Quick answer: A Dubai offer letter check means verifying your MOHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation) job offer online before you sign it, using the MOHRE website or app and your offer/transaction number. A genuine offer will show as registered in the MOHRE system with a status such as "Signed by employer" or "Awaiting employee signature"; if nothing appears, the offer has not been filed and you should not sign. The check itself is free.
Key takeaways
- Every mainland private-sector job in the UAE must have a MOHRE offer letter registered before you sign the labour contract.
- You can verify it online in minutes using your transaction number, passport details or Emirates ID — no fee.
- Status wording tells you exactly where your file sits: offer created, employer-signed, employee-signed, or contract issued.
- If the offer does not appear in MOHRE, it is not official — treat verbal or WhatsApp-only "offers" with caution.
- Free-zone and mainland offers differ: mainland offers run through MOHRE, while many free zones use their own systems.
What is a Dubai offer letter check?
A Dubai offer letter check is the process of confirming, through the MOHRE online system, that a job offer handed to you is officially registered with the UAE government before you commit to it.
Under the UAE Labour Law, a private-sector employer must submit a standard job offer to MOHRE and obtain your agreement before the labour contract and work permit are processed. That offer is a legal document — it locks in your job title, salary, probation period, working hours and contract length. Checking it online lets you confirm two things at once: that the offer is authentic (really filed by the company, not a scam), and that its details match what you were verbally promised.
This matters because once you sign, you are agreeing to the written terms, not the spoken ones. A five-minute check protects you from one of the most common recruitment problems in the UAE: an offer that looks different on paper than it did in the interview.
Where does the Dubai offer letter check actually happen?
The check happens on MOHRE's own channels — the MOHRE website, the MOHRE app, or a licensed typing centre — for mainland jobs, and on the relevant free-zone portal for free-zone jobs.
Most Dubai private-sector roles outside the free zones fall under MOHRE (historically called the Ministry of Labour, or MOL — you'll still see both terms). If your offer references MOHRE, a labour card, or a work permit, this is the system to use. If you're unsure what MOL even stands for, our plain-English explainer on what MOL means in the UAE breaks it down.
Free-zone employers (DMCC, IFZA, Meydan and others) often issue offers through their own authority systems rather than MOHRE. In that case the free zone — not MOHRE — is where your offer and visa are tracked, so the steps below apply mainly to mainland employment.
How to check your Dubai offer letter status online
Here is the standard route to verify a MOHRE offer letter, step by step.
- Get your transaction or offer number from the employer. When a company files your offer, MOHRE generates a transaction number. A legitimate employer or their PRO will share it without hesitation.
- Go to the MOHRE website (mohre.gov.ae) or open the MOHRE app. Both carry the enquiry and job-offer services.
- Open the enquiry / "Job Offer" service. Look for options such as Enquiry Service, Work Permit Enquiry, or Job Offer Contract. Our guide to MOHRE enquiry services walks through each menu.
- Enter your details. Depending on the service you'll input the transaction number, your passport number and nationality, or your Emirates ID if you already have one.
- Read the status. The system returns the current stage of your offer or contract (see the status table below).
- Review the full offer before signing. Check that salary, job title, contract type (limited/unlimited is now a single standard model), probation and working hours all match what you were told.
- Sign electronically only when satisfied. You'll receive an SMS or app notification inviting you to approve. Approving is your legal signature — do not approve an offer you haven't verified.
If the service returns nothing for a transaction number the employer gave you, stop and ask questions. A missing record usually means the offer was never submitted.
What does each MOHRE offer letter status mean?
Each status word tells you precisely which stage your file has reached — here's how to read them.
| Status you may see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Offer created / Under process | Employer has drafted and submitted the offer to MOHRE | Wait for the signature request, then verify details |
| Signed by employer / Pending employee | Employer has approved; it's now your turn | Review carefully, then sign if correct |
| Signed by employee / Accepted | You have approved the offer electronically | Employer proceeds to work permit and contract |
| Work permit issued / Approved | MOHRE has approved the work permit | Entry permit and visa steps follow |
| Contract issued / Active | Labour contract is registered and active | Keep a copy for your records |
| No record found | Nothing filed under that number | Do not sign — confirm with the employer |
Exact wording changes as MOHRE updates its portal, but the sequence — offer, employer signature, employee signature, work permit, contract — stays the same. For more detail on reading these stages, see our breakdown of MOL status and the Dubai MOL letter itself.
