Who the rules apply to
Emiratisation targets apply to private-sector companies registered with MoHRE on the UAE mainland. The obligation depends on the number of employees on each establishment card, and for smaller companies, on the sector.
Emiratis in skilled roles must grow 2% a year — 1% each half-year — reaching 10% of skilled roles by end-2026.
Companies in 14 designated sectors must employ at least two UAE Nationals in skilled roles.
No target today. Voluntary hires still qualify for Nafis support and Tier 1 classification.
Free zones run their own frameworks. The MoHRE targets on this page are for mainland entities.
Targets are assessed per establishment card. A group can be compliant at one entity and fined at another, so count each licence separately.
How the targets are calculated
For companies with 50 or more employees, the target is a percentage of skilled roles, not total headcount. Each year the required share of Emiratis in skilled roles rises by two percentage points, assessed in two one-point steps.
- This year’s step: 2% of skilled roles, rounded up to the next whole person. A company with 80 skilled roles must add two Emiratis in 2026 — one by 30 June, one by 31 December.
- The cumulative milestone: the programme began in 2022, so by the end of 2026 Emiratis should make up 10% of skilled roles. The same 80-skilled-role company needs eight Emiratis in place.
- 20–49 employee companies in the designated sectors have a fixed requirement of two Emiratis rather than a percentage.
Only UAE Nationals on a full-time MoHRE contract, paid through the Wage Protection System and enrolled in the pension scheme are counted. Part-time, outsourced or unregistered staff are not.
What counts as a skilled role
MoHRE groups occupations into five levels. Broadly, a role is skilled when it sits in one of these levels, the employee holds an attested qualification above secondary school, and the monthly salary meets MoHRE’s minimum threshold for skilled workers. Labour and unskilled roles do not count towards the target.
In practice most HR, finance, customer service, sales, operations, administrative and technical roles qualify. The common mistake is counting from payroll titles rather than the MoHRE classification on the work permit — which is why an audit usually finds a different number from the one on the spreadsheet.
Information and communications; financial and insurance; real estate; professional and technical activities; administrative and support services; arts and entertainment; mining and quarrying; manufacturing; education; healthcare and social work; construction; wholesale and retail; transportation and warehousing; accommodation and hospitality.
Deadlines: two checkpoints a year
MoHRE assesses progress on 30 June and 31 December. Any shortfall against the step due at that checkpoint is invoiced monthly until it is closed. The safe pattern is to brief roles in March and September so offers are accepted with weeks to spare.
Fines for non-compliance
The penalty is a monthly amount per Emirati not employed, charged from the missed checkpoint until the gap is closed. The monthly figure has risen by AED 1,000 each year since the scheme was introduced at AED 6,000 in 2022, so a shortfall costs more the longer it persists.
| Shortfall | Per month | Per year | Six-month gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Emirati | AED 8,000 | AED 96,000 | AED 48,000 |
| 3 Emiratis | AED 24,000 | AED 288,000 | AED 144,000 |
| 8 Emiratis | AED 64,000 | AED 768,000 | AED 384,000 |
| Baseline used across this site: AED 8,000 per missing Emirati per month. Treat it as a floor — the rate rises each year and MoHRE publishes the current amount. | |||
For 20–49 employee companies in the designated sectors the fine is assessed annually per missing Emirati. Fines are not a substitute for hiring: the shortfall is reassessed at the next checkpoint and persistent non-compliance affects the classification tier below.
Classification tiers and what they cost you
Every establishment sits in one of three tiers that set the fees you pay for work permits and other MoHRE transactions. Emiratisation performance is one of the main levers that moves a company between them.
Tier 1
Companies that exceed their Emiratisation target, train Emiratis at scale or are recognised SMEs. Lowest work-permit and transaction fees.
Tier 2
Every compliant company by default. Standard fees, scaled by the ratio of skilled workers and Emiratis.
Tier 3
Violations such as fake Emiratisation, wage-protection breaches or repeated non-compliance. Highest fees and closer inspection.
Exceeding your target does more than avoid fines: it is one of the routes into Tier 1, where permit costs across your whole expatriate workforce fall. For a 300-person company that saving can outweigh the cost of the Emirati hires themselves.
Fake Emiratisation
Registering a UAE National as an employee without genuine work — a salary paid for a name on the establishment card, a “ghost” job, or a role that exists only on paper — is treated as a serious violation. MoHRE inspects, takes reports from the public, and cross-checks Nafis, pension and WPS data.
Fines of AED 20,000 to AED 100,000 per case, higher for repeat offences; downgrade to Tier 3; the employee is removed from your Emirati count, so the original shortfall fine applies as well; and possible suspension of the establishment’s permits.
The defence is evidence of real work: a job description, a reporting line, outputs, and a salary that matches the role. Every placement we make comes with all four.
Compliance checklist
Seven things to have in place before the next checkpoint.
- Count skilled roles per establishment card using MoHRE’s classification, not your payroll titles
- Confirm every Emirati employee is on a MoHRE contract, paid through WPS and enrolled for pension
- Calculate this year’s 2% step and the cumulative 10% milestone
- Register the establishment and every Emirati hire on Nafis
- Put hiring briefs out by March and September, not June and December
- Check the classification tier and what would move it
- Keep evidence of genuine work for every Emirati role — job description, reporting line, outputs
Rules FAQ
The MoHRE targets described here apply to mainland private-sector companies registered with MoHRE. Free zones run their own frameworks and some have introduced voluntary or incentive-based programmes. We work with mainland companies only.
MoHRE classifies roles into five occupational levels. Broadly, skilled means professional, technical, supervisory and administrative roles held by someone with an attested qualification above secondary school and a monthly salary at or above the MoHRE threshold. Labour and unskilled roles do not count.
Only full-time employees on a MoHRE-registered contract, with wages paid through the Wage Protection System and pension contributions in place, are counted. Part-time and outsourced staff are not.
MoHRE calculates the shortfall against the target due on 30 June or 31 December and invoices a monthly fine per missing Emirati until the gap is closed. Persistent non-compliance can also move your establishment to a lower classification tier.
Targets are assessed per establishment card, so each licence with 50+ employees carries its own 2% step. Groups often meet the number at one entity and miss it at another; a group-level audit prevents that.
