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Employers in the UAE must secure a juvenile work permit before engaging anyone between the ages of 15 and 18, according to guidelines published by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 prohibits all employment of children below 15 while setting strict safeguards for the older juvenile category to protect their health, safety and schooling. The ministry issues the one-year permit only after confirming that both the establishment and the role meet all stipulated conditions.
The application process requires five specific documents, the official UAE government platform states. These comprise a clear coloured photograph with white background, written consent signed by the juvenile’s guardian or custodian, a medical certificate issued by an authorised authority confirming fitness for the job, copies of the valid passport and residence permit, and the ministry-approved employment contract signed by employer and employee. The rules further specify that the juvenile must not already hold an active work permit and that no bank guarantee or electronic quota allocation is necessary.
Daily working hours cannot exceed six in total for juveniles, a Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation summary of the law shows. Employers must schedule at least one hour of breaks in aggregate so that the minor never works more than four consecutive hours without interruption. The regulations also ban any overtime, post-shift retention at the workplace, or assignment on rest days and official holidays.
Night work remains strictly off-limits under the juvenile employment framework, according to Article 5 of the federal labour law. Juveniles may not be scheduled between 7pm and 7am, nor can they be placed in industrial projects or any tasks classified as dangerous, arduous or likely to harm health, safety or morals as defined by ministerial resolution. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation coordinates with other authorities to maintain an updated list of prohibited roles.
The chosen occupation must correspond directly with the establishment’s licensed business activity, the ministry’s service description indicates. Establishments themselves must hold valid trade licences free of violations that could suspend operations before a juvenile permit will be approved. These requirements form part of a broader set of 13 work-permit categories the ministry manages for the private sector.
Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 provides the detailed implementing rules for juvenile employment, an official platform overview notes. The framework applies equally to Emirati and expatriate minors and emphasises that the medical fitness certificate and guardian consent constitute non-negotiable prerequisites. Permits obtained through the ministry’s digital channels or Tasheel centres allow compliant hiring while maintaining safeguards for young workers.
A related student training and employment permit exists for 15-year-old residents already in education, according to ministry documentation. That authorisation lasts three months rather than a full year and follows comparable protective standards. The juvenile work permit system continues to balance limited workforce participation with mandatory protections established under the 2021 labour legislation.
