Why start a manpower business in Dubai?
The UAE's construction, hospitality, retail and facilities sectors run on flexible labour, and companies increasingly outsource staffing to licensed suppliers rather than sponsor every worker themselves. A licensed manpower-supply company fills that gap. It is a controlled activity, so the barrier to entry is real, but that same barrier keeps out casual competition once you are licensed.
Manpower licence: what it involves and cost
A manpower-supply or labour-supply licence is a mainland activity that needs MOHRE approval on top of the DET trade licence, along with bank-guarantee and capital conditions that reflect the responsibility of sponsoring workers. Because those conditions and your visa quota drive the cost, we price your exact setup rather than publish a figure that would not fit it. Get your exact quote.
Documents required
- Passport copies of the shareholders and the manager
- The proposed trade name and the labour-supply activity
- A tenancy contract for a physical office
- The bank guarantee and capital evidence MOHRE requires
Mainland vs free zone vs offshore: which fits?
| Structure | Ownership | Where it can trade | Best for |
|---|
| Mainland | 100% foreign for most activities | Anywhere in the UAE, and bids for government work | Labour-supply firms placing workers with clients across the UAE market |
| Free zone | 100% foreign | Within the zone and internationally | Services, consultancy and trading that does not need to sell across the UAE market |
| Offshore | 100% foreign | Holding and international business only, no UAE trade | Holding assets and international structuring, not local operations |
How OMC helps you establish your manpower business
We have handled UAE company formation since 2007, across more than 1,400 companies. Manpower supply is a MOHRE-controlled activity, so we manage the DET licence and the MOHRE approval together, confirm the current guarantee and capital conditions rather than assume them, and set up the establishment card and visa quota. We also introduce you to a banking officer for payroll and client payments.