Key takeaways
- In all six Gulf states the employer applies for your work visa, and you cannot apply for a private-sector work visa on your own.
- Freedom to change employer differs most: Qatar and Oman have dropped the employer’s-permission requirement, Saudi Arabia allows a move after one year, Kuwait keeps a one-year rule with new exceptions from May 2026, and the UAE bans new work permits for one year only in defined cases.
- Bahrain closed its flexible permit route in 2023, and its current change-of-employer rules should be confirmed with the Labour Market Regulatory Authority.
- Qatar cut the grace period after a residence permit ends from 30 to 14 days in June 2026.
- Before you accept an offer, check the probation and notice terms, who pays the permit costs, and who holds your passport.
In all six Gulf states your employer applies for your work visa, and your residency is tied to that employer. The difference that affects you most is what happens when you want to leave. In Qatar and Oman the old requirement for your employer’s permission has been removed. Saudi Arabia lets you move after a year. Kuwait keeps a one-year rule with narrow exceptions, and the UAE imposes a one-year work permit ban only in three defined situations. Bahrain has closed its flexible permit route.
Rules moved in 2026 in Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, so the details below carry dates. This guide covers private-sector employees. Domestic workers, government employees and free-zone employees can fall under different rules, and Saudi Arabia’s labour reforms explicitly leave domestic workers out.
What “sponsorship” means in practice
Gulf work visas are employer-led. A licensed company applies to the labour or immigration authority, the authority approves a work permit, and a residence permit follows once you have passed a medical examination and completed biometrics. You cannot apply for a private-sector work visa on your own in any of the six countries.
That structure is often called kafala. Reforms in several countries have loosened it, but the employer still controls the start of the process, the renewal, and in some countries the timing of your final exit. Before accepting an offer, three questions decide how much control you keep:
- Who applies, and through which portal, so you can check the status yourself.
- What you can do if the employer stops paying you or ends the contract.
- Whether you can change employer, and whether a ban or waiting period follows.
How the six countries compare
| Country | Who applies, and where | Changing employer | Recent change worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAE | Employer, through the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) or a free zone authority | Permitted. A one-year work permit ban applies in three defined cases | MoHRE’s ban exemptions include Golden Visa holders and workers on family visas |
| Saudi Arabia | Employer, through the Qiwa platform | After one year of residency with notice, and earlier in limited cases | Visas are now classified into three skill tiers |
| Qatar | Employer, through the Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Interior | No NOC needed. One or two months’ notice, depending on length of service | Grace period after a residence permit ends cut from 30 to 14 days in June 2026 |
| Oman | Employer obtains a Ministry of Labour work permit, then a Royal Oman Police visa | NOC requirement abolished in January 2021, with six situations listed by the Ministry of Labour in July 2021 | The sponsor must be a qualified local, and the applicant must be at least 21 |
| Bahrain | Employer, through the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) | Confirm the current rules with LMRA before relying on any secondary source | Flexible work permits ended in 2023 |
| Kuwait | Employer with a valid commercial licence and a manpower quota, through PAM’s Ashal portal | One year of service is the standard rule, with new exceptions from May 2026 | Administrative Decision 680 of 2026 widened early-transfer grounds |
UAE
Your employer starts the process with MoHRE, or with the free zone authority if the company is in a free zone. One licensed service provider describes six stages: work permit approval, entry permit, entry or in-country status change, medical test and biometrics, employment insurance and contract registration, then residence visa and Emirates ID. The same provider quotes two to four weeks in total. Treat that as an indicative range, because processing times depend on the emirate and the employer’s file.
The UAE government portal says a one-year work permit ban applies in three situations under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021: you end your contract during probation when the employer has met its obligations, a valid absconding report is filed against you, or your permit was issued through a fictitious establishment. For proven absconding, exemptions cover workers on family residence visas, those renewing with the same employer, specialised professionals the UAE needs, and Golden Visa holders. The portal states that the ban period starts once the worker leaves the UAE and lifts automatically when it ends. You can contest a ban through MoHRE with evidence that it is unjustified.
The practical point is probation. MoHRE’s May 2026 guidance, as reported by, says leaving during probation without the required notice (one month to stay in the UAE, 14 days to leave the country) triggers the ban, so read the probation and notice clauses before you sign.
Saudi Arabia
The employer applies through Qiwa. Since July 2025 every employment visa must be classified into one of three tiers: High-Skilled, Skilled or Basic, and the registered occupation must match your actual duties. After the visa is issued, you have it stamped at a Saudi consulate, complete a medical examination and biometrics on arrival, and receive the iqama, the residence permit, which is renewed annually. The same source says employers need at least a Green Nitaqat rating, the Saudisation compliance band, to access skill-based visa blocks. Senior roles need attested degree certificates and documented experience.
