Tasheel Services a New Dubai Company Actually Needs

Roughly 40,000 new company licenses are issued across Dubai each year, and a significant portion of those founders hit their first Tasheel wall within days of receiving the license. Not because the process is complicated. Because they didn't know which tasheel services company dubai actually requires before a single visa application can move forward. The immigration establishment card costs AED 3,850 if sourced separately. VAT and corporate tax late registration each carry a AED 10,000 penalty (Federal Tax Authority, 2026). Work permit rejections require a full resubmission. And the three formation packages, AED 12,500, AED 16,350, and AED 18,200, determine whether you can approach Tasheel on day one or weeks later.

This guide covers the requirements, costs, and exact steps a new Dubai company needs to follow to access Tasheel services correctly, so nothing stalls at the labour or immigration stage.

What Tasheel Services for a Dubai Company Actually Are

Tasheel is a network of MOHRE-authorised service centres that process labour-related transactions for UAE companies, including work permit applications, contract registration, and labour card renewals. Every company that plans to sponsor employees must route those transactions through a Tasheel centre or the MOHRE online portal before any visa can proceed.

The Role of MOHRE in Tasheel Transactions

MOHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation) owns the Tasheel network and sets the fee schedule. Tasheel centres don't make independent decisions, they act as authorised intermediaries, submitting applications to MOHRE on your company's behalf and returning the outcome once processed.

The transactions Tasheel handles include:

• New work permit applications

• Contract authentication and registration

• Labour card issuance and renewal

• Work permit cancellations

A logistics consultancy in Dubai South that hires its first employee must file a work permit application through Tasheel before GDRFAD will issue the entry permit. Skipping this step returns an error at the immigration portal, the systems are linked, and the labour clearance must exist first.

What Tasheel Does Not Cover

Tasheel handles the labour side only. The immigration side, entry permits, status changes, Emirates ID registration, goes through ICP (Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security) or GDRFAD (General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai). These are separate portals with separate requirements.

Free zone companies also need to understand one key distinction. If you hold a 1 Visa Package at Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone, the investor visa allocation is processed through the free zone authority, not Tasheel. Tasheel becomes relevant only when you're sponsoring employees beyond that initial allocation. Don't conflate the two processes; they run on different tracks entirely. For more on UAE residency visa pathways, the free zone's residency services page covers the investor visa steps in detail.

Tasheel Services Dubai Requirements Your Company Must Meet

To access Tasheel services in Dubai, a company needs a valid trade license, a MOHRE establishment file (company account), an immigration establishment card, and an approved labour quota. Free zone companies also need the free zone authority's confirmation that the activity is eligible for employee sponsorship before Tasheel will accept a work permit application.

Documents and Credentials You Need Before Approaching Tasheel

These tasheel services dubai requirements must all be in place before you submit a single work permit application:

• Valid trade license, must be current and match the activity under which you're hiring

• Immigration establishment card, mandatory for any visa-related filing; GDRFAD rejects submissions without it

• MOHRE company account (establishment file), created separately from the ICP file

• Memorandum or Articles of Association, showing authorised signatories

• Tenancy contract or flexi-desk lease agreement, confirming a registered address

A technology startup that received its license in one day from Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone still cannot file a work permit until the immigration establishment card is in place. The card is included in the 1 Visa Package (AED 16,350) and 2 Visa Package (AED 18,200), but not the 0 Visa Package (AED 12,500). If you chose the 0 Visa Package, the card costs AED 3,850 when added separately, and that's before any work permit or visa processing fees.

Labour Quota and Activity Eligibility

MOHRE assigns a quota, the maximum number of work permits your company can hold at one time. Quota size is influenced by your office space, paid-up capital, and the activity classification on your license. A flexi-desk arrangement typically supports a modest initial quota; larger offices or higher capital can support more.

Regulated activities add another layer. A company holding a healthcare license in Dubai must obtain DHA (Dubai Health Authority) approval for each clinical role before Tasheel will accept the work permit application for that position. Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone licenses the healthcare activity; DHA approves it separately. The same principle applies to education, where KHDA (Knowledge and Human Development Authority) provides the separate regulator approval. Check your business activities against the relevant regulator before filing.

How to Access Tasheel Services: Step-by-Step for a New Dubai Company

A new Dubai company accesses Tasheel services by forming the company, obtaining the immigration establishment card, opening a MOHRE company account, requesting a labour quota, and then filing individual work permit applications through a Tasheel centre or the MOHRE portal. Each step must be completed in sequence, skipping one blocks the next. This tasheel services dubai guide walks through each stage clearly.

Step 1: Form the Company and Confirm Your Package

Your package choice at formation directly determines how quickly you can reach Tasheel. The three options at Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone are:

• 0 Visa Package, AED 12,500: license, Articles of Association, share register, flexi-desk space, and lease agreement. No establishment card included.

• 1 Visa Package, AED 16,350: all 0 Visa inclusions, plus one visa allocation (investor or partner visa) and the immigration establishment card.

• 2 Visa Package, AED 18,200: all 0 Visa inclusions, plus two visa allocations and the immigration establishment card.

