You are not allowed to earn while the case runs. Unless you hold this one permit.
The moment MOHRE refers your complaint to the labour court, a rule most people never read switches on: Article 3(1)(b) of Ministerial Resolution No. 47 of 2022 requires you to refrain from working for another employer without obtaining a temporary work permit from the Ministry. Not "you may have trouble transferring" — a positive obligation not to work. The same article, one clause later, hands you the way out, and MOHRE's own service page quietly removes the single condition that would otherwise make it impossible: the approval of the employer you are suing.
The obligation nobody mentions when the referral comes through
Referral to the judiciary is presented as progress, and it is. What it also does is put four duties on you at once. Article 3(1) of Ministerial Resolution No. 47 of 2022 lists them, expressly under Article 31 of the Executive Regulation, and they are not optional.
| Clause | What it requires of the worker | Clock |
|---|---|---|
| Article 3(1)(a) | Register the labour complaint with the competent court | 14 days from approval of the referral |
| Article 3(1)(b) | Refrain from working for another employer without a temporary work permit from the Ministry | For the duration of the case |
| Article 3(1)(c) | Request cancellation of the original work permit, where the relationship has ended | 14 days from the final judgment |
| Article 3(1)(d) | May apply for a temporary work permit with a new employer during the case | Any time during the case, one exception below |
Clause (b) is a prohibition, clause (d) is its release valve. Read together they say something narrower than "you can work while you sue": you can work for a new employer on a temporary work permit and on nothing else. Article 31(3) of the Executive Regulation sits behind both — a worker whose complaint is referred must "promptly register his case and change his residency status", and the Minister may issue resolutions regulating his status afterwards. Resolution 47 is that resolution.
The one exception, and it is a serious one
An absconding report on your file closes this route entirely. That is worth knowing before you stop attending work, because Article 6 of the same resolution lets the employer file one after seven consecutive days of absence without lawful reason — but only where he does not know your whereabouts and cannot reach you. Both conditions have to hold. Article 7 lists six grounds on which the Ministry may cancel such a report at the request of either party, including proof that the seven days had not passed, that you were present or on legally prescribed leave "whether the employer is aware of that or not", or that the employer had allowed you to stop work or look for another job. If a report has been filed, getting it cancelled comes first; the temporary permit is not available until it is.
Where the temporary work permit comes from
It is not an ad-hoc arrangement invented for litigants. Article 6(1)(d) of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 lists it as one of the twelve standing permit types: "issued to a worker who is employed for a job, the execution or completion of which is within a specific period at an establishment registered with the Ministry." Article 10(4)(c) of the same Regulation gives it a matching contract form — the temporary work contract — alongside full-time, part-time, flexible, remote and job-sharing.
So the instrument predates your dispute and is used routinely for project work. What Resolution 47 does is make it available to you, and what MOHRE's service page does is remove the condition that would have made it unavailable.
The line on the service page that decides everything
Every other applicant for a temporary permit needs their present employer to sign an electronic form. You — specifically, a worker whose complaint has been referred to the court — do not. The carve-out is conditional: both permits, the original one and the temporary one, come off after six months. That is the trade. You get to earn during the case; the file you are litigating against closes on a fixed date rather than staying open indefinitely.
The same page lists, among required documents, "an official document issued by the court declaring that a labor case exists (for employees who have pending labor cases)". That is the paper that proves you qualify for the carve-out, and it is a reason to complete the Article 3(1)(a) court registration inside its 14 days rather than late — until the case is registered, there is no court document to file.
What it costs and how long it takes
| Item | MOHRE service page, September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Federal fees | AED 50 |
| Business Centre commission | Capped at AED 72 |
| Via MOHRE website and smart app | Free of charge except the federal charges |
| Service completion | 2 working days |
| Permit duration | 6 months |
| Bank guarantee or insurance | Not required for this permit |
| Electronic quota | Not required |
| Repeat use | "Granted only once, with the option to reapply when the permit expires" |
| Skill levels eligible | All skill levels and professions, per the terms of service |
The stated fees exclude tax and collection charges. For a route out of six months of enforced idleness, AED 50 in federal fees is the cheapest thing in this entire dispute — the complaint that started it is free, and Article 55(1) of the Decree-Law exempts labour claims up to AED 100,000 from judicial fees at every stage including execution.
