Quick answer: Your MOL status is the current stage of your labour contract or work permit inside the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) system, and you can check it for free at mohre.gov.ae or the MOHRE app using your transaction number, work permit number, or passport details. A result such as "approved," "under process," or "signed by both parties" tells you exactly where your employment file stands before your residence visa can be stamped.
Key takeaways
- MOL (now MOHRE) status shows the real-time stage of your labour contract or work permit application.
- You can check it online for free — no typing centre visit is required just to look.
- You need one of three references: transaction number, work permit number, or passport plus nationality.
- Common results are "under process," "approved," "rejected," and "offer/contract signed."
- The MOL labour file is separate from your immigration (GDRFA) file — both must clear before residency is complete.
What is an MOL status?
An MOL status is the live stage of your labour contract or work permit inside the UAE's federal labour system, managed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), which absorbed the old Ministry of Labour (MOL) — the name most workers still use.
Every employment relationship on the mainland runs through a MOHRE transaction: a job offer, a work permit (also called a labour card application), and finally a signed employment contract. Each of these has a status you can look up. The status is what tells a new hire whether their permit has been approved, whether the contract is waiting on a signature, or whether something has been rejected and needs to be resubmitted.
This is different from checking a general MOHRE enquiry or your visa status. For the wider set of ministry lookups — fines, complaints, company details — see our MOHRE enquiry services guide. For the immigration side of your file, the Emirates ID status check covers residency and ID production.
How do I check my MOL status online?
You check your MOL status by entering a transaction number, work permit number, or your passport and nationality into the MOHRE website or app — the system then returns the current stage of that specific application.
Here is the step-by-step process:
- Go to the official portal. Open www.mohre.gov.ae or the MOHRE smartphone app. Only use the official domain — private sites cannot pull your live record.
- Open the services menu. Look for "Services," then "Enquiry Services" or "Contractual Enquiry" / "Work Permit Enquiry." The exact label shifts with portal updates, but it always sits under enquiries.
- Choose your search type. Select whether you are searching by transaction number, work permit number, or personal details.
- Enter your reference. Type the transaction number your employer or typing centre gave you, or your work permit number, or your passport number plus nationality and date of birth.
- Complete the security check (a captcha or OTP), then submit.
- Read the result. The screen shows the application type, the parties involved, and the current status — for example "Under Process," "Approved," or "Contract Signed by Both Parties."
If you cannot find your transaction number, your employer's PRO usually holds it. DBM handles this for clients as part of our PRO services, so you are not left guessing which reference to enter.
What do the different MOL status results mean?
Each MOL status result maps to a specific stage in the work permit and contract journey, and knowing which one you are at tells you whether to wait, sign, or fix a problem.
| MOL status | What it means | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Under Process | MOHRE is still reviewing the application | Wait — typically a few working days |
| Approved | The work permit or offer has been approved | Proceed to the next step (offer signing or entry) |
| Offer Letter — awaiting signature | The job offer is issued and needs your e-signature | Sign it via the app or SMS link |
| Contract Signed by Both Parties | Employer and employee have both signed | File moves toward labour card issuance |
| Rejected / Returned | A document or detail was wrong | Correct and resubmit through the employer |
| Expired | The transaction lapsed before completion | A fresh application is required |
| Payment Pending | Government fees are unpaid | Employer settles the MOHRE fee to continue |
A common point of confusion: the MOL/MOHRE labour file and the immigration file are two separate systems. Your MOL status can read "approved" while your residence visa is still being processed by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) or the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). Both must clear before your residency is fully active — see the ICP smart services guide for that half of the process.
What information do you need before you check?
You need at least one valid reference tied to your specific application; the portal will not return anything on a name alone.
Have one of these ready:
- Transaction number — the fastest route; issued when the employer submits the application.
- Work permit / labour card number — printed on your permit documents.
- Passport number + nationality + date of birth — the fallback when you have no reference numbers.
- Personal number (MB number) — if MOHRE has already created your labour file.
If none of these are on hand, your employer's PRO or a registered typing centre can retrieve them. A typing centre may charge a small service fee for retrieval and printing; that is a private handling charge, not a government fee — the online status check itself is free.
