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29 March 2024

eLabour cards to be issued within 48 hours

Published
By Staff

The issuance of the labour permit and electronic contract takes 48 hours to complete, announced the Ministry of Labour in Dubai on Wednesday.

The eLabour cards will replace the old-style plastic cards and paper contracts and will be implemented from Sunday, July 13, according to the decision issued by Saqr Ghobash, Minister of Labour.

The Ministry of Labour held a special conference to meet with more than 200 employers and delegates in order to inform them of the mechanisms of the new eLabour Cards and contracts.

Humaid bin Deemas, Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Affairs, said during the meeting, "This comes as part of the ministry’s keenness towards engagement with employers and learn about their suggestions, opinions and inquires with regards to new ministerial decisions and to strengthen the principle of transparency in dealing with employers and brace the partnership with the private sector.”

He explained that the eLabour cards and contracts decision has been implemented at the beginning of this month, as a trial phase, in order to apply it on schedule with the highest standards.

Bin Deemas highlighted that Emirates Identity cards will be recognized as the official identification documents, especially by the inspectors of the ministry, as the ID card will not be issued to workers who do not have work permits by the Ministry of Labour.

Bin Dimas urged employers to provide the workers' with their own identity cards in case of labour inspectional questioning.

Bin Deemas added, "The services development team at the Ministry of Labour, was keen on coming out with an obsolete innovative to ensure efficient services through issuing and renewing labour cards and employment contracts. The simplification of procedures came after consultation with strategic partners such as the Ministry of Interior and the Emirates Identity Authority, in addition to private company representatives who expressed pleasure towards this step, which will saves time and effort.

"Cards and contracts will be issued electronically within 48 hours from the date of submission.”

Employers can apply for electronic labour cards and contracts through Tas’heel service centers or within their companies only if they were registered under Tas’heel,” and urged employers to apply for those electronic services within 60 days from the workers entry to the UAE where the ministry will grant the applicant a preliminary approval after meeting the conditions and then issue their permits electronically, then data will be sent to General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs to complete their residency procedures," he added.

In the light of the new measures, fees will remain the same, which vary according to the establishment’s category as per the ministry’s classification system.

Bin Deemas stressed the importance of applying to obtain an electronic employment contracts during the prescribed period of 60 days, in order to avoid delay fine amounting to a Dh1000 for each month of delay without a limit.

"The ministry will stop issuing any new work permits to uncommitted employers until they obtain the electronic labour cards and employment contracts, or provide rational justifications for not issuing them on time," His Excellency said.

He pointed out the importance of the employment contracts is to protect the rights of both sides, especially as they determine their obligations towards each other, stressing that the ministry will not layback in taking harsh measures and sanctions against the employers if they do not abide to extracting the electronic contracts and sign them with their workers.

"Employers and workers can check their work permit and contract through "e-netwasal” service which is available within the ministry’s webpage (www.mol.gov.ae) after workers registers for free, they can benefit from the services, employers can also benefit from the service through checking several reports about the companies.”