How do you know a Dubai offer letter is genuine?
A genuine offer letter appears in the MOHRE system under a real transaction number and carries the ministry's standard format — if you can't find it online, treat it as unverified.
Authentic MOHRE offers share a few signatures of legitimacy:
- They exist as a registered record you can pull up with a transaction number.
- They use MOHRE's standard template, not a free-form Word document on a generic letterhead.
- They name a real, licensed company whose trade licence you can confirm.
- They never ask you to pay a fee to receive the offer — in the UAE the employer carries recruitment and visa costs, not the candidate.
- They request your electronic signature through official MOHRE channels, not a screenshot or a scanned signature over WhatsApp.
The clearest red flag is being pressured to pay for your own visa or offer. Under UAE rules, work-permit and visa costs are the employer's responsibility. Anyone reversing that is worth a very careful second look.
Documents to have ready for your check
Keep these on hand so the verification goes smoothly:
- Your passport (bio-data page)
- The transaction or offer number from the employer
- Your Emirates ID, if you already hold one
- A copy of the offer letter the company sent you, to compare line by line
- The company's trade licence or name, to confirm it is a licensed entity
Mainland vs free-zone offers: a quick comparison
The verification route depends entirely on which authority employs you.
| Point | Mainland (MOHRE) | Free zone |
|---|---|---|
| Who registers the offer | MOHRE | The free-zone authority |
| Where you verify it | MOHRE website / app | The free zone's own portal |
| Governing framework | UAE Labour Law via MOHRE | Free-zone employment regulations |
| Typical sectors | Retail, services, trading, offices | Zone-specific (media, trade, tech, etc.) |
If you're an employer rather than a candidate — setting up a company and planning to hire — the choice between mainland and free zone shapes everything downstream, from offer letters to visa quotas. Our comparison of mainland vs free zone covers the trade-offs, and our PRO services and visa services teams handle offer registration, work permits and the full labour file for both routes.
FAQ
How do I check my Dubai offer letter status online?
Check your Dubai offer letter status on the MOHRE website (mohre.gov.ae) or the MOHRE app by opening the enquiry or job-offer service and entering your transaction number, passport details, or Emirates ID. The system shows your current stage — offer created, employer-signed, employee-signed, or contract issued. The check is free and takes a few minutes.
How much does it cost to check a MOHRE offer letter?
Checking a MOHRE offer letter online is free — there is no government fee to view your offer or contract status on the MOHRE website or app. You only pay if you use a typing centre, which may add a small service charge for handling the lookup on your behalf. Beware anyone asking you to pay to receive an offer.
What does "no record found" mean when I check my offer letter?
"No record found" means no offer has been registered with MOHRE under the number you entered, so the offer is not yet official. It can happen if the employer hasn't submitted it, if the number is mistyped, or if the role is actually under a free zone rather than MOHRE. Confirm the transaction number with the employer before signing anything.
Should I sign a job offer before verifying it on MOHRE?
No — verify the offer on MOHRE first. Your electronic signature is a legal acceptance of the written terms, so confirm the offer is registered and that salary, job title, probation and working hours match what you were promised before you approve it. Verifying costs nothing and protects you from unregistered or altered offers.
Is a WhatsApp or email offer letter legally valid in the UAE?
A WhatsApp or email message describing a job is not a legally binding UAE employment offer on its own — the binding offer is the one registered with MOHRE (for mainland roles) or the free-zone authority, which you then approve electronically. Treat informal messages as a starting point and insist on a verifiable registered offer before committing.
Can I check a free-zone offer letter on the MOHRE website?
No — free-zone offers are usually registered with the free-zone authority rather than MOHRE, so they won't appear in the MOHRE system. Verify free-zone offers through that specific zone's portal or by asking the employer which authority issued it. If your offer references MOHRE, a labour card, or a work permit, then the MOHRE check applies.
Still unsure whether your offer is genuine, or setting up a company and need help registering offers and work permits correctly? DBM has formed 1,000+ companies and handled their MOHRE labour files over 10+ years, with a 4.9-star rating from 126 Google reviews. Book a free consultation through our contact page or message us on WhatsApp at +971 50 504 6228 — we'll point you in the right direction, with costs stated plainly and nothing hidden.