UAE Work Permits Now Processed in Minutes as MoHRE Goes Fully Digital

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UAE work permits now processed in minutes. Labour Ministry goes 100% digital. A major win for UAE corporate services.

Work permit processing times reduced by up to 95%, with many applications completed in minutes or seconds rather than days.
MoHRE's AI-driven platform eliminates most paperwork and in-person visits, supporting the UAE's 2027 paperless target.
Over 4 million labour transactions per year now processed through a single digital interface covering permits, quotas, and contract approvals.
The Eye AI system verifies documents in under one minute, with quota approvals reduced from 10 days to approximately one second.
Work Bundle platform consolidates employment and residency services, cutting total processing from 30 days to 5 days.
Corporate services providers and PROs must adapt internal workflows to new AI-driven rejection codes and compressed timelines.

Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme Transforms UAE Labour Services

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) announced on 8-9 February 2026 a fundamental shift in how UAE businesses process employment documentation. The reform, delivered under the federal Zero Government Bureaucracy programme, converts work permit applications from a paper-heavy process taking several days into a largely automated digital journey completed in minutes. The initiative forms part of the UAE's drive to become a fully paperless jurisdiction by 2027 and positions the country as a technology-led labour market for regional and global employers.

MoHRE's digitalisation covers permit issuance and renewal, quota approvals, contract attestations, establishment registration, and the integrated Work Bundle platform, which ties together employment, residency, and Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) services. The Eye AI-powered system sits at the core of this transformation, using automated agents to verify documents and process applications with minimal human intervention. For UAE corporate services providers and global mobility teams, the platform represents a step-change in operational efficiency and a fundamental rethink of traditional PRO workflows.

Processing Times Reduced by Up to 95%

MoHRE and supporting government communications report several quantified efficiency gains. Work permit processing time has been cut by up to 95%, with many routine applications moving from multi-day timelines to near-instant or minutes-level completion depending on risk flags. Data verification for work permit information, which previously took around 10 minutes, now completes in under one minute through automated checks of IDs, passports, contracts, and academic qualifications.

Human involvement in reviewing additional work permit quota requests has been reduced by approximately 56%, as AI systems handle the bulk of assessment and approvals. In the AI-driven smart work permit quota system, establishment approvals that used to take up to 10 days are now granted in approximately one second. Nearly 900,000 quotas were issued in one year under Phase Two of the Zero Government Bureaucracy programme, with around 13 million labour market transactions processed in 2025 alone.

The Work Bundle platform, which consolidates work permit and visa processes, previously cut overall processing time from about 30 days to five days, with steps reduced from 15 to 5 and required documents from 16 to 5. The latest MoHRE AI upgrades build on this by pushing individual permit and quota decisions into the minutes-or-less range. Data entry time in some processes has been reduced from 3 minutes to 1 minute via auto-population and system integrations.

AI-Driven Platform Architecture

The new MoHRE labour services platform is fully digital and AI-driven, designed to support straight-through processing for the majority of applications while routing only anomalous or higher-risk cases for manual review. A self-service employer dashboard pre-populates establishment data, historical employment records, and compliance information, removing repeated data entry across multiple services. Unified e-payment capabilities allow companies to pay fees for MoHRE and linked federal or local services through a single payment mechanism.

The Eye AI engine, launched at GITEX Global 2025, verifies IDs, passports, personal photos, employment contracts, academic certificates, and other supporting documents in less than a minute, checking for authenticity, consistency, and image quality. Automated document validation and risk management routines flag anomalies for manual follow-up, enabling MoHRE to maintain compliance and labour market oversight even as human review is reduced.

API connectivity allows large employers and global mobility teams to integrate internal HR systems with MoHRE's services for straight-through processing, reducing friction in onboarding and internal approvals. A one-time data submission model in the Work Bundle means employer and worker information is entered once and then automatically shared across relevant authorities, significantly reducing repetitive data collection.

Paperless Operations for UAE Employers

A central message of the initiative is the near-total elimination of physical documents, stamps, and in-person visits for standard corporate labour services. Employers are now required to upload contracts, proof of health insurance, Emiratisation compliance records, and related documents digitally, with MoHRE emphasising that physical submissions are necessary only in exceptional cases. Over 4 million labour transactions per year are now processed via a single online interface, eliminating the need for most counter visits and physical paperwork in standard cases.

Several services have been converted into zero-step procedures, meaning they proceed automatically without any customer interaction once the initial data is in the system. Examples include automatic establishment record updates with zero customer visits, auto-processed work permit cancellations streamlined into a single back-end procedure, and instantly granted work permit quotas that previously required multiple manual approvals. Procedures and requirements for certain quota-related services have been cut by 100%, effectively eliminating previous manual steps for many establishments.

Impact on Corporate Services Providers

For UAE employers, global mobility teams, and corporate services firms including PRO service providers, the updated MoHRE platform has several operational implications. New hire onboarding can commence within hours of offer acceptance, since work permit approvals and quota checks are completed almost instantly in standard risk profiles. Project lead times and accommodation outlays for foreign hires can be reduced because companies no longer need to factor in multi-day permit waiting periods.

Corporate services providers and internal PROs are being advised to train staff on new AI-driven rejection codes and reason flags, which differ from legacy manual rejection notes, and to remap internal processes around the revised, compressed timelines. Larger multinationals are encouraged to integrate their HR systems with MoHRE APIs to benefit from straight-through processing and to avoid manual re-keying of data. Companies that continue to rely on legacy manual PRO workflows or physical visits risk slower approvals and potential non-compliance penalties as MoHRE phases out counter services.

Integration with Federal Frameworks

The shift to fully digital work permit processing sits within a broader UAE policy push to reduce bureaucracy, enhance competitiveness, and position the country as a technologically advanced labour market and investment hub. MoHRE's integration with other federal entities, such as ICP and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA), ensures that labour market reforms are synchronised with migration, identity, and residency frameworks.

Compliance elements such as Emiratisation targets, health insurance coverage, and occupational safety monitoring are increasingly enforced through digital data sharing and AI-driven surveillance rather than manual inspections and document checks. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum stated that the Work Bundle platform would facilitate, simplify and shorten procedures for residency and work permits in the country, and is expected to reclaim around 62 million working days previously spent renewing residencies and employment contracts.

Over 11 million transactions have been automated through MoHRE's AI systems, encompassing work permits, quotas, and related services. The digitalisation extends across private sector employment and, via the Work Bundle, into linked services such as medical tests, Emirates ID issuance, and residency visa processing, through coordination with federal bodies. The reforms support the government's goal of fully digital, seamless journeys for work and residency in the UAE by around 2027.