Check Taqyeem is valid

   MOHRE's quota service requires a valid Taqyeem report; renew it if it has lapsed.

3. 3

   Build the case

   Prepare the roles you need, matched to licensed activities, with contracts, projects or orders that show the workload, and a lease that fits the headcount.

   Ejari and your lease
4. 4

   Apply through MOHRE

   Submit through the MOHRE website or app, or a business service centre (which may add a commission). MOHRE lists a completion time of two working days.

5. 5

   Respond to any inspection

   For larger increases, expect follow-up questions or a visit. Keep staff lists, contracts and site details ready.

6. 6

   Issue permits and visas

   Once the quota is approved, apply for work permits, then entry permits or status changes, medicals and Emirates IDs.

In a free zone, the steps are simpler and costlier: upgrade from a flexi desk to an office, lease a larger unit, or move to a package with a higher allocation, then apply for the extra visas through the zone. Some zones let you add visas for an extra fee without moving, up to a cap.

When someone leaves: freeing the slot

A quota slot isn't released just because an employee stops coming to work. On the mainland, the employer has to cancel the MOHRE work permit and the residence visa, or the employee has to transfer to a new employer, before the slot is available again. Until then, the permit still counts against your quota and the person still appears on your establishment file. The same applies in free zones: an unused allocation only reappears once the zone has cancelled the old visa.

Cancel promptly and in the right order. Settle final pay and end-of-service gratuity first, because MOHRE checks that wages have been paid through WPS; our gratuity guide explains the calculation. Then cancel the work permit and the residence visa, and keep the cancellation papers. Employees on their way out generally have a grace period to leave the country or change status, so tell them the date you've filed.

Absconding cases, where an employee stops reporting without notice, follow a separate MOHRE process and shouldn't be used as a shortcut to free a slot. A false report can lead to penalties and to restrictions on your own file, which in turn blocks new quota.

Emiratisation and the quota

For larger mainland companies, Emiratisation targets interact with hiring. Companies with 50 employees or more employees must raise the share of skilled Emirati staff by 2% a year, and selected sectors face targets from 20 employees employees. Missing targets leads to financial contributions and can affect a company's classification, which in turn raises work permit costs. Our Emiratisation guide has the current figures. Plan expatriate hiring and Emirati hiring together rather than treating the quota as only about foreign staff.

Worked examples

1. A two-person mainland consultancy. Sara licenses a Dubai mainland management consultancy with a 25 sq m office registered in Ejari. After the licence, she obtains the GDRFA establishment card: AED 200 issuance, AED 20 in knowledge and innovation fees, a AED 50 service fee and VAT, roughly AED 285 before any per-year renewal portion, done in about 48 hours. She opens the MOHRE establishment file, pays the Taqyeem fee of AED 406 and requests a quota for two consultants, with signed client contracts as evidence. With a clean file, MOHRE's stated decision time is two working days.

2. A trading company that outgrows a flexi desk. A DMCC trading company on a flexi desk holds up to 3 visas: one for the owner and two for staff. It wins a distribution contract and needs five more people. The zone won't add visas to a flexi desk beyond the allocation, so it moves into a physical office; DMCC allocates one visa for every 9 sq m of office space, so a 72 sq m unit supports eight visas. It pays the higher rent and amends its establishment card. Budget the office upgrade, not just the visa fees, when you plan growth in a free zone.

3. A new company in a high-priority sector. A newly registered establishment whose activity is on MOHRE's high-priority list doesn't need to file a standard quota request: under the 2022 e-quota rules it receives 20 work permits electronically. Once it has a workforce registered, it can obtain permits for up to 50% of that workforce without a separate application.

4. A blocked request. A contracting company asks for ten more permits, but its file is restricted because two employees' salaries were paid late through WPS and a fine is outstanding. MOHRE can't process the request. The company pays the fine, regularises the salaries, renews its Taqyeem report and reapplies with project contracts. The lost time, about a month, delayed a project start; keeping the file clean is the cheapest way to keep the quota flexible.

Before you promise anyone a visa

0/6

• Trade licence and establishment card valid for the visa processing period
• MOHRE file free of restrictions; Taqyeem report valid (mainland)
• Quota or free zone allocation has a free slot, after counting owners
• Job title matches a licensed activity
• Premises and lease fit the headcount
• Salary budgeted and WPS set up through a UAE bank account

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Common mistakes

Assuming a square-metre rule on the mainland. Many guides repeat a one-visa-per-9-sq-m rule. MOHRE doesn't publish one; premises are one factor among several. Don't sign an oversized lease expecting an automatic quota.