Why your MOL status matters for setup and hiring
Your MOL status is the gate every mainland employment visa passes through, so tracking it keeps a hire — or your own investor file — from stalling silently.
For a business owner, the sequence matters. Before any employee visa can be issued, the company needs a live MOHRE labour file and an establishment card. These are separate cards from the immigration establishment card, and confusing the two is one of the most common delays we see. On a Dubai mainland setup, the labour-side establishment card carries a modest fee, while the immigration establishment card (GDRFA) sits at roughly AED 1,200–2,000 — both are required before the first visa moves. Government and authority fees are set by the relevant authority and can change without notice.
If you are still deciding between a mainland licence (which uses the MOHRE system for staff) and a free zone licence (where the free zone authority handles employment permits directly), our comparison of mainland vs free zone explains how each affects your hiring paperwork. For the full picture on mainland structuring, see our Dubai mainland company formation page.
A quick checklist before you hire on the mainland
- Active DET trade licence
- MOHRE labour file / establishment card (labour side)
- Immigration establishment card (GDRFA)
- Job offer issued and e-signed by the employee
- Work permit approved (MOL status = Approved)
- Entry permit / status change, medical, and Emirates ID to follow
Getting these in the right order is exactly what DBM's visa services team manages day to day, so a "Rejected" status never sits unnoticed for a week.
Common reasons an MOL status shows "Rejected"
A rejection almost always comes from a data or document mismatch, not a personal judgement, and most are fixable within a day.
The usual causes:
- Passport details entered differently from the passport copy (spelling, expiry, or number).
- Photo not meeting the white-background specification.
- Quota or activity mismatch — the licence activity does not permit the job title.
- Unpaid MOHRE fees leaving the file in "Payment Pending" until settled.
- An expired job offer that lapsed before the employee signed.
When you correct the underlying detail, the employer resubmits and a fresh transaction number is issued. Track the new one, not the old.
FAQ
How do I check my MOL status online in the UAE?
Go to mohre.gov.ae or the MOHRE app, open Enquiry Services, and search by transaction number, work permit number, or passport plus nationality. The portal returns your application's current stage — such as "Under Process," "Approved," or "Contract Signed" — instantly and for free, with no typing centre visit needed just to view it.
What is the difference between MOL and MOHRE?
MOL (Ministry of Labour) is the former name; MOHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation) is the current federal authority that replaced it. Workers still say "MOL status" out of habit, but the system, the portal, and the labour records are all now under MOHRE. The terms refer to the same employment file.
How much does it cost to check my MOL status?
Checking your MOL status online is free — the MOHRE website and app charge nothing to view an application's stage. Costs only appear if you use a typing centre for retrieval or printing, which adds a small private service fee, or when government work permit and establishment fees fall due during the actual application, not the lookup.
Why does my MOL status say "under process" for so long?
"Under process" means MOHRE is still reviewing the application, which usually takes a few working days but can run longer during peak periods, quota checks, or when supporting documents need verification. If it sits unchanged beyond a week, ask your employer's PRO to confirm no payment is pending or document was returned for correction.
Can I check my MOL status without a transaction number?
Yes — you can search using your work permit number, or your passport number combined with nationality and date of birth, if you do not have the transaction number. The transaction number is fastest, but the passport-based lookup works as a fallback whenever MOHRE has already created a labour file linked to you.
Is my MOL status the same as my visa status?
No — your MOL (MOHRE) status covers the labour contract and work permit, while your visa status covers residency and is handled by ICP or GDRFA. Both files run in parallel and both must clear before your residency is complete, so an "approved" labour status does not automatically mean your residence visa is stamped.
Still unsure what your MOL status means for your next hire or your own residency? DBM has guided 1,000+ companies through UAE licensing, labour files, and visas over 10+ years, and holds a 4.9-star rating from 126 Google reviews. Book a free consultation via our contact page or message us on WhatsApp at +971 50 504 6228 — we will read your file and tell you exactly what comes next, with government fees and our service fee stated separately.