On mobility, the International Labour Organization’s November 2025 review of Saudi Arabia’s Labour Reform Initiative says workers can change employer after one year of residency with notice, without the current employer’s consent, and that in the first year employer approval is needed except in limited cases such as an expired permit or three consecutive months of unpaid wages. The same review says workers can request exit and re-entry visas themselves through Absher, but that employers can still issue a final exit visa. It notes that the reforms exclude domestic workers and farmers.
Trade press reports further 2026 changes: a 60-day window for fixed-term workers to find new sponsorship, renew or exit after a contract ends, and separate work permits for qualified spouses and adult children. Check these on Qiwa before relying on them for a specific case.
Qatar
Law No. 18 of 2020 removed the No Objection Certificate for most private-sector workers, so you no longer need your employer’s permission to move. You do have to give notice: one month if you have worked two years or fewer, two months if longer. The notice period starts when the change is filed with the Ministry of Labour, and the process uses a Change Employer Form signed by both employers. Qatar Living reports that leaving without serving notice can lead to compensation and a one-year ban on a new Qatar work permit.
Two limits matter. Your employer is notified of the application and the new employer must authenticate the contract before you start work. And the post-cancellation grace period has been shortened: Fragomen reported on 17 June 2026 that it was cut from 30 to 14 days, with a fine of QAR 10 a day after that, and said it was unclear whether the change is temporary. Qatar Living warns that the grace period is not a job-search visa. Line up the next employer before the current permit is cancelled.
Oman
The employer first obtains a work permit from the Ministry of Labour, then applies for the visa. The government portal says the sponsor must be a qualified local, the applicant must be at least 21, and the application needs a passport copy, photograph, the Ministry of Labour work permit and a medical examination copy. The visa is issued under a Ministry of Labour licence, except where the employer is a government body.
The requirement for an employer NOC and the two-year re-entry ban were abolished by Royal Oman Police Decision 157/2020 from January 2021. A Ministry of Labour decision of 29 July 2021 then listed six situations in which no NOC can be demanded: permit expiry with no registered contract, contract completion, non-disciplinary termination by the employer, and court rulings ordering a transfer, finding dismissal arbitrary or declaring the employer insolvent. That briefing dates from August 2021. If you are leaving in mid-contract, confirm the current position with the Ministry of Labour first.
Bahrain
The employer applies through the LMRA’s Expat Management System. The LMRA page for new work permits lists the steps: enter the details, receive an application ID and pay administrative fees, then pay permit fees on approval and print the work permit. Applicants need a passport valid for six months or more and a medical report no more than two months old, unless they are already in Bahrain. LMRA states three working days for workers already in Bahrain and 21 working days for those outside.
Bahrain discontinued flexible work permits in October 2023 and asked holders to register under the professional permit or labour registration programme, according to Paul Hastings. Employers can no longer engage flexi permit holders. The rules for changing employers under the current system were not confirmed from an official source for this guide, so ask LMRA or the new employer’s PRO which release conditions apply before you resign.
Kuwait
Private-sector residency in Kuwait runs under Article 18. The new employer needs a valid commercial licence and a manpower quota from the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), and files through the Ashal portal.
For changing employer, Kuwait Times reported on 24 May 2026 that the standard rule allows a move after one year of service with the employer’s consent, and that PAM has amended the rules to allow earlier transfers in specific cases. Arab Times says the change is Administrative Decision No. 680 of 2026, effective on publication in the Official Gazette, and lists employer negligence over the permit or residency, a suspended employer file, and a false or malicious absconding report as grounds. It adds employer violations of Articles 48 or 50 of Private Sector Labour Law No. 6 of 2010. Kuwait Times lists unpaid salary and final court rulings instead of the labour law articles. The reports differ on the last two grounds, so read the decision itself if your case depends on them. The decision also lets PAM suspend new permits for employers who default.
Before you accept an offer
Ask for these in writing:
- The name of the licensed entity that will hold your permit, and whether it is mainland or a free zone in the UAE.
- The probation length and notice terms. In the UAE and Qatar, breaking these is what leads to bans.
- Who pays for the visa, medical, residence permit and any dependent levy. Rules and practice differ by country.
- Your passport. Employers cannot hold it without your written consent in Qatar (Law No. 21 of 2015, as summarised by HAQQ), and Oman’s 2023 Labour Law (Royal Decree 53/2023) sets a similar rule, according to HAQQ.
- Whether your attested degree and experience letters are needed before the visa stage. Saudi high-skilled roles require them.
Then check your own status on the official portal, not only through the employer: MoHRE, Qiwa and Absher, the Ministry of Labour and Royal Oman Police, LMRA, PAM’s Ashal and the Qatar Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Interior services.