Letting the establishment card lapse. It's renewed separately from the licence in some emirates and zones. Put both expiry dates in one calendar.

Mismatched job titles. A "marketing manager" on a licence for building maintenance invites refusal. Match roles to licensed activities, or add the activity first.

Using up free zone slots on owners without planning. Two owners on a three-visa flexi desk leave one slot for staff. Count owners when you compare packages.

Official links

• GDRFA Dubai — Establishment card (private sector / free zone)Requirements, fees, 48-hour completion
• MOHRE — Work permit quotas for establishmentsConditions and channels
• MOHRE — Issuance of establishment cardTaqyeem fee and process
• ICP — smart servicesEstablishment cards and visas outside Dubai
• u.ae — steps to start a business on the mainlandSetup order including GDRFA approval

What to do next

If you're still choosing where to set up, decide how many visas you'll need in the first two years and compare that with what each route allows; our Dubai business setup guide compares mainland and free zone options. Get the lease and Ejari right first, then the establishment card, then the quota. When the first employees join, use the free salary slip generator and pay through WPS from day one.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice — confirm on the official source or with a professional.

Frequently asked questions

How many visas can a UAE company get?

There's no single number. On the mainland, MOHRE allocates work permit quotas to each establishment based on its activity, its compliance record and its evaluation (Taqyeem), and approves increases on request. In a free zone, the zone sets the quota, usually by package or leased space — for example up to 3 visas with a DMCC flexi desk or 2 visas per JAFZA workstation.

What is an establishment card in the UAE?

It's the immigration file that lets a company sponsor residence visas. In Dubai, GDRFA issues it for private-sector and free zone companies; GDRFA lists an issuance fee of AED 200 plus knowledge, innovation and service fees and VAT, with completion in about 48 hours. Other emirates use ICP. Free zones often bundle it into their own fee schedules.

Does office size decide the visa quota on the mainland?

Not by a published formula. MOHRE's quota service is based on the licence, activity, compliance and Taqyeem evaluation, not a stated square-metre ratio. In practice, a virtual or tiny office will struggle to justify many visas, and MOHRE may ask for a lease and proof of workload. Free zones, by contrast, often publish ratios tied to space.

How do I increase my company's visa quota?

On the mainland, apply through MOHRE's quota service with a valid licence, no outstanding restrictions and a valid Taqyeem report; MOHRE lists a completion time of two working days. Expect to show the workload, lease and roles that justify the extra permits. In a free zone, upgrade your office or package with the zone authority.

Do partner or investor visas use up the quota?

Owners' residence visas are sponsored through the immigration file on the strength of the licence and establishment card, and many free zone packages count them within the package's total. On the mainland, partner visas generally aren't employment work permits, but rules differ by emirate and zone, so check before you rely on a spare slot.

What happens if my establishment card expires?

You can't apply for new visas, and renewals for existing staff and owners stall until it's renewed. An expired card also blocks MOHRE quota requests. Renew it alongside your trade licence; GDRFA lists the establishment card as an annual renewal service.

Sources & verification

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below when it was last reviewed on 13 October 2026. Each rate and limit is stored once with its own official source and review date, and official update channels are monitored daily so changes are picked up. How we verify

1. 1.Establishment Card for Institutions in the Private Sector / Free Zone — General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai (GDRFA) · accessed 13 October 2026
2. 2.Work Permit Quotas for Establishments — Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) · accessed 13 October 2026
3. 3.Issuance of Establishment Card — Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) · accessed 13 October 2026
4. 4.UAE: Regulation of Issuing E-Quotas of Work Permits for Establishments (Resolution No. 203 of 2022) — Gulf Labour Markets, Migration and Population (GLMM) programme · accessed 13 October 2026
5. 5.Steps to start a business on the mainland — UAE Government portal (u.ae) · accessed 13 October 2026
6. 6.New rule: 20 per cent diversity quota for work permits in UAE companies — Gulf News · accessed 13 October 2026
7. 7.Work permit quota in Dubai — EGSH · accessed 13 October 2026
8. 8.The 4 types of Dubai free zone visas at DMCC — DMCC · accessed 13 October 2026