Work Permit, Labour Card and Residence Visa: How They Fit Together

Your new hire's bank asks for a "labour card". Your HR sheet has one expiry column for each employee. A PRO mentions a work permit renewal while the employee's residence visa still has months to run. These are not the same document, and treating them as one is where tracking goes wrong.

Here is the short answer. The work permit is issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE). The labour law and MOHRE's renewal service title say "work permit", while MOHRE's FAQ and an Invest in Dubai page use the term "labour card" in connection with MOHRE. The residence permit (called the residence visa on u.ae) is a separate immigration document issued by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) or, in Dubai, by GDRFA Dubai. The Emirates ID is a third document, an identity card issued by ICP. The work permit and the residence permit have different issuers and separate terms, and the Emirates ID is cancelled automatically when the residence visa is cancelled.

For the wider picture of employee transactions and the authorities behind them, see the map of PRO services in Dubai. This article explains the three documents, where the term "labour card" fits, and how to track them per employee.

Document 1: the work permit, and where "labour card" fits

The labour law defines the document. Federal Decree-Law No. (33) of 2021, Article 1, states: "Work Permit: A document issued by the Ministry, according to which a natural person is allowed to work for a licensed Establishment." The same article defines the Ministry as the "Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation."

Article 6 makes the permit a condition of employment. It states: "Work may not be practiced in the State, and the Employer may not recruit or employ any Worker, except after obtaining a work permit from the Ministry in accordance with the provisions of this Decree by law and its Executive Regulation."

The UAE Government Portal (u.ae) puts it in plain terms on its Work Bundle page, updated 13 August 2025: "it is illegal for a person to work in the UAE without a valid work permit issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE)."

The law applies to the private sector. Article 3 states: "The provisions of this Decree by law shall apply to all Establishments, Employers and Workers in the Private Sector in the State." Free zones are covered in a separate section below.

The naming question

Official pages use both terms, so each is quoted as found on 20 September 2026:

The MOHRE renewal page also names older service channels, so treat it as evidence of naming only. We did not find the term "labour card" in Cabinet Resolution No. (1) of 2022, the Executive Regulation of the labour law, as read on 20 September 2026. We also did not find an official statement that MOHRE issues, or no longer issues, a physical labour card on the u.ae work permit pages, the two legal texts, the MOHRE FAQ or the MOHRE renewal page reviewed that day.

In practice, when someone asks for your "labour card", ask which record they need: the MOHRE work permit, or proof of residence.

Work permit types: 12 or 13

Article 6 of the labour law leaves the detail to regulation: "The Executive Regulation of this Decree by law shall determine the conditions, controls and types of work permits, and the procedures for granting, renewing and cancelling them."

The two official sources give different counts. Cabinet Resolution No. (1) of 2022, Article 6, lists 12 types. The u.ae Work permits page, updated 13 August 2026, states: "MoHRE has 13 types of work permits." The extra type on u.ae is the private teacher work permit. We did not check whether a later amendment to the Resolution added it, so confirm the current list with MOHRE.

The table below lists the 13 types as named on the u.ae Work permits page, with the validity sentence that page or MOHRE publishes, where we found one.

The lesson for a tracker is simple: do not assume a two-year term for all employees. For what each permit costs a company, see the article on what an employee visa costs a company. Record the permit type, then the expiry shown on the MOHRE record.

Two types work differently from a standard hire. The u.ae page says the temporary permit "allows establishments to assign a worker already in the UAE to perform a task for a limited period in a different company, after which the worker returns to their original employer." The freelance permit "is issued to individuals who wish to engage in freelance work independently (including foreign nationals on self-sponsored residence visas) without being sponsored by an employer in the UAE."

Document 2: the residence permit (residence visa)

The residence permit gives the right to live in the UAE. It is an immigration document, not a labour document.

ICP's "Issuing Residency Permit" service states: "The service enables the issuance of a new residence permit linked to an Emirates ID card application." Among its required documents is a "Work permit from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation if the sponsoring entity is subject to the Labor Relations Law or is in the domestic workers category."

In Dubai, GDRFA Dubai's service "Issuing residence permits for the private sector" grants the right to reside for "two (2) years, renewable for a similar period or periods". Its renewal service states that renewal is "under the same terms as when it was first issued."

The u.ae page on residence visas for working in the UAE, updated 7 August 2026, describes the employer's role: "The employer must apply for the standard work visa." It says that visa is "valid for two years and renewable subject to terms and conditions set by the visa-issuing authorities." The same page lists ICP's "Issuing residency permit" and GDRFA Dubai's "Residence visa for government, semi-government and private sector workers" as related services.

The terms differ by page: u.ae writes "residence visa" or "work visa", while ICP and GDRFA Dubai write "residence permit". This article uses "residence permit" for both. For the categories of residence, see the guide to UAE residence visa types. For the order of steps when hiring, see the employer's step-by-step employment visa process; this article does not repeat those steps.

ICP announced "the suspension of the issuance of the residence sticker for foreigners residing in the UAE as of April 11, 2022." The same announcement states: "The Emirates ID card issued to the foreigner residing in the UAE will serve as an alternative to prove his residence."

Document 3: the Emirates ID

The u.ae Emirates ID page, updated 17 February 2026, states: "Emirates ID is an identity card issued by Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP)." It adds: "It is mandatory for all UAE citizens and residents to apply for an Emirates ID."