The license is issued in one day. A sole founder who only needs an investor visa for themselves should choose the 1 Visa Package. A two-partner company where both partners want residency should choose the 2 Visa Package. The establishment card follows once the immigration file is opened, and without it, Tasheel won't process a work permit.

Dubai South Business Hub Free Zone Package Inclusions and Tasheel Readiness

Step 2: Open the MOHRE Company Account

Once the establishment card is in place, visit a Tasheel centre or use the MOHRE online portal to register the company as an employer. You'll submit the trade license, establishment card, tenancy or lease agreement, and authorised signatory ID. MOHRE then assigns a company number, required on every work permit application from that point forward.

This step is entirely separate from the ICP establishment file. Both must exist independently. A consulting firm that registered its ICP file on day one still had to visit a Tasheel centre separately to open the MOHRE employer account before it could request a work permit quota. Don't assume one registration covers both.

Step 3: Request a Labour Quota and File Work Permits

1. Submit a quota request through the MOHRE portal, approval depends on office size, activity classification, and paid-up capital.

2. Once quota is approved, file individual work permit applications for each employee through Tasheel.

3. Work permit approval triggers the GDRFAD entry permit application, these are sequential, not parallel.

4. After the entry permit is issued, the employee undergoes status change, medical screening, Emirates ID registration, and visa stamping, all quoted separately from the package price.

A trading company that received quota approval for five positions filed all five work permits through a Tasheel centre on the same day, then moved to GDRFAD entry permit applications for each hire in sequence. That sequential structure is non-negotiable. Worth flagging: VAT and corporate tax registrations carry AED 10,000 penalties each for late filing, get those in place before operations begin, independently of the Tasheel process. You can use the PRO services at Dubai South Business Hub to manage government transactions in parallel.

What happens if you skip the MOHRE account before filing a work permit?

The system rejects the application outright. MOHRE's portal cross-checks the company number before accepting any work permit submission. Without an active employer account, there's no company number to reference, and the application cannot be saved or submitted. You'll need to complete the account registration and resubmit from the beginning.

Tasheel Services Company Dubai Costs You Should Budget For

Tasheel-related costs for a new Dubai company include government work permit fees set by MOHRE, the immigration establishment card fee (AED 3,850 if not included in your formation package), and separate visa processing fees covering entry permits, medical screening, Emirates ID, and visa stamping. These are always quoted and paid apart from the formation package price.

Formation Package Costs vs Tasheel Processing Costs

Formation packages cover the license, Articles of Association, share register, flexi-desk, and lease agreement. The 1 Visa and 2 Visa packages also include the visa allocation and immigration establishment card. But Tasheel work permit fees and visa processing costs are separate government charges, payable at the time of each transaction, not bundled into the upfront package.

A founder who chose the 0 Visa Package at AED 12,500 to keep initial costs low discovered that adding the immigration establishment card later cost AED 3,850, plus work permit fees and visa processing charges on top. If you're planning to hire within the first quarter, the 1 or 2 Visa Package is almost always the more cost-efficient starting point. Use the business setup cost calculator to model the full picture before committing.

Hidden Cost Areas First-Time Founders Miss

• Visa processing: Entry permit, status change, medical screening, Emirates ID, and visa stamping are always separate line items, for every employee, every time.

• Regulated activity approvals: DHA, KHDA, and other named regulators may charge their own application fees before MOHRE will process a work permit for that role.

• Bank account opening: A separate process with its own timelines and minimum balance requirements. See the banking and taxation services page for current guidance.

• Tax registration penalties: AED 10,000 for late VAT registration, AED 10,000 for late corporate tax registration, each (Federal Tax Authority, 2026).

A financial services company that underestimated costs found itself paying regulator approval fees, work permit fees, and visa processing charges that together exceeded the formation package cost within the first two months. Budget for all of these before you sign off on the formation package decision.

How Package Choice Affects Your Tasheel Services Company Dubai Setup

The formation package you choose at company setup directly determines which Tasheel prerequisites are already in place. The 1 Visa and 2 Visa packages include the immigration establishment card that Tasheel requires before processing any work permit. Choosing the 0 Visa Package means sourcing the card separately, adding cost and time before your first hire. This is one of the most consequential decisions in the tasheel services company dubai setup process.

When the 0 Visa Package Makes Sense

The 0 Visa Package at AED 12,500 suits founders who don't need a personal investor visa and won't hire employees immediately. It includes everything needed to operate: license, Articles of Association, share register, flexi-desk space, and lease agreement. Tasheel services aren't immediately relevant to that model.

A one-person advisory firm that operates remotely with no near-term headcount plans is the right fit here. The immigration establishment card can always be added later at AED 3,850 when the business is ready to hire. Just don't choose this package assuming you'll sort the card "quickly", the application takes time, and it blocks every Tasheel transaction until it's issued.

When the 1 or 2 Visa Package Speeds Up Tasheel Readiness

Both the 1 Visa Package (AED 16,350) and 2 Visa Package (AED 18,200) include the immigration establishment card, the key prerequisite for Tasheel work permit filing. The visa allocation in each package is the investor or partner visa; it's not two separate employee visas.

References

1. Federal Tax Authority

2. MOHRE

3. ICP

4. GDRFAD