The applicant is the employer, not you
Read the service page's own metadata and the practical constraint appears: target audience, Employers. Article 7(1)(e) of the Executive Regulation requires the permit application to be filed by the establishment's authorised signatory, and the service process begins with the establishment logging in. Article 3(1)(d) says "the worker may apply", and in substance you are the one who initiates it — but the filing is done by the company that wants to hire you.
That changes what you are looking for. You are not applying for a permit; you are looking for an employer willing to file one, on a six-month contract, for someone with a live case against a previous employer. Bring the court document and the fee schedule to that conversation. AED 50 in federal fees, two working days, no bank guarantee, no quota consumed, and no approval needed from the company you are suing is a materially easier ask than a standard transfer.
The documents
- Clear colour photograph on a white background.
- Passport copy with at least six months' validity.
- The official job offer form issued by the Ministry, signed by both employer and employee.
- Academic certificates according to skill level — bachelor's degree or higher for skill levels 1 and 2, diploma or higher for 3 and 4, high school certificate for 5, no certificate required for 6 to 9. The page adds that workers earning under AED 4,000 a month, or without a degree, are not treated as skilled.
- Professional licence where the occupation requires one — doctors and nurses through the health authorities, teachers through the education authorities, fitness trainers through the Youth and Sports Authority, advocates through the Ministry of Justice.
- The electronic temporary work permit form approved by the current employer — except where your complaint has been referred to the court.
- An official court document confirming a labour case exists, for applicants with pending cases.
Three instruments, one six-month clock
This is the part worth sitting with. Three separate provisions, written at different times for different purposes, all measure six months from roughly the same event.
| Provision | What expires | Runs from |
|---|---|---|
| MOHRE service page, temporary work permits | Permit duration — 6 months | Issue of the temporary permit |
| MOHRE service page, the court-referral carve-out | Both the original and the temporary permit are cancelled after 6 months | The carve-out being relied on |
| Article 4(1), Ministerial Resolution 47 of 2022 | The original work permit is cancelled | 6 months from referral of the complaint to the labour court |
The service page's "granted only once, with the option to reapply when the permit expires" and the carve-out's "provided that the current and temporary work permits are canceled after 6 months" do not obviously say the same thing about a second application. Where a second six months decides your position, ask MOHRE directly on 600590000 before you commit to a contract that depends on it.
What you keep while the case runs
- Two months' wages if you keep working for the employer you are suing. Article 31(4) of the Executive Regulation gives the worker the right to claim two months' wages where he continues to work for the employer while the referred dispute is in court, and lets the Ministry require the employer to pay or refer that claim on.
- Wages while you are given no work. Article 26(1) of the Decree-Law: the wage is paid in exchange for work, and the employer must allow the worker to carry it out, "otherwise, it shall be obliged to pay the wage agreed upon". Article 54(5) lets the Ministry oblige the employer to keep paying wages for up to two months where the dispute has caused them to be withheld.
- A fee-free claim. Article 55(1) exempts labour claims from judicial fees at all stages of litigation and execution where the amount does not exceed AED 100,000.
- A deadline, so do not drift. Article 54(9) of the Decree-Law: claims for any right arising under it are not considered after two years from the termination of the employment relationship.
What can still cost you a year
Article 8 of Resolution 47 denies a new work permit for one year from departure in two situations: where the worker ends the relationship during probation while the employer is not in breach, and where a work abandonment report is found to be true. The second is the one that intersects with everything above — an absconding report blocks the temporary permit under Article 3(1)(d) while it stands, and blocks a new permit for a year if it is upheld. Article 5(2) adds that the Ministry may postpone deciding on a cancellation request, without going back to either party, where the employer claims abandonment during probation without having breached the worker's rights, where an absence report is found accurate, or where the worker failed to meet his contractual obligations.
The order to do it in
- File the labour complaint with MOHRE inside 30 days of the breach. Free; the Ministry must resolve it within 14 days of submission.
- If it is referred to the court, register the case with the competent court within 14 days of the referral being approved — Article 3(1)(a). This also produces the court document the permit application needs.
- Check no unexpected work abandonment report has been filed against you. If one has, apply to cancel it under Article 7 first; the temporary permit is unavailable while it stands.
