UAE Free Zone — Employment Visa Quota and Allocation Guide 2026
UAE free zone companies must manage their visa quota carefully to hire employees. Here is the complete 2026 guide on visa quotas and allocation.
In this guide:
What Is a Visa Quota?
- Definition: Maximum number of UAE residence visas your company can sponsor at any one time
- Allocation: Determined by your free zone; based on office type, size, and paid-up capital
- Scope: Includes investor visa (you) + employee visas
Standard Visa Quota by Office Type (2026)
- Virtual office / flexi-desk: Typically 3 visas (1 investor + 2 employees)
- Shared office (1 desk): Typically 3-5 visas
- Dedicated desk (2 desks): Typically 5-6 visas
- Small office (10-25 sq.m): Typically 5-8 visas
- Medium office (25-50 sq.m): Typically 8-15 visas
- Large office (50-100 sq.m): Typically 15-30 visas
How to Increase Your Visa Quota
- Upgrade office: Move from virtual to flexi-desk to dedicated desk to physical office
- Free zone request: Submit a request to free zone authority; may require justification (business plan; client contracts)
- Capital increase: Increasing paid-up capital sometimes allows quota increase
Visa Cancellation and Return
- Quota management: When an employee leaves UAE and visa is cancelled, that slot returns to your quota
- Cancellation: Must cancel visa within 30 days of employee departure; overstay fines otherwise
- MOHRE: Notify MOHRE of employment contract termination