Federal Decree-Law 33/2021 recognises defined **work models** beyond full-time employment — and several of them require their own **permit type**. An employer running an informal part-time or remote arrangement without the corresponding permit has an employee working outside the terms of their authorisation.
Work Models
Part-time, temporary, flexible, remote and job sharing
Federal Decree-Law 33/2021 recognises defined work models beyond full-time employment — and several of them require their own permit type. An employer running an informal part-time or remote arrangement without the corresponding permit has an employee working outside the terms of their authorisation.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Employer | [COMPANY NAME], licence [NUMBER] |
| Employee | [NAME] |
| Model | [Full time / Part time / Temporary / Flexible / Job share / Condensed / Remote] |
| Permit type held | [CONFIRM — must match the model] |
| MOHRE contract reflects the model? | [Y/N] |
| Hours or days | [DETAIL] |
| Salary | AED [AMOUNT] — basic AED [AMOUNT] |
| Start and end | [DATE] to [DATE] |
| Gratuity basis | [Pro-rated per the model] |
| Approved by | [NAME] on [DATE] |
1. The Models
| Model | What it is | Permit | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full time | One employer, standard hours | Standard work permit | The default |
| Part time | Defined reduced hours, may work for more than one employer | Part-time work permit | Entitlements pro-rated; each employer needs its own permit |
| Temporary | For a defined project or period | Standard or temporary permit | The end date must be real |
| Flexible | Hours or days vary with workload, by agreement | [Per the model] | Must not become unpaid availability |
| Job sharing | Two employees share one role and its duties | [Per the model] | Each has their own contract and entitlements |
| Condensed | Full hours worked over fewer days | [Per the model] | Daily hours limits still apply |
| Remote or hybrid | Work performed away from the employer’s premises | [Confirm the requirement] | Remote from outside the UAE raises separate questions |
| Freelance | Independent, not employment | Freelance permit — held by the individual | Not an employee; different document entirely |
1.1Confirm the permit type that corresponds to the model before starting the arrangement. The categories and their permit requirements have been introduced and refined over time — check the current position with MOHRE rather than assuming a standard permit covers everything.
2. Part Time
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Several of the recognised work models carry their own permit type. Running an informal part-time or flexible arrangement on a standard permit means the employee is working outside the terms of their authorisation. Confirm the current permit requirement with MOHRE before the arrangement starts, not after an inspection.
A reduced-hours or reduced-salary arrangement agreed verbally, however willingly, shows in the WPS record as paying less than the registered salary. Process the written consent and the ministry amendment first, then pay the new figure.
That is the point of the model, and each employer needs its own part-time permit. Employers sometimes assume exclusivity applies as it would to a full-time employee — it does not, unless separately agreed and lawful.
Annual leave and end-of-service gratuity are pro-rated by reference to hours for part-time employees. Applying the full-time formula overpays; applying nothing underpays and creates a claim. Confirm the current basis rather than estimating.
If an employee is required to be reachable or able to start at short notice, that is either working time or a defined on-call arrangement with its own terms. An unwritten expectation of availability is the most common way a flexible model becomes exploitative.
Compressing full weekly hours into fewer days still engages statutory daily hours limits, rest breaks and overtime rules. A four-day week of twelve-hour days is not automatically lawful because the weekly total is unchanged.
An employee working from abroad can create taxable presence for the company, attract local employment law and social security obligations, breach the immigration rules of the country they are in, and affect their own UAE residence. Section 4 lists the questions. Take advice before agreeing, not after three months have passed.
Residence visas can be affected by prolonged absence from the country. An employee working remotely from abroad for an extended period may return to a status problem that neither side anticipated.
An employee accessing UAE-held personal data from another country is receiving that data there. Where the employer is in DIFC or ADGM, or the destination has no adequacy finding, safeguards are needed. Remote access is a transfer even where nothing is downloaded.
The obligation to provide health insurance applies regardless of the work model or the hours. Reducing someone to part-time does not reduce that duty.
Where changing work models alters the skilled headcount classification on the mainland, the quota base moves with it. Recalculate rather than assuming a model change is headcount-neutral.
Flexible and remote arrangements drift — hours creep back up, the reduced salary stays, the remote period extends. A review date forces the arrangement to be reconfirmed or formally changed rather than becoming an undocumented norm.
A freelance permit is held by the individual and makes them an independent contractor, not a part-time employee. Confusing the two produces a document that is wrong about entitlements, gratuity, WPS and permits simultaneously.
The financial free zones operate their own employment codes with their own approaches to part-time, flexible and remote working, and their own end-of-service schemes. This document is drafted for the mainland framework.
Reflects UAE law current as of {{DATE OF USE}}. The recognised work models under Federal Decree-Law 33/2021, their permit requirements, pro-rating rules and remote working guidance all change — confirm the current position with MOHRE before establishing an arrangement, and take tax and immigration advice before agreeing to work performed outside the UAE.
This is a ready-to-use template provided for convenience. Laws and requirements change, and every situation is different — please have it reviewed by a qualified professional (a lawyer, corporate secretary, or accountant as relevant) before you rely on it.