For a resident employee, the Emirates ID is tied to the residence permit on cancellation. The u.ae page states: "Cancellation of the Emirates ID is linked to the cancellation of the residence visa. When a residence visa is cancelled, the Emirates ID is cancelled automatically as part of the process."

The u.ae Work Bundle page lists "medical examination and fingerprinting services required for Emirates ID issuance" among the services employers reach through the bundle.

How the three documents depend on each other

The official pages show a chain for a private-sector employee:

1. Work permit first. ICP lists the MOHRE work permit as a required document for a new residence permit where the sponsoring entity is subject to the "Labor Relations Law".
2. Residence permit next. ICP describes the residence permit as "linked to an Emirates ID card application."
3. Emirates ID follows residence. u.ae states the Emirates ID is cancelled automatically when the residence visa is cancelled.
4. Cancellation runs the other way. GDRFA Dubai's "Cancellation of all types of residence permits" service lists "An extract of work permit cancellation issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (if the employee works in the private sector)."

That fourth point matters when someone leaves. In Dubai, the MOHRE cancellation comes before the residence cancellation for a private-sector employee, according to that GDRFA Dubai page. Other emirates were not reviewed for this article. The employer obligations on employee visa cancellation cover the exit side in more detail.

Family members add a fourth date to watch. The u.ae general provisions page states: "The expiry date of the dependent's residence visa will not exceed that of the sponsor." If an employee sponsors family, the HR guide to employee family visa support explains the employer's part.

Free zone employees

Free zones are a separate case, and the official pages we reviewed leave a gap.

The u.ae page on working in free zones, updated 30 December 2024, states: "Those working in free zones are generally not governed by the UAE Labour Law. Each free zone authority has its own employment law and employees are subject to the rules and regulations of their respective free zone authority." The same page also states: "The provisions set out in the employment contract must be in accordance with the Labour Law." Both sentences are on one page; ask your free zone authority how they apply to your staff.

On sponsorship, the same page states: "free zone employees are sponsored by the respective free zone authority and not by their employer." The u.ae page on services for free zone companies lists "Issuing, renewing and cancelling visas" among the services free zone authorities provide.

We did not find who issues a work permit to a free zone employee on the u.ae free zone pages or the ICP residence permit page reviewed on 20 September 2026. Ask your free zone authority which document it issues and what your tracker should record.

The comparison table and renewal tracker

Practical asset: the three-document comparison and per-employee renewal tracker. Use the comparison table to decide which column a document belongs in. Then fill one tracker row per employee from the documents you hold, not from memory.

Renewal tracker worksheet (one row per employee). Columns only; fill in from each employee's documents.

How to use it:

1. Copy the permit type from the MOHRE record. Do not assume two years; the types table shows terms of three months, 12 months, one year and two years.
2. Enter each expiry in its own column. Never merge the work permit and residence dates into one.
3. For free zone staff, write the free zone authority in the residence issuer column and ask it what goes in the work permit columns.
4. Record dependants against the sponsoring employee, since u.ae ties their expiry to the sponsor's.
5. Name one renewal owner per row, and a deputy for when that person is away.
6. Review the sheet on a fixed date each month and start a renewal file when an expiry comes into view. Ask MOHRE, ICP or GDRFA Dubai for their current renewal timing rather than relying on an older summary.

Mix-ups to avoid

• One expiry column for everything. The work permit and the residence permit have separate issuers and separate terms.
• Assuming the Emirates ID proves the right to work. It proves identity and, per ICP, residence. The right to work rests on the MOHRE work permit (Decree-Law 33/2021, Art. 6).
• Cancelling in the wrong order. GDRFA Dubai's cancellation service asks for the MOHRE work permit cancellation extract for private-sector staff.
• Treating a free zone employee like a mainland one. u.ae states that free zone employees are sponsored by the free zone authority.
• Assuming a "labour card number" means a specific field. We did not find a published definition of "labour card number", "work permit number" or "person code" on the pages reviewed on 20 September 2026. Ask MOHRE which reference a given form needs.

We also did not find the name of a current MOHRE app or website service for viewing or printing a work permit on the MOHRE pages reviewed that day. Ask MOHRE through its official channels.

What the authority decides, what you prepare, what a provider can do

The authority decides. MOHRE decides work permits. ICP or GDRFA Dubai decides residence permits, and ICP decides the Emirates ID. For free zone staff, the free zone authority decides the visas it issues. The u.ae Work Bundle page also states that "MoHRE may refrain from issuing or renewing, or may cancel work permits if the establishment", followed by conditions the page ties to "Articles 6 and 7 of the Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022".

You prepare. The employer keeps the employment records, the tracker and the evidence behind each date. If you reconcile headcount before payroll, the WPS pay-cycle guide sets out a routine that sits alongside this tracker.

A provider can help. Within whatever its licensed activity covers, a provider can prepare files, submit them through the correct channel and follow each application. What document clearing covers in Dubai explains that role in more detail.

Eligibility is determined by the relevant UAE authority. This article describes published requirements and is not immigration advice.

Fees checked on 20 September 2026.

Information verified against official sources on 20 September 2026.

If you want help keeping work permit and residence records aligned, contact RINJAZ to confirm availability, scope and quotation. RINJAZ is a privately licensed UAE service provider. It is not a government entity and does not act for any authority.

A provider's role, within whatever its licensed activity covers, is to prepare documents, submit them through the correct channel and track progress. MOHRE, ICP, GDRFA Dubai or the relevant free zone authority decides each application, and no provider can promise the outcome.