You have decided to outsource your government work. This checklist helps you compare PRO providers on the things that decide whether your visas, permits and renewals are handled well.
Page last updated: . Requirements, government fees and processing times are set by the relevant UAE authority and can change.
How to Choose a PRO Services Company in Dubai
A PRO services company handles a company’s government transactions: employee visas, MOHRE work permits, Emirates ID, the establishment card, licence renewals and the documents behind them. Choosing one is mostly a question of trust, and trust can be checked.
This page is a buyer’s checklist, not a ranking. It uses what the UAE authorities publish, such as where to verify a licence, how PRO cards are issued and what government fees are, so you can test any provider’s answers, including ours. If you are still deciding whether to outsource at all, start with in-house PRO or outsourced PRO.
Please note: authority rules and fees below are taken from GDRFA Dubai, MOHRE, the UAE Government portal and Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 as published on 25 September 2026. They change from time to time.
1. Verify the Company Behind the Offer
The UAE Government portal lists the official places to check a business: Dubai Economy and Tourism’s licence information and business name searches, and the Ministry of Economy and Tourism’s National Economic Register. Use them before you share employee documents.
| Check | What you are looking for |
|---|---|
| Trade name | The same name on the licence, the contract and the invoice |
| Licence status | A current licence, not an expired or cancelled one |
| Activities | Activities that cover the government transaction services being sold |
| Address | An office you can visit, not only a phone number or messaging account |
PROXPAT’s office is at Clover Bay Tower, Marasi Drive, Business Bay, Dubai, open Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm.
2. Ask How Your Files Will Be Submitted
Every PRO transaction ends up in an official channel. Knowing which one tells you what the provider actually does and what it will cost:
| Authority | Channels | What the authority publishes |
|---|---|---|
| GDRFA Dubai (residency, establishment card) | Smart services and website, 24/7; Amer service centres | Amer centres add AED 100 to a transaction; the establishment card lists 48 hours |
| MOHRE (work permits, contracts, quota) | Website and app; business service centres; Tawseel | Many services are free online apart from government fees; business service centres may charge a commission of up to AED 72 |
| ICP (federal identity and residency) | Smart services | Fees and times per service on the ICP service pages |
The PRO card
GDRFA Dubai issues a representative’s card, the PRO card, to a company’s representative. It asks for a letter from the authorised authority and a certificate of criminal investigation, lists a completion time of 48 hours, and sets a condition that the representative’s residence is with the company they work for.
Because the card is tied to the representative’s own sponsor, a provider’s staff generally act on your file through the digital channels and service centres rather than as your card-holding representative. Ask how that works for your transactions, and whose UAE Pass approvals each one needs. Approve UAE Pass requests yourself on your own phone rather than sharing a login.
3. Ask for Service Fees and Government Fees Separately
Government fees are published, so a quote can be checked line by line. Some examples a company will meet:
| Transaction | Published fee |
|---|---|
| Establishment card issuance (GDRFA Dubai) | AED 200 plus VAT, AED 10 Knowledge Dirham, AED 10 Innovation Dirham, AED 50 service fee |
| Work permit issuance or renewal (UAE Government portal) | AED 250 to AED 3,450, depending on the company’s MOHRE category A, B or C |
| Work permit quota (MOHRE) | Free online; AED 406 Taq’eem report where electronic quota is requested |
| Filing through an Amer centre (GDRFA Dubai) | AED 100 added per transaction |
A provider who cannot split a quote into its own fee and the government fees is asking you to trust a total you cannot check. PROXPAT publishes its fees and passes government fees through at cost with nothing added; see our pay-per-service fees.
4. Retainer or Pay Per Service?
| Your situation | Usually fits |
|---|---|
| A few employees and occasional transactions | Pay per service |
| Regular hiring, renewals and cancellations across the year | A monthly retainer |
| More than 20 employees or several entities | A quoted retainer based on volume |
For reference, PROXPAT’s monthly PRO retainer is AED 700 a month plus VAT for up to 10 employees and AED 1,400 for 11 to 20, with larger companies quoted on request. A complete employment visa process is AED 350 plus VAT when paid per service. If a retainer is not worth it for your volume, we say so.
5. Get the Scope in Writing
Ask for a written list of what is included. A complete corporate PRO service normally covers both cycles a company repeats every year:
Establishment card issue, renewal and amendments
MOHRE quota, work permits and contracts
Employment visas, medicals and Emirates ID
Visa renewals and cancellations
Trade licence renewals and amendments
Attestation and legal translation
Labour ban and status checks
Renewal reminders against a compliance calendar
Be equally clear about what stays with you. Approvals are decided by the authorities, and company-side problems such as unpaid fines, an expired licence or a WPS issue still have to be fixed by the company. See the UAE company compliance calendar for the dates involved.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign
| Ask | A good answer | A red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Can we see your trade licence? | A current licence in the same name as the contract | Reluctance, or a different name on the invoice |
| Where is your office? | An address you can visit | Only a phone number or a messaging account |
| What will this cost? | Your fee and the government fees, itemised | One total that cannot be broken down |
| How will you submit the file? | The named channel, and the approvals you will need to give | A request for your UAE Pass password |
| How long will it take? | The authority’s published service time, plus the steps around it | A guaranteed approval or date |
| Who keeps the original passports? | The employees; copies go on file | An offer to hold originals |
| What happens if something is rejected? | The reason, and what is needed to fix it | Silence, or new charges without explanation |
Red Flags
- Guaranteed approvals. Visas, permits and licences are decided by GDRFA, ICP, MOHRE and DET. A provider can prepare a clean file and follow up; it cannot promise the outcome.
- Holding employees’ passports. Article 13 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 requires an employer not to withhold a worker’s official documents. A provider offering to keep originals is offering something the employer itself may not do.
- Fees you cannot trace. Ask for the authority’s payment receipt or transaction reference for each government fee you are charged.
- No verifiable licence or office. If the checks in step 1 do not match, stop there.
- Sharing logins. Your UAE Pass is yours. Approve requests yourself rather than handing over credentials.
How PROXPAT Answers These Questions
- Office: Clover Bay Tower, Marasi Drive, Business Bay, Dubai.
- Fees: published on our PRO services in Dubai page, with government fees passed through at cost and nothing added.
- Process: documents checked before submission, follow-up with the authority, renewal reminders, and one point of contact.
- Proof: our Dubai mainland Technical Services LLC case study covers licensing, VAT registration and 12 employee visas.
Ask us the same questions you would ask anyone else.
Sources
UAE Government portal: Verify business licences and Work permits. GDRFA Dubai: Representative’s card and Establishment card for the private sector. MOHRE: Work Permit Quotas for Establishments. Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 13.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Get an Itemised PRO Quote
Share your headcount and the transactions you expect. PROXPAT sends its fee and the government fees separately, so you can compare like for like.