Most SMEs have enough government work to need the function, and not enough to justify the salary. This page sets out the real comparison so you can do the arithmetic with your own numbers.
Page last updated: . Requirements, government fees and processing times are set by the relevant UAE authority and can change.
In-House PRO or Outsourced PRO: How UAE Companies Actually Decide
Every operating UAE company needs someone to own its government transactions: employee visas, MOHRE work permits, licence renewals, amendments, the establishment card and the documentation behind them. The only real question is whether that person sits on your payroll or outside it.
This page does not argue for one answer. It sets out what each model actually costs and covers, and where the line usually falls. Our own fees are published further down, and so are the government fees, so you can build the comparison from real numbers rather than estimates.
Please note: one number on this page has to be yours: the salary you would pay an in-house PRO. Market salaries vary by experience, emirate and language, and we will not publish a figure we cannot source. Everything else here is either published by the relevant authority or is PROXPAT’s own rate card.
What the Role Actually Involves
Before comparing cost, it helps to be precise about the job, because it is wider than "doing visas". Across a year, an operating company repeats two cycles:
| Employee lifecycle | Company lifecycle |
|---|---|
| Offer letters and MOHRE work permits | Trade licence renewal and amendments |
| Entry permits, medical fitness, Emirates ID, stamping | Establishment card issue and renewal |
| Visa renewals inside the 60-day window | Immigration file and authorised signatory changes |
| Cancellations, and the grace period that follows | Government documentation, attestation, translation |
| WPS salary file, due on the first of each month | Ejari, customs code, and activity approvals |
The full scope is set out on our corporate PRO services page, and the dates behind it on the compliance calendar.
The Cost Comparison, Honestly Built
What an in-house PRO costs
- Salary, which is your number and the largest line.
- The cost of employing that person: their own work permit and residence visa, medical, Emirates ID and health insurance — the same government fees this page lists below, paid for one more head.
- End-of-service gratuity accruing from day one. See UAE labour law for employers.
- Cover when they are on leave, unwell or leaving. Government work does not pause.
- The learning curve on any process they have not handled before, which is paid in delays rather than cash.
What outsourcing costs
| Model | Fee |
|---|---|
| Monthly retainer, up to 10 employees | AED 700 per month + 5% VAT |
| Monthly retainer, 11 to 20 employees | AED 1,400 per month + 5% VAT |
| Monthly retainer, more than 20 employees | Quoted against headcount and transaction volume |
| Per transaction, complete visa process | AED 350 + 5% VAT — new, renewal or cancellation, end to end |
Please note: government fees are separate in both models. They are charged by the authority, not by us, and they do not change based on who submits the application.
The Government Fees Are the Same Either Way
This is the part that makes the comparison simpler than it looks. Whether an employee or a provider submits the file, the authority charges the same amount:
| Transaction | Published amount |
|---|---|
| Work permit issue or renewal | AED 250 to AED 3,450, by company classification |
| Employment contract issuance or renewal at MOHRE | Free on the website and app apart from federal charges; business centre commission capped at AED 72 |
| Residence permit renewal | ICP: AED 100 application, AED 100 per year, AED 100 smart services |
| Medical fitness test | AED 250 plus printing for employees and company workers |
| Establishment card renewal | ICP: AED 100 for each year, plus the electronic system subscription |
So the decision is not about government cost. It is about who carries the salary, the cover and the learning curve. See the full government fee ranges.
Where the Line Usually Falls
| Situation | What usually makes sense |
|---|---|
| Fewer than about 20 employees, steady headcount | Outsourced. The transaction volume rarely fills a role, and a retainer costs a fraction of a salary |
| Growing quickly, hiring in batches | Outsourced, often on a project basis for the hiring drive, then back to a retainer |
| Large headcount with daily transactions | In-house starts to make sense, often with an outsourced provider alongside for peaks and specialist work |
| Several entities or licences | Outsourced, because the coordination across files is the hard part, not the volume |
| Highly regulated activity with constant authority contact | In-house, or a dedicated arrangement |
The honest version: the answer is usually about predictability, not price. A retainer converts an unpredictable stream of transactions into one fixed monthly number, and that is worth more to most SMEs than the difference in cost.
What Outsourcing Does Not Solve
Worth saying plainly, because it decides expectations:
- Approvals and timelines remain the authority’s. No provider can guarantee a date, and any that does is telling you something untrue.
- Documents still have to come from you and your employees — passports, photographs, attested certificates, signed offers.
- Company-side problems stay yours to fix: unpaid fines, an expired licence, a WPS issue or a quota that has run out.
- Decisions stay yours. We tell you what the authority requires; what to do about it is a management call.
A Hybrid Most Companies End Up With
In practice the split is rarely absolute. A common arrangement: an internal HR or admin person owns the documents, the employees and the deadlines, and an outsourced team owns the submissions, the counters and the follow-up. Nobody learns five government portals, and nothing waits for one person to come back from leave.
Where that lands for you depends on volume. We are happy to say when a retainer does not make sense — if you are running two transactions a year, pay per transaction and keep your money.
How PROXPAT Works With Either Model
Monthly retainer for recurring work
Per-transaction for occasional needs
Project support for hiring drives
Support alongside an in-house PRO
One point of contact
Documents checked before submission
Government fees itemised separately
Renewal dates tracked in one place
Frequently Asked Questions
Work out the volume first.
Explore connected PROXPAT services that support the same client journey.
More in Company PRO
- PRO in Abu Dhabi
- PRO in Sharjah
- PRO in Ajman
- Establishment Card
- Work Permit & Labour Card
- Labour Law for Employers
- Compliance Calendar
- In-House vs Outsourced PRO
- How to Choose a PRO Company
- Absence From Work Report
- Labour Ban Rules
- Wage Protection System
- Trade Licence Services
- Customs Code
- Corporate Bank Account
- Company Liquidation
Tell Us the Volume, We Will Tell You the Model
Send your headcount and how often you hire, renew or cancel. If a retainer is not worth it for you, we will say so and quote per transaction instead.