UAE: How you can work in the UAE from the age of 15

Dubai - If you are a young person looking to get training or for part-time work options, there is good news.

While earlier young people who were on ‘student status’ were not allowed to work in the UAE, a resolution passed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) in June 2016 created special work options for them.

The Ministerial Resolution No. 713 of 2016 Concerning the Employment and Training of Students enabled students to work and get trained at operating establishments or the establishments approved for training purposes.

While children below the age of 15 are prohibited from being employed in the UAE, they can get special training permits issued by MOHRE. The special training permits are issued to applicants between the age of 12 and 18.

Students between the ages of 15 and 18 years old, on the other hand, are permitted to work and are issued temporary juveniles’ work permits.

Juveniles’ work permits

Based on the above resolution, students who are between 15 and 18 years old are permitted to work and are issued temporary juveniles’ work permits. Emiratis and expatriate youths with work permits can be hired to work on projects for up to six months. There are also work permits for those who wish to work fewer hours over a year.

Training permits

Students above 12 and below 18 years who would like to get training in a specific field are given training permits by MOHRE. Written consent of the student's guardian or custodian is required.

Where can I get the form?

The ‘Juvenile and training work permit’ is available on the MOHRE website – www.mohre.gov.ae – as well as on the MOHRE app, which is available for Apple and Android devices. Forms can also be found at Tas'heel service centres.

The training programme

The training programme lasts for three months from the starting date. The contract must be submitted to MOHRE for approval prior to the signature from both ends. The eSignature card is considered obligatory to process the company's request to enroll the students. In all cases of employment of students, they must be treated as ordinary workers who work in similar conditions, in terms of all entitlements and benefits.

Requirements for work permit

The applicants, between the ages of 15 and 18 years, can receive a work permit after the following conditions are met:

• written consent from the parent or the legal guardian of the minor

• birth certificate or a certificate estimating the age of the minor issued by the competent medical authorities

• physical fitness certificate for the requested work issued by the competent medical authorities

• expatriate minors and their parents have valid residence visa

• minors are not being recruited to do a type of work prohibited under the UAE’s law

• the employer has a valid work licence

• work permit fees are paid.

Additional conditions

The Labour Law forbids youth from working at night in industrial enterprises and undertake hazardous or strenuous jobs. The minor’s working hours should not exceed six hours per day; they are entitled to one or more breaks totalling one hour per day. Working overtime or on holidays is also prohibited.

The UAE is a party to several international human rights treaties on children, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC ) (1997), ILO Conventions on the subjects of working hours, forced labour, labour inspections, night work for women, equal pay, the minimum age for employment and the worst forms of child labour, and the Arab Charter of Human Rights.

To submit a request for a juvenile’s work permit, the company's owner or authorised signatory who has the e-signature card issued on his/her name may register with the MOHRE Mobile application as an employer to submit such requests to the Ministry.

- Information courtesy government.ae