Key Takeaways
- On the mainland, the labour ministry (MOHRE) gives out the work-permit quota once you have a valid Ta'qeem report. Its service page has no formula based on office size (October 2026).
- At RAKEZ serviced offices, one desk gives up to 2 visas and two desks up to 4. No company there gets more than 4 (October 2026).
- DMCC charges AED 500 for each extra visa on the quota, plus an AED 250 application fee you don't get back. Its charges page has no visas-per-desk formula (October 2026).
- A package that says five visas may give you fewer. Zones link the number to your desk, your package or the space you lease.
- A commercial Ejari, the official registration of a business lease, has to be in the licensed company's name (Dubai Land Department FAQ, October 2026).
A setup package that promises five visas sounds as if you can hire five people. Often you can't. The visa quota of a company in Dubai, meaning the number of residence visas it may apply for, depends on what the zone links that number to, and the package page doesn't always say. Mainland companies run into the same problem in a different form. There, the labour ministry sets the work-permit quota and publishes no formula for it.
What a visa quota is and who sets it
A visa quota is the number of employment and residence visas a licensed company may request. Whoever licenses the company sets it. A free zone is an area with its own authority that licenses companies under its own rules, and each zone fixes quotas in its own regulations. Most tie them to a package, a desk or an amount of leased space.
On the mainland, meaning anywhere in the emirate outside a free zone, the quota comes from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE). You need a valid Ta'qeem report first. Ta'qeem is MOHRE's check of your business before it sets your work-permit quota.
Dubai does have one rule about office area, but it concerns licensing, not visas. Executive Council Resolution 5 of 2024 tells licensing bodies not to demand offices of a certain size unless legislation requires it. The rule applies without prejudice to the conditions of free zone authorities (Article 3(B)), which means the zones keep their own terms. It says nothing about visas. Whether a zone or MOHRE links your visa count to floor space is something you have to find out from them.
Free zone quotas as zones publish them
Zones publish their quotas in different ways. Some give a number per desk and some a number per package. Others name a ceiling and leave the rest to the quotation. Use the table to see how a sample of zones word their rules, and where each statement comes from.
| Zone | What the zone states | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| RAKEZ (Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone) serviced offices | Up to 2 visas for one desk and up to 4 for two desks. No company gets more than 4. Each desk needs at least 3 m2. | RAKEZ serviced offices page, October 2026 |
| RAKEZ flexi facilities | Visa terms depend on the facility. RAKEZ gives the current count for a flexi facility on request. | RAKEZ, October 2026 |
| DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) | Jump Start (flexi desk or co-working) is eligible for three residence visas, and one of them is included in the package price. Basic Biz on a flexi desk is eligible for one. | DMCC package page, October 2026 |
| Meydan | The base licence makes you eligible for visa allocations. Visas and allocations cost extra in its cost calculator. The price page gives no upper limit. | Meydan site and cost calculator, October 2026 |
| IFZA (International Free Zone Authority) | There's no visa table on the office or setup pages. Only IFZA can tell you the count for your package. | IFZA, October 2026 |
| JAFZA (Jebel Ali Free Zone) | The company-formation, licence and cost-calculator pages give no visa quota rule. | JAFZA, October 2026 |
| Ajman Free Zone | The FAQ says the quota depends on the location. Extra visas need approval from Immigration. | AFZ FAQ, undated |
| SHAMS (Sharjah Media City) | Up to 50 visas per licence, depending on activity and office space. Its package cards show up to 20 per package. | SHAMS, October 2026 |
Every one of these figures comes with conditions. What counts in the end is the zone's current price list and the quote it gives you. Put the same question to each zone and keep the reply: which facility do I need to get this number of visas?
Mainland, Ta'qeem and office size
For mainland companies, MOHRE's work-permit quota page lists a valid trade licence among its conditions. That's the document that lets your company do business. A valid Ta'qeem report is on the list too. The page adds that MOHRE can also award a quota proactively, without an application (MOHRE service page, October 2026). For electronic quotas it wants evidence of work volume, the trade licence, a list of vehicles and the Ta'qeem report. Office area isn't mentioned, and neither is Ejari.
The same page puts the Ta'qeem evaluation fee at AED 406 and the processing time at 2 working days (as of October 2026). In February 2026 MOHRE said establishments now get their quotas instantly. Business centres may charge a commission of up to AED 72 on top. Fees change from time to time. Check the MOHRE app for the amount on the day you apply.
You won't find a table on MOHRE's service page that turns square metres into work permits. That's why it pays to talk to a PRO before you sign a lease. A PRO, short for public relations officer, is the person who handles a company's government paperwork. Ask them what quota MOHRE would likely give for your licence and your lease taken together.
Flexi desks, shared desks in a business centre, bring their own question. Whether one is enough for the licence, the visa quota or the bank depends on your activity and on the business centre. The centres themselves face strict rules. To register as a business centre, the Dubai Land Department FAQ asks for a commercial tenancy of not less than 5,000 sq ft, valid for 5 years (October 2026). Our guide to virtual offices and flexi desks explains what licences accept.
