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UAE PRO Services Guide — What a PRO Does and Costs Guide 2026
A PRO (Public Relations Officer) in UAE is a business service that handles government-related tasks on behalf of companies — visa applications, trade licence renewals, Emirates ID, labour cards, and other government paperwork. This guide covers UAE PRO services and costs for 2026.
In this guide:
What Does a UAE PRO Do?
- Visa processing: new employee work permit and residence visa application; visa renewal; visa cancellation; Emirates ID application and renewal; medical fitness test coordination
- Labour and HR: MOL (Ministry of Labour) / MOHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation) dealings; work permit quota management; employee file management; WPS setup and maintenance
- Trade licence renewal: annual trade licence renewal with DED (Dubai) or relevant authority; activity amendments; partner changes; licence upgrade
- Government approvals: sector-specific government approvals (DHA for healthcare; KHDA for education; MoEI for utilities); professional licence renewals
- Document attestation: attestation of foreign documents for use in UAE; MOFA attestation; notarisation; translation coordination
UAE PRO Service Types
In-House PRO
- UAE national employee: mainland companies traditionally employed a UAE national as PRO; UAE national’s UAE passport and cultural familiarity facilitated government dealings
- Cost: PRO salary AED 4,000-8,000/month; Emiratisation quota if applicable; benefits
- Best for: large companies with high volume of visa processing (100+ employees) where in-house PRO cost is justified
Outsourced PRO Service
- What it is: a UAE PRO services company handles all government paperwork on your behalf; pay per transaction or a monthly/annual retainer
- Cost: AED 300-1,000 per visa application (over government fees); AED 500-1,500 for trade licence renewal service; AED 1,000-3,000/month retainer for regular PRO support
- Best for: SMEs with 1-20 employees; free zone companies needing mainland government services; international companies with UAE operations but no in-house HR
UAE Government Fees (Separate from PRO Service Fees)
- New work permit: AED 550 (MOHRE) + AED 1,200-3,000 (GDRFA/DNRD residence visa fees) + AED 320 (medical) + AED 370 (Emirates ID)
- Visa renewal: similar to new visa costs; approximately AED 2,500-4,500 total government fees
- Trade licence renewal: 80-100% of original licence fee annually
- Attestation: MOFA attestation AED 150 per document; Ministry of Justice attestation AED 150-250
UAE PRO vs Company Setup Agent
- Company setup agent: helps you register your UAE company (choose free zone, fill forms, submit documents, pay fees); one-time service; fee AED 1,500-5,000 over and above free zone licence fees
- PRO service: ongoing; handles recurring government tasks after company is established; annual retainer or per-transaction fees
- Overlap: many company setup agents also offer PRO services as an add-on; one-stop-shop for both
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