Establishment Card
Establishment Card and Labour File: The Two Records Behind Every Visa
No company can sponsor a visa without an establishment card, and no mainland company can hire without a labour file. They are opened at different authorities and they expire separately. When one lapses, everything stops.
- Both records opened in the right order after licensing
- Renewal tied to the trade licence date
- Signatory and owner details kept current
- Visa work never stalled by an expired card
Dubai PRO, payroll and tax support for UAE companies, handled by one team.
Last reviewed against current MOHRE, ICP and GDRFA guidance.
Quick Answer
The establishment card, sometimes called the immigration card, registers a company with the immigration authority (GDRFA in Dubai, ICP elsewhere) so it can sponsor residence visas. The labour file, or MOHRE establishment registration, lets a mainland company hold work permits. Both are opened after the trade licence is issued and both need a valid licence to renew. GDRFA's service page lists an expected completion time of 48 hours for the card.
Two Records, Two Authorities
People use the names loosely, which causes most of the confusion. The establishment card sits with immigration and covers residence visas. The labour file sits with MOHRE and covers work permits.
A mainland company needs both. A free zone company deals with its free zone authority for most of this instead.
- Establishment card: GDRFA in Dubai, ICP in other emirates
- Labour file: MOHRE, for mainland employers
- Card needed to sponsor any residence visa
- Labour file needed to hold any work permit
- Free zones run their own equivalents
Opening Them After Licensing
Both are opened once the trade licence is issued. The application names the owners and the authorised signatory, and those names have to match the licence and the memorandum exactly.
Get this step right and the first visa follows quickly. Get a name wrong and every later application inherits the error.
- 1Trade licence issued
- 2Establishment card application to GDRFA or ICP
- 3MOHRE establishment registration for the labour file
- 4Authorised signatory confirmed on both
- 5First work permit and visa applications
Renewal Follows the Licence
The card cannot be renewed on an expired trade licence, so licence renewal comes first. In practice the two should be diarised together.
Late renewal brings fines, and while the card is expired, visa transactions for the company's staff do not go through. That includes renewals for people whose own visas are fine.
- Trade licence renewed first
- Card renewal filed straight after
- Labour file kept active alongside
- Fines for late renewal
- Staff visa transactions blocked while expired
When Details Change
A new shareholder, a new manager, a new address. Each one changes the licence first, and the card and labour file then have to be amended to match.
This is the step most often missed, because the licence amendment feels like the end of the job.
- Shareholder or partner changes
- New manager or authorised signatory
- Address and Ejari changes
- Licence activity changes that affect occupations
How Exiloz Keeps Them Current
We open both records after licensing, then track their expiry against the licence so renewals happen in the right order. When company details change, we update all three: licence, card and labour file.
- Establishment card and labour file opened
- Expiry dates tracked against the licence
- Amendments carried through to every record
- Visa work checked against card status first
Related Exiloz Services & Guides
What is an establishment card in Dubai?
A registration of the company with GDRFA, the Dubai immigration authority, that allows it to sponsor residence visas. Other emirates register with ICP.
Is the establishment card the same as the labour card?
No. The establishment card is with immigration and covers visas. The labour file is with MOHRE and covers work permits. A mainland company needs both.
How long does an establishment card take?
GDRFA's service page lists an expected completion time of 48 hours, provided the documents and licence are in order.
Can I renew the card if my trade licence has expired?
No. The trade licence has to be renewed first.
What happens if the establishment card expires?
Fines accrue and visa transactions for the company's staff stop until it is renewed, including renewals for employees whose own visas are still valid.
Does a free zone company need one?
Free zone companies deal with their free zone authority, which issues its own establishment or immigration card. The process differs by zone.
The rest of what we do
Licence, visas, bank account, books and the first tax return — handled by the same team, so the structure has to survive its first year.
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VAT Return Filing
VAT201 prepared, reconciled and filed, with the position documented.
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Corporate Tax Registration
Every taxable person must register, including free zone companies applying 0%.
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Corporate Tax Filing
Returns, elections and the qualifying income analysis behind them.
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Accounting & Bookkeeping
Books kept audit-ready from month one, not reconstructed at year end.
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Audit Preparation
Schedules, reconciliations and the evidence your auditor will ask for.
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Payroll & WPS
Payroll, WPS files and end-of-service calculated correctly.
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Tax Residency Certificate
Day-count position verified and the FTA document pack assembled.
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Customs Registration
Client code and Mirsal registration, before your first shipment, not after.
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Check Your Card Before the Next Visa
Send us your licence and card expiry dates. We will tell you what is due and in what order.
