The United Arab Emirates has kicked off 2026 with the most sweeping change to its short-term work-permit regime in more than a decade. A Cabinet decision published on 1 January converts the single-entry Visit Visa for Work Assignments—popularly called the Mission Visa—into a two-year, multiple-entry permit. Assignees will be allowed to shuttle in and out of the country for project work, staying up to 60 days per trip with a cumulative cap of 180 days in any rolling 12-month period. Visa validity will be linked electronically to the traveller’s passport, enabling seamless passage through e-gates and eliminating the need for fresh stamping on each arrival.
For global mobility managers the implications are significant. Today, most Mission Visas are limited to 90 days and must be cancelled before re-application, forcing companies either to cycle specialists through a string of back-to-back visas or to sponsor them for full residency—which is often disproportionate to project scope. The new rules close that gap, providing a legal middle ground for consultants, auditors, fit-out crews and other specialists who need to move in and out of the UAE over an extended period.
Cost savings are also in play. Renewals will now be required only every 24 months, and a single visa can support multiple projects, reducing government fees, medical-test costs and passport-handling logistics. Employers will no longer need to surrender passports for cancellation on each exit, easing administrative friction and employee anxiety.
![UAE Overhauls ‘Mission Visa’: Two-Year, Multiple-Entry Permit Approved]()
Organisations that need practical, on-the-ground support as they adapt to these changes can turn to VisaHQ, whose UAE specialists handle everything from document preparation to e-gate registration while providing real-time status tracking and compliance alerts. Full details of the service, including online ordering, are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) is expected to publish implementing guidelines in early Q1 2026 covering eligible professions, sponsor obligations and fee schedules. Until then, immigration advisers recommend continuing to apply for single-entry Mission Visas while budgeting for a mid-year switch-over. Companies with large project pipelines should review assignment timelines, update mobility budgets and brief travelling staff on the forthcoming medical-check requirement within 15 days of first entry.
Practically, HR teams should begin mapping which categories of project workers will migrate to the new permit and which will remain on residency. They should also confirm that passport-linked visa data will feed automatically into the company’s travel-tracking tools to maintain compliance with posted-worker and tax-presence thresholds in home jurisdictions.
For global mobility managers the implications are significant. Today, most Mission Visas are limited to 90 days and must be cancelled before re-application, forcing companies either to cycle specialists through a string of back-to-back visas or to sponsor them for full residency—which is often disproportionate to project scope. The new rules close that gap, providing a legal middle ground for consultants, auditors, fit-out crews and other specialists who need to move in and out of the UAE over an extended period.
Cost savings are also in play. Renewals will now be required only every 24 months, and a single visa can support multiple projects, reducing government fees, medical-test costs and passport-handling logistics. Employers will no longer need to surrender passports for cancellation on each exit, easing administrative friction and employee anxiety.
Organisations that need practical, on-the-ground support as they adapt to these changes can turn to VisaHQ, whose UAE specialists handle everything from document preparation to e-gate registration while providing real-time status tracking and compliance alerts. Full details of the service, including online ordering, are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) is expected to publish implementing guidelines in early Q1 2026 covering eligible professions, sponsor obligations and fee schedules. Until then, immigration advisers recommend continuing to apply for single-entry Mission Visas while budgeting for a mid-year switch-over. Companies with large project pipelines should review assignment timelines, update mobility budgets and brief travelling staff on the forthcoming medical-check requirement within 15 days of first entry.
Practically, HR teams should begin mapping which categories of project workers will migrate to the new permit and which will remain on residency. They should also confirm that passport-linked visa data will feed automatically into the company’s travel-tracking tools to maintain compliance with posted-worker and tax-presence thresholds in home jurisdictions.
