How to file a UAE labour complaint: a guide for private-sector employees
How to organize evidence, choose the right MOHRE service, submit a complaint and follow the process without unsafe shortcuts.
If an issue is not resolved in writing with the employer, a private-sector employee can use MOHRE's official complaint service. Prepare a short timeline, contract and evidence, choose the correct complaint type and keep the reference. Free zones and some worker categories use another channel.
Who handles your case?
MOHRE regulates a large part of the private sector, but not every workplace uses one procedure. Check whether MOHRE, a free-zone authority or another body issued the work permit.
A separate confidential My Salary Complaint service covers late wages. The general complaint covers contractual, payment and other employment disputes; the authority confirms the route after review.
What should you do before filing?
If it is safe, tell the employer in writing what happened, which amount or action is disputed and what resolution you request. Then create a one-page chronology with dates and responses. It is more useful than hundreds of unsorted screenshots.
- The signed offer, contract and addenda.
- Payslips and bank records.
- Time, leave or overtime records where relevant.
- Notices, warnings and work correspondence.
- Your calculation with dates and a clear method.
How do you file?
Open the official MOHRE site or app, choose Register Labour Complaints – Private Sector Employees, enter accurate details, state the facts briefly and attach evidence. Save the reference number and respond to authority requests.
The service card lists no service fee and an indicative 14-working-day duration, but actual timing depends on complete data, contact with the parties and any next stage.
What happens next?
MOHRE contacts the parties and attempts resolution within its remit. State a concrete outcome: payment of an identified sum, correction of a record, a document or another action. Record each call and next step.
If conciliation does not resolve the matter, the dispute may move to the next stage. Do not miss notices and obtain individual help because the route depends on the amount, issue and evidence.
How do you protect yourself?
Do not alter original evidence, publish accusations or collect unrelated personal data. Do not sign a document you do not understand or confirm money you did not receive. Never pay someone who promises to “close the case inside the ministry.”
Official sources
Reviewed on 8 August 2026. Open the current service card before applying or paying.