- Stop working for anyone else until the permit is issued — Article 3(1)(b) is a prohibition, and working around it hands the other side an argument.
- Find the new employer and have their authorised signatory file the temporary work permit application, with the court document. Two working days, AED 50 in federal fees, no approval needed from your current employer.
- Diarise the six-month dates: the permit's expiry and the Article 4(1) cancellation of the original permit six months after referral. Change residency status within the period the immigration legislation allows once the original permit goes.
- Within 14 days of the final judgment, if the relationship has ended, submit the request to cancel the original work permit — Article 3(1)(c).
Sources
- Ministerial Resolution No. (47) of 2022 Regarding the Settlement of Labor Disputes and Complaints Procedures — Article 3 on the obligations of a worker whose complaint is referred to court and the temporary work permit, Article 4 on cancellation of the permit six months after referral, Article 5(2) on postponing a cancellation decision, Article 6 on the seven-day absence threshold, Article 7 on cancelling an absence report, Article 8 on the one-year denial, official English text (PDF), u.ae
- Issuance of a New Work Permit — Temporary Work Permits — permit duration of 6 months, 2 working days, federal fees of AED 50, Business Centres commission capped at AED 72, the current-employer approval and its exclusion for workers whose complaints are referred to the court, the required court document, no bank guarantee, no quota, MOHRE service page
- Cabinet Resolution No. (1) of 2022 Concerning the Executive Regulation of Federal Decree-Law No. (33) of 2021 — Article 6(1)(d) defining the temporary work permit among the types of work permits, Article 7 on the conditions and the authorised signatory, Article 10(4) on the forms of employment contract, Article 31 on individual labour disputes and the two months' wages, MOHRE, full English text (PDF)
- Federal Decree by Law No. (33) of 2021 Concerning Regulating Labour Relations and its amendments — Article 26 on enabling the worker to work, Article 54 on individual labour disputes and the two-year limit, Article 55 on the judicial-fee exemption, MOHRE, consolidated English text (PDF)
- Resolving labour disputes — the referral procedure, the four obligations under Resolution 47 restated by the Government, the six-month cancellation, the Labour Claims and Advisory Call Centre on 80084, u.ae, official UAE Government portal, updated 12 August 2026
- Register Labour Complaints — Private Sector Employees — no charge, 14 working days, call centre 600590000, MOHRE service page
Verified 4 September 2026 against the English text of Ministerial Resolution No. 47 of 2022 published on the UAE Government portal, the MOHRE English texts of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 and Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, and the live MOHRE service page for temporary work permits, read in full on the day of publication for the fees, duration, processing time, conditions and required documents. The prohibition in Article 3(1)(b), the permit route in Article 3(1)(d) and its absconding exception, the six-month cancellation in Article 4(1), the definition in Article 6(1)(d) of the Executive Regulation, and the current-employer approval carve-out on the service page are quoted or closely paraphrased. General information, not legal advice.
Questions
Can you work in the UAE while a labour case is in court?
Only on a temporary work permit issued by MOHRE. Article 3(1)(b) of Ministerial Resolution No. 47 of 2022 requires a worker whose complaint has been referred to the labour court to refrain from working for another employer without obtaining a temporary work permit from the Ministry, and Article 3(1)(d) allows him to apply for one with a new employer during the case. Working for someone else without that permit breaches an express obligation placed on you by the resolution.
Does your current employer have to approve a temporary work permit?
Not if your labour complaint has been referred to the court. MOHRE's service page for temporary work permits requires the electronic form to be approved by the current employer, then excludes exactly this group: "employees whose labor complaints are referred to the court are excluded from obtaining employer's approval provided that the current and temporary work permits are canceled after 6 months". Everyone else applying for a temporary permit still needs that approval.
How long is a UAE temporary work permit valid?
Six months. MOHRE's service page states a permit duration of 6 months and says the permit is granted only once, with the option to reapply when it expires. Separately, Article 4(1) of Ministerial Resolution 47 of 2022 cancels the original work permit six months after the complaint is referred to the labour court where the complaint led to the worker's cessation of work, so both files are on a six-month horizon.
How much does a temporary work permit cost in the UAE?
MOHRE's service page lists federal fees of AED 50 and a Business Centres commission capped at AED 72, and states that except for the federal charges the service is free through the MOHRE website and smart app. The fees shown exclude tax and collection charges. No bank guarantee or insurance is required for this permit type and no electronic quota is consumed.
