Recruitment agency or manpower supply licence?
Recruiting or supplying workers in the UAE needs a MOHRE agency licence. Whose payroll they sit on sets the category.
- Usual route
- Mainland (DET)
- Extra approval
- MOHRE
- Timeline
- Weeks to months
- AML
- Not a DNFBP activity
A recruitment or manpower supply agency holds a trade licence from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). It also needs an agency licence from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE). Matching candidates with employers is intermediation, and deploying workers on your own payroll is temporary employment, with a larger bank guarantee. MOHRE also expects a dedicated office.
- Covers
- Sourcing, screening and placing candidates; supplying workers to clients
- Not covered
- Domestic workers (separate MOHRE office licence); HR advice alone
- Premises
- Dedicated office used solely for the agency; no flexi-desk
- Timeline
- Weeks to months, led by MOHRE vetting and the guarantee
Where recruitment work stops
The edge is the kind of worker you place, who they are for and whose payroll they join once the placement is made.
Covered
Not covered
- Covered by a domestic worker recruitment office
- Covered by Management consultancy
- Covered by a separate HR provision activity
Tick what you plan to do. The result shows here.
We fix the wording before you apply. Send us your list on WhatsApp
Intermediation and temporary employment are separate MOHRE categories, and a combined licence holds both, so we set the category with you before you apply.
Route for a recruitment agency
Where your client employers sit decides the route, since placing or supplying workers into mainland jobs runs through MOHRE and its agency licence.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mainland companies hiring staff in the UAE | Mainland (DET) | Placing workers into mainland jobs needs the MOHRE agency licence |
| Clients using workers on your payroll | Mainland (DET) | Temporary employment is the MOHRE category with the larger guarantee |
| Companies inside free zones | Free zone | A free zone licence suits search and placement for free zone clients |
| Employers abroad hiring senior people | Either route | Search for overseas employers can sit on a free zone licence |
A free zone company can reach mainland clients through a DET branch licence or permit (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025). Placing workers into mainland jobs is MOHRE-regulated, and mainland income can affect QFZP status.
Several free zones license this activity; we match the zone to your visas, office and banking. Compare free zones
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
Who approves a recruitment agency
DET issues the trade licence. MOHRE then vets every partner, checks the office and requires the bank guarantee before the agency licence. A partner linked to a business closed for labour violations can block it.
Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approvalDET
- Dedicated agency officeMOHRE condition
The licence
- Trade licenceDET
After the licence
- Partner vetting and credit reportMOHRE
- Bank guarantee or approved insuranceThe bank, in MOHRE's favour
- Agency licenceMOHRE
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
We line up the office, the partners and the guarantee before MOHRE sees the file.
Whose payroll is the worker on?
That one answer sets the MOHRE category, the size of the guarantee the agency must hold and, for households, a separate licence altogether.
A combined licence holds both business categories under the AED 1,000,000 guarantee. Long-term employer of record work is confirmed case by case.
| The employer's | Yours | |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses | Employment intermediation MOHRE agency licence, with a bank guarantee of AED 300,000 or approved insurance. | Temporary employment MOHRE agency licence, with a bank guarantee of AED 1,000,000 or approved insurance. |
| Households | Domestic worker recruitment A separate, stricter MOHRE licence for offices recruiting for households. | Domestic worker supply Sits under the domestic worker regime; we confirm the model per case. |
Answer both to highlight your square.
What banks ask an agency
Bank viewCloser look: the guarantee, client contracts and payroll flows
The guarantee comes first, because it either ties up cash or needs a bank facility. A temporary employment model then moves large payroll sums every month through the Wage Protection System. Expect questions on client contracts, on payroll flows and on who funds the guarantee, and on whether the first clients are already signed. We prepare the bank file around the client contracts and the payroll plan, so the reviewer sees signed work behind every monthly payroll run.
AMLNot a DNFBP activity; the bank's own customer checks still apply.
Where agency files stall
Licensed as a consultancy, trading as an agency
An HR consultancy licence does not cover placing candidates or deploying workers. MOHRE limits recruitment to licensed entities, publishes lists of licensed offices and acts on unlicensed recruitment, so clients and candidates can check before they sign anything.
Planning a MOHRE agency on a flexi-desk
MOHRE asks for a clearly identifiable address used solely for the agency's business. A shared or virtual desk falls short, and the lease has to be right before the agency application, so we check the space before you sign.
A fee model that charges candidates
UAE labour law bars charging workers recruitment or employment costs, directly or indirectly. Recovering costs from candidates through salary deductions or registration charges breaks that rule, and agency revenue has to come from the employer side.
Recruitment and manpower licence questions
A question about your plan? Describe your recruitment agency plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppDo I need a MOHRE licence to open a recruitment agency in Dubai?
What is the difference between recruitment and manpower supply in the UAE?
Can a free zone recruitment company place candidates with mainland employers?
Can a recruitment agency charge candidates a fee in the UAE?
Can a recruitment agency work from a virtual office in Dubai?
Related pages
IndustryManagement and HR consultancy setup in DubaiHow to start a consultancy business in Dubai: the activity wording, professional vs commercial licence, free zone or mainland, visas and banking.
ServicePRO services for visas and approvalsPRO services in Dubai for companies: visas, Emirates ID, labour permits, licence renewals and approvals run on a calendar, not chased at the deadline.
JurisdictionDubai mainland company setup with DETSuits businesses that sell to UAE customers or bid for Dubai tenders.
Set the MOHRE category for your agency before the guarantee is arranged
Thirty minutes on your payroll model and the clients you expect. You leave with the MOHRE category, the route and the approvals in order.
On the call
- The activity wording that fits your plan
- The route, and the approvals in order
- A written scope, agreed before any work starts