Reading the small print on a five-visa package
When a package says visas, it can mean one of three things. You may be eligible for that many. They may be included in the price. Or they may be allocated to you for a stated fee. DMCC's Jump Start shows the gap between the first two. It's eligible for three residence visas but includes only one in the package price (October 2026). Meydan's price page shows the third kind, because the base package has no visas and each allocation costs extra.
Here's a made-up example to show the arithmetic. Say a quote promises five visas on a RAKEZ serviced office. RAKEZ caps that facility at four visas per company, which means the fifth would need a different facility. The price in the quote could be correct, and the quote could still say nothing about the desk you'd need.
Three questions help with any package. Note the replies, because they show whether the number on the package is one you can really hire against.
- Are these visas eligible, included, or allocated for a stated fee?
- Which facility, desk type or leased space gives you that number?
- What happens to the quota when the package renews or you change desks?
Buy on the visa count alone and you may end up with fewer visas than you planned. Then you either pay an extra quota fee or move to a bigger facility part-way through the year.
Establishment card first, hiring second
Budget for the establishment card before you send the first offer letter. That's the immigration record that lets your company sponsor visas. Your zone or MOHRE can tell you which card has to be active before the first entry permit is issued.
In Dubai, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) lists an issuance fee of AED 200 plus 5% VAT, AED 20 in dirham levies and a service fee. It expects to issue the card in 48 hours (as of October 2026). Free zone cards are priced differently. DMCC, for example, charges AED 1,825 a year for its card, according to its schedule of charges (October 2026).
Next come the entry permit, the medical fitness test and the Emirates ID. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) gives 2 days for the entry permit. After that the employee has 60 days to enter the country, and the Emirates ID takes 5 days. No authority publishes a total time from application to visa in hand.
Health insurance belongs in the budget too. Since 1 January 2025, employers in every emirate have had to buy it for private-sector workers. A basic package costs AED 320 a year, according to MOHRE (October 2026).
Take care if your company hasn't started trading yet. ICP's entry permit terms list a fine of AED 20,000 for issuing entry permits to an establishment with no business activity. Check that figure with ICP before you request a visa for a company that isn't active yet.
The lease comes into this as well. Ejari is Dubai's official register of tenancy contracts. Registering a company lease there usually costs AED 220 through a trustee centre. The AED 177.75 option on the app and website is meant for individual tenants and landlords (October 2026). According to the Dubai Land Department FAQ, a commercial Ejari must be issued to the licensed company. Your zone, or the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), Dubai's mainland licensing office and formerly DED, can tell you whether the visa request or the licence renewal needs the Ejari certificate. To see these steps in order, read the step-by-step guide to opening a company in Dubai. The registration timeline shows which of them go quickly.
Adding visas later
You can raise your quota later. It's a paid request with its own approval, though, and each zone prices it differently. DMCC charges AED 500 per additional visa quota and a non-refundable application fee of AED 250 (schedule of charges, October 2026). Meydan prices extra visa allocations in its cost calculator. Ajman Free Zone's FAQ says extra visas need approval from Immigration.
At RAKEZ serviced offices the quota grows with the number of desks, but only up to the company maximum of 4. Beyond that you'd have to move to a different facility. On the mainland a bigger quota means another request to MOHRE. Your PRO will know what evidence of work volume the ministry wants to see first.
Checklist before you buy a desk or lease
For 0 to 2 visas in a zone with a published package, you can fairly do this yourself. Read the package and get each point confirmed in writing. With more than three visas, or with a mainland lease, it's worth having a PRO check the quota arithmetic and the order of the Ejari steps early on. Each point below changes how many visas you can use or what they cost. Take the list with you to that conversation.
- The quota on paper, marked as eligible, included or allocated.
- The facility behind the number: desk type, floor area or lease.
- The fee for each extra visa, and who pays the application fee.
- A lease registered in Ejari in the company's name.
- What the establishment card costs and how long it takes, then the same for medical tests and the Emirates ID.
- What happens to the quota at renewal or when you change desk type.
- Whether the company will trade before you request the first visa.
You choose your activity codes before you request any visa, and the guide to choosing the activity code explains how. For the full sequence, including where visas come in, see how to start a business in Dubai.
AdvisoryHub may receive a fee when you request an introduction; it does not affect the information on this page.
More Company Setup Guides
Related Company Setup Guides
- Business bank account rejected in Dubai, why and what to fix
- DED activities list and how to choose the right code
- Memorandum of association UAE and the shareholder agreement
- Power of attorney UAE and attested documents for company setup
- How to open a company in Dubai yourself, step by step
- Virtual office Dubai and flexi desk, what licences accept
- How to start a business in Dubai in seven steps (2026)
- Dubai company registration process and time, no official total