How long does MOHRE take to issue a temporary work permit?
The service page states a service completion duration of two working days. The application is submitted by the establishment's authorised signatory through a service centre, the MOHRE website, the mobile application or Tawseel, and the customer is notified once the request is completed.
Can you get a temporary work permit if you have an absconding report?
No. Article 3(1)(d) of Ministerial Resolution 47 of 2022 excepts "the worker who has been reported absent by his / her employer by filing an 'unexpected work abandonment Report'". The route reopens if the report is cancelled — Article 7 lets the Ministry cancel one at the request of either party on six grounds, including that seven consecutive days had not passed, that the worker was present or on legally prescribed leave whether the employer knew or not, or that the employer had allowed the worker to stop work or look for another job.
Who applies for the temporary work permit, the worker or the new employer?
The new employer files it. MOHRE's service page lists employers as the target audience, and Article 7(1)(e) of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 requires work permit applications to be submitted by the establishment's authorised signatory. Article 3(1)(d) of Resolution 47 says the worker "may apply for a temporary work permit with a new employer", which in practice means you initiate it and the hiring company files it.
What documents does a temporary work permit need if you have a court case?
In addition to the standard set — a colour photograph on a white background, a passport copy valid at least six months, the Ministry's official job offer form signed by both parties, academic certificates matching the skill level and any professional licence — MOHRE's service page requires "an official document issued by the court declaring that a labor case exists (for employees who have pending labor cases)". That document is also what evidences your exclusion from the current-employer approval.
What happens to your original work permit while the case runs?
Article 4(1) of Ministerial Resolution 47 of 2022 provides that where the labour complaint leads to the worker's cessation of work, the work permit is cancelled six months after the date the complaint was referred to the labour court. Article 3(1)(c) separately requires the worker to request cancellation of the original permit within 14 days of the final judgment where the employment relationship has ended. MOHRE's temporary-permit carve-out is conditioned on both the current and temporary permits being cancelled after six months.
Do you have to register the court case yourself after MOHRE refers it?
Yes, and quickly. Article 3(1)(a) of Ministerial Resolution 47 of 2022 requires the worker to register the labour complaint with the competent court within a maximum of 14 days from the date the referral to the judiciary is approved, and Article 31(3) of the Executive Regulation requires every worker whose complaint is referred to promptly register his case and change his residency status. Until the case is registered there is also no court document to attach to a temporary work permit application.
Can you claim wages while the labour dispute is in court?
In two situations set out in the legislation. Article 31(4) of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 gives the worker the right to claim two months' wages if he continues to work for the employer while the referred dispute is in the court, and allows the Ministry to require the employer to pay it. Article 54(5) of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 allows the Ministry to oblige the employer to continue paying wages for up to two months where the dispute has resulted in wages being withheld. Article 26(1) also obliges an employer who does not let you work to pay the agreed wage.
Is a temporary work permit the same as a part-time or freelance permit?
No. Article 6(1) of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 lists them as separate permit types: the temporary work permit at (d) is for a worker employed for a job whose execution or completion falls within a specific period at an establishment registered with the Ministry, the part-time permit at (f) is for a contract with fewer hours or days than a full-time counterpart and allows more than one employer with the Ministry's permission, and the freelance permit at (l) is for self-employment without a sponsoring establishment. Only the temporary permit is the one Article 3(1)(d) of Resolution 47 points a litigating worker towards.
Related
- When the company won't cancel your permit — Article 5 and the five-plus-five working day clock that cancels it without their consent.
- Absconding reports — the two conditions that must both hold, and the six grounds that get a report cancelled.
- All twelve permit types — where the temporary permit sits, and the flat AED 50 permits versus the classification-priced ones.
- Changing jobs and the transfer permit — the lawful transfer routes once the original file is closed.
- Salary not paid — the complaint that usually starts the dispute, and the penalty ladder the employer is on.
- If the final settlement is withheld — the 14-day rule and the AED 50,000 threshold that decides who rules on it.
- The grace period after cancellation — what happens to your residency once the original permit goes.
- Gratuity calculator — what the claim you have filed is actually worth.
- Salary calculator — basic versus total pay, the split most disputes turn on.