MoHRE Mandatory Policy
UAE Mainland Private Sector
AED 108,000 Penalty 2025
NAFIS Salary Support
Semi-Annual Compliance Checks
Vision 2031

What Is Emiratisation? MoHRE’s Mandatory UAE National Workforce Policy Explained

Emiratisation is a mandatory workforce nationalisation policy introduced by the UAE federal government to increase the employment of UAE National (Emirati) citizens in the private sector. MoHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, the UAE federal body responsible for private sector employment regulation, Emiratisation enforcement, and the Wage Protection System) administers the policy under ministerial resolution.

The policy applies to private sector companies operating on the UAE mainland. The governing legal framework is UAE Ministerial Resolution No. 279 of 2022 and subsequent resolutions, which set the annual Emiratisation targets and penalty structure for qualifying companies.

Emiratisation is not voluntary. A company that fails to meet its annual Emiratisation target faces a MoHRE non-compliance penalty of AED 108,000 per unfilled Emirati position per year in 2025. That penalty rises to AED 120,000 per position in 2026 as the government accelerates the timeline toward its Vision 2031 goal of a diversified, knowledge-driven economy.

NAFIS (National Programme for Emiratisation, نافس) is the UAE government salary subsidy scheme that supports Emiratisation by making Emirati hires cost-competitive with equivalent expatriate hires. NAFIS provides monthly salary support of up to AED 8,000 per qualifying Emirati hire in the private sector, reducing the net employer cost of compliance.

The 50-employee threshold applies to the main Emiratisation quota rule. A separate rule — the 14-sector rule — applies to companies with 20–49 employees in 14 MoHRE-defined sectors, creating obligations for smaller UAE businesses that most competitor content does not address.

Emiratisation Targets by Company Size: 50+ Employees vs the 14-Sector Rule for 20–49

The 14-sector rule is the most overlooked element of UAE Emiratisation compliance. A company with 20–49 employees in financial services, information technology, healthcare, education, retail, hospitality, transportation, construction, real estate, manufacturing, food and beverage, legal services, media, or telecommunications must employ at least one UAE National in a qualifying skilled role. This is a headcount obligation, not a percentage target, and it carries its own penalty structure for non-compliance.

MoHRE Non-Compliance Penalty: AED 108,000 Per Position in 2025, Rising to AED 120,000 in 2026

The MoHRE Emiratisation non-compliance penalty is assessed per unfilled position, per year. It is not a one-time fine. A company with 5 unfilled Emirati positions carries an annual penalty exposure of AED 540,000 in 2025. That same company faces AED 600,000 in 2026 when the rate rises to AED 120,000 per position.

MoHRE conducts semi-annual Emiratisation compliance checks in January and July each year. The penalty applies at each check for the gap between the company’s required Emirati headcount and its actual Emirati headcount at the check date. A company that misses both checks pays the full annual penalty exposure.

NAFIS (National Programme for Emiratisation): How the Salary Subsidy Scheme Reduces Your Cost

NAFIS (National Programme for Emiratisation, نافس) is a UAE federal government programme administered by MoHRE. Its purpose is to increase the competitiveness of UAE National employees in the private sector by subsidising part of their monthly salary cost for the employer.

Employers receive monthly salary support of up to AED 8,000 per qualifying Emirati hire directly from the NAFIS programme. The support amount varies by job category and salary level. The subsidy runs for a defined period per hire and applies from the date the employer registers the Emirati hire on the nafis.gov.ae portal.

Which Roles Qualify for Emiratisation? MoHRE’s Skilled Role Definition Explained

Not every UAE National hire counts toward your Emiratisation quota. MoHRE defines a qualifying skilled role as a position that meets a minimum monthly salary threshold of AED 4,000 per month. A UAE National employed in a role paying below AED 4,000 per month does not count toward the company’s Emiratisation percentage, even if the role is genuine employment.

Domestic workers, unskilled roles, and roles paying below the threshold are excluded from the Emiratisation quota. The qualifying role must also be properly registered with MoHRE, and the UAE National employee must be on the WPS (Wage Protection System) payroll with the correct status.

The most common Emiratisation miscalculation among private sector employers is counting UAE National employees in roles that fall below the salary threshold. An audit of existing Emirati employees’ role classifications is an essential step in any compliance preparation process.

Semi-Annual MoHRE Compliance Checks: When They Happen and How to Prepare

MoHRE conducts Emiratisation compliance checks in January and July each year. At each check, MoHRE automatically calculates the company’s current Emiratisation percentage from the registered workforce data. No manual filing is required — the assessment pulls directly from MoHRE’s employment register and WPS salary data.

What counts as compliant is the headcount snapshot at the check date. A UAE National hired one week before the January or July check counts toward compliance, provided their registration with MoHRE is complete by the assessment date. Late registration means the hire does not count at that check.

How RFS Places UAE Nationals for Emiratisation Compliance

RFS HR Consultancy is a UAE-licensed Emiratisation recruitment agency and employment agency headquartered in Dubai, specialising in UAE National placement for private sector Emiratisation compliance. RFS operates across all 14 MoHRE-designated sectors and places UAE National candidates from graduate level through to executive and Board roles.

RFS conducts an Emiratisation gap assessment for each client before recruitment begins. The assessment identifies exactly how many UAE National hires the company needs in which roles, at which salary levels, to meet the January or July MoHRE compliance check. RFS also facilitates NAFIS registration so every Emirati placement triggers the salary subsidy from day one of employment.

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