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UAE Handbook

Before you pay anything: check it first

Check the person or company with the official register before you send money. A UAE mainland employer may not charge you recruitment fees[source]. Do not pay a fine through a link in an SMS: look it up yourself on the official service[source]. A name on a register means only that it is registered. We never vouch for anyone.

Verified against Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 Regulating Labour Relations (consolidated English text, last updated 29 Jul 2024), Art. 6(4), UAE Federal Government (uaelegislation.gov.ae) ; Dubai Police services list, Traffic Fines Payment, Dubai Police ; DLD Licensed Real Estate Brokers list, Search field, Dubai Land Department (DLD) , on .

Act straight away. Call your bank, then report it. In Dubai, the police Economic Crimes Operations Center works with banks to try to halt fraudulent transfers.

A job offer

Check it

  1. ICP Smart Services (guest mode): Establishment Inquiry, File Validity, Fines Inquiry, Application Tracking (ICP) [source]

    Use Establishment Inquiry to look up the company named on the offer.

Not verified yet. MoHRE's own offer lookup could not be reached from outside the UAE when we checked, so we do not describe it yet.

How to report

  • Labour complaints hotline: 600590000 (MoHRE, listed on u.ae) [source]

    If you are asked to pay to get the job.

Check the offer terms with the job offer checker

A recruiter or recruitment agency

Check it

  1. MoHRE-approved domestic workers services centres (many carry the brand name Tadbeer; that is not the official term) (MoHRE, via u.ae) [source]

    For a domestic worker: the list of centres approved by MoHRE.

Not verified yet. We have not verified MoHRE's list of licensed recruitment agencies yet. Ask the agency for its MoHRE licence and check it with MoHRE.

How to report

  • Labour complaints hotline: 600590000 (MoHRE, listed on u.ae) [source]

    If an agency asks you for a recruitment fee.

  • EWAA and the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking: 800 7283 (National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, listed on u.ae) [source]

    If your passport is taken or you are not free to leave.

A visa or work permit agent

Check it

  1. ICP Smart Services (guest mode): Establishment Inquiry, File Validity, Fines Inquiry, Application Tracking (ICP) [source]

    File Validity and Application Tracking let you check a residence file yourself instead of trusting a screenshot.

How to report

Who pays for the work permit, by jurisdiction

A rental listing or deposit

Check it

  1. DLD Licensed Real Estate Brokers (Dubai Land Department) [source]

    Dubai: search by broker name, office, mobile, area or ORN before you pay a deposit.

  2. ADREC Verify Document (Tenancy Contract, Certificate, Madhmoun Permit) (Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre) [source]

    Abu Dhabi: enter the tenancy contract number to check the document.

Not verified yet. We have not verified a public list of Abu Dhabi brokers, or a check for Dubai advert permits that works without logging in.

How to report

A landlord, seller or agent

Check it

  1. DLD Verify Title Deed (Dubai Land Department) [source]

    Dubai: choose "Validate Owner and Property" and enter the title deed number, year and property type.

  2. DLD Licensed Real Estate Brokers (Dubai Land Department) [source]

    Dubai: check the agent is a licensed broker.

  3. ADREC Verify Document (Tenancy Contract, Certificate, Madhmoun Permit) (Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre) [source]

    Abu Dhabi: check a tenancy contract number.

How to report

A holiday home booking

Not verified yet. We have not found an official lookup that lets a guest check a Dubai holiday home, so we cannot point you to one yet.

How to report

A traffic fine by SMS

Check it

  1. Dubai Police Fines Inquiry and Payment (Dubai Police) [source]

    Dubai: open the Dubai Police services yourself instead of the link in the message.

  2. ICP Fines Inquiry (ICP) [source]

    If the message is about an immigration fine.

Not verified yet. We have not verified the RTA fines page or the Abu Dhabi fines service yet.

How to report

  • TDRA SMS Spam: 800 12 (TDRA) [source]

    Report the SMS. TDRA says it handles reports in 3 to 6 working days.

  • TDRA Digital FraudHunter (TDRA) [source]

    Check a screenshot. It may contain your personal data, so crop it before you upload.

A call or message from "police", a bank or the Central Bank

Check it

  1. CBUAE Fraudulent Reporting (Central Bank of the UAE) [source]

    Report a message that uses the Central Bank's name.

How to report

An investment or crypto platform

Check it

  1. Capital Market Authority (CMA, formerly SCA): licensed companies (Capital Market Authority (CMA, formerly SCA)) [source]

    Federal: securities, brokers and funds licensed by the Capital Market Authority (CMA, formerly SCA).

  2. VARA Public Register (Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority) [source]

    Crypto in Dubai outside DIFC. An IPA on this register is not a licence.

Not verified yet. We have not verified the DFSA, FSRA or Central Bank registers yet.

How to report

How we choose these lookups

Every service on this page was opened on the authority's own website on 2026-10-06, and its source is in the source register. A service we could not open is named as not verified instead of linked. We do not store or send anything you look up: the links go straight to the authority.