Who pays the recruitment agency in the UAE: the employer or the candidate?

What the UAE rules say

The u.ae page on protecting workers' rights is direct: the costs of recruitment and travel, and the expenses of obtaining the residency permit, are borne by the employer, and charging recruitment fees to prospective employees is illegal (u.ae).

If anyone asks a candidate to pay to be put forward for a UAE job, treat it as a warning sign. The rule protects employers too: a hire who paid to get the job starts with a grievance, and an employer working with an agency that charges candidates is tied to a practice the law forbids. Ask any agency, in writing, whether it charges candidates anything.

What Accounting Baba charges

Our fee is one month's salary per hire, plus applicable taxes. AED 1,000 per opening is paid upfront and adjusted against the fee. Recruitment is a paid service for employers. The candidate pays nothing.

Worked examples and the payment rules are on the UAE fees page, and the full terms are in our Terms of Business.

What the fee covers

• A search of your target companies, including your competitors. About 80% of our UAE clients want candidates who already live and work locally.
• Interviews by our team, and a review of every shortlisted profile by CA Ketul Patel.
• 3 to 5 CA-reviewed profiles within 7 working days of our receiving the service charge.
• Interview scheduling and support with the salary discussion.
• A 90-day replacement guarantee from the joining date.

What stays with the employer

Visa and PRO steps stay with you. The work permit is applied for by a person legally authorised to represent your company, and costs AED 250 to AED 3,450 depending on the company's classification (u.ae).