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Labour & MOHRE

UAE Labour Card Guide

Last updated: 13 June 2026

The labour card sits at the centre of mainland employment in the UAE, linking your work permit and your registered contract. Understanding it helps you make sense of your employment status. This guide explains it plainly.

Our labour services can retrieve and explain your labour records.

What the labour card is

The labour card is MOHRE's record that you are legally employed by a specific mainland company. It connects to your work permit (which authorised the employment) and your registered labour contract (which defines the terms).

Official source: Always confirm the latest requirements on the official website: MOHRE mohre.gov.ae.

How it relates to other documents

  • Work permit: MOHRE's approval to employ you
  • Labour contract: your registered terms of employment
  • Labour card: the record confirming the active employment relationship
  • Residence visa: your permission to live in the UAE, linked to the employment

These move together — when one changes (a transfer, a cancellation), the others usually follow.

Checking your labour card

You can check it through MOHRE's online services with your details, or ask us to retrieve it. It is useful for confirming your employment is correctly recorded.

When employment ends

  • The labour record is cancelled in the labour cancellation step, before the residence visa cancellation
  • Make sure cancellation is completed and confirmed, not just promised
  • Keep copies of your contract and cancellation papers for future applications

Conclusion

The labour card ties your work permit, contract, and visa together. Knowing how they connect makes employment changes — transfers, cancellations — far less confusing. To retrieve or understand your labour records, message our labour services.

Related guides: UAE Labour Contract Guide · Check Labour Contract Online · How to Cancel Residence Visa

Frequently asked questions

What is a labour card in the UAE?
It is the MOHRE record confirming you are legally employed by a specific mainland company, linked to your work permit and registered contract.
Is the labour card the same as the work permit?
They are closely linked. The work permit authorises employment; the labour card is the record of that employment relationship with MOHRE.
Do free zone employees have a labour card?
Free zone employment is registered with the free zone authority rather than MOHRE, so the equivalent record differs.
How do I check my labour card?
Through MOHRE's online services using your details. We can also retrieve and explain it for you.
What happens to it when I leave a job?
It is cancelled as part of the labour cancellation step when your employment ends, before the residence visa cancellation.
Disclaimer: Bab Al Zahiah Typing Center is an independent professional service provider. We are not a government authority. Information on this website is provided for general guidance only and should be verified with the relevant UAE government authority before making decisions. Approval, rejection, timelines, fees, and requirements are controlled by the relevant authority.

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