MOHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation)

MOHRE is the federal ministry that regulates private-sector employment in the UAE mainland. It issues and cancels work permits, approves the standard offer letter and employment contract that every mainland hire must sign, runs the Wage Protection System that monitors salary payments, enforces Emiratisation targets, and operates the mandatory first stage of nearly every labour dispute: an employee or employer files a complaint with MOHRE, which attempts settlement before the case can be referred to the labour courts. The ministry also classifies companies into tiers that affect their government fees and can impose fines, work-permit bans, and company file freezes for violations such as unpaid wages or false Emiratisation. Free zones (and DIFC/ADGM with their own employment laws) sit largely outside MOHRE's remit, which is one of the first jurisdictional questions in any UAE employment matter.