Appointment Letter (UAE): Sample and How It Fits the MOHRE Contract

An appointment letter confirms to a new employee that the job is theirs and on what terms: the position, the start date, the salary and the main conditions. In the UAE it sits alongside two official documents, the job offer issued through the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) and the employment contract registered with it, and it has to match them. This page explains how the three fit together, what an appointment letter should contain, and gives an editable sample in Word and PDF. The rules below were checked against the Labour Law, its Executive Regulation and the UAE Government Portal on 27 September 2026.

Offer letter, appointment letter and employment contract

The UAE Government Portal describes the sequence as a formal job offer, then the employment contract, then the work permit and the work visa. The contract has to conform to the job offer the worker signed; the employer may add benefits in the contract, but after signing cannot change the terms of the offer without the employee’s consent. For the offer itself and how to check it online, see the UAE offer letter guide.

What an appointment letter should contain

Article 10 of the Executive Regulation lists what the employment contract includes: the employer’s name and address, the worker’s details, the occupation, the date of joining, the place of work, working hours, rest days, the probation period if any, the term of the contract, the wage including benefits and allowances, the annual leave and the notice period. An appointment letter that repeats those points, in the same figures, leaves nothing to argue about later.

• Job title, department and reporting line.
• Start date and place of work.
• Contract term: all mainland contracts are now for a definite period and renewable. The current text of Article 8 does not set a maximum term, although one UAE Government Portal page still mentions three years.
• Basic salary, each allowance and the total, paid through the Wage Protection System.
• Working hours and weekly rest days.
• Probation period, which cannot exceed six months.
• Annual leave entitlement.
• Notice period, which cannot be less than 30 days or more than 90 days.
• Other benefits: health insurance, air ticket, accommodation, bonus scheme.
• Conditions: a valid work permit and residence visa, medical fitness, attested certificates if required.
• A signature block for the employer and an acceptance block for the employee.

Probation, notice and the first months

Article 9 of the Labour Law allows a probation period of up to six months, only once with the same employer, and it counts towards service if the employee stays. During probation the employer can end the contract with at least 14 days’ written notice. An employee who moves to another UAE employer during probation must give at least one month’s written notice, and one who leaves the UAE at least 14 days. Paid sick leave does not apply during probation, although the employer may grant unpaid sick leave.

Language and copies

The Labour Law makes Arabic the language of employment contracts, together with a language the worker understands, and the Arabic text prevails in a dispute. MOHRE job offers are issued in Arabic and English, and a third language can be added on the worker’s request. An appointment letter can be in English, but where it describes terms it should follow the Arabic contract. The worker receives a copy of the contract, and the employer keeps the job offer and the contract for at least two years after the employment ends.

Free zone employers

In most free zones the work permit and visa are processed by the free zone authority, which uses its own forms. DIFC and ADGM have their own employment laws: DIFC requires a written English contract within seven days of the start, and ADGM a written English contract signed by both parties. An appointment letter is common in both and follows the same rule: it must match the contract.

Common mistakes

• A salary in the letter that differs from the MOHRE contract, often because allowances were split differently.
• A probation period longer than six months, or a second probation with the same employer.
• A notice period outside 30 to 90 days.
• Promising benefits in the letter that are not recorded anywhere else and cannot be proved later.
• Asking the new employee to pay any part of the recruitment or visa costs, which Article 6 of the Labour Law prohibits.

When the relationship ends, the employer issues an experience certificate on request, and the employee resigns with a resignation letter or is given a termination letter.