In 2016, the UAE Ministry announced the introduction of three work permits which allow high school students, between 12 to 18 years old, to take on training or employment opportunities. While there are only a few restrictions, it can get slightly confusing to figure out which permit you should apply for, as an employer, on behalf of the talented, young student you’re trying to bring onboard.
Here’s a quick guide to walk you through the permit options, application process, associated costs and restrictions, and general rules.
What work permits are required to hire high school students between 12 and 18 years old?
There are three new work permits which you can use to hire students between the ages of 12 and 18 for either training or employment purposes.
There are a few differences between all three:
Temporary Work Permit
A temporary permit can be used to employ students, between 12 to 14 years old, to work on special projects that are scheduled to be completed in under six months and not longer. The permit itself only has a validity of six months as well.
Part-time Work Permit
This permit allows you to hire students, ages 12 to 18 (or over) on a part-time basis with reduced work-hours for a year or less. The permit is valid for one year.
Juvenile Work Permit
The Juvenile permit can be obtained if you’re trying to hire students (UAE nationals or expat), aged 15 to 18, to work for a year or less. This is a non-negotiable limit and cannot be extended by obtaining a second Juvenile Permit after the first one expires.
12 TO 14 YEAR OLD STUDENTS
For all high school students who are under the age of 18, guardians of the student have to write a letter providing consent. For students between 12 and 14, an additional statement is required outlining the purpose of the opportunity as training, not employment. A document detailing the training program must be submitted to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation for approval before you or the candidate can sign and proceed to begin the training.
15 TO 18 YEAR OLD STUDENTS
Students aged 15 and over will need a Juvenile Work Permit in order to work. This can be granted to hire national or non-national candidates. These students will be able to apply for work opportunities.
Any and all students hired are entitled to the same right as regular employees in an organization. These work permits can only be granted to students on a valid UAE residence visa.
What is the application process for these work permits?
The applications for any of the work permits have to be done by you – the employer. All applications need to pre-approved, which are requested and granted through the Tasheel Service Center. Once pre-approvals are received, applications need to be filled and submitted online or through the Tasheel mobile app. The application takes roughly one working day to process.
If you need some more information or help, take a look at the Tasheel user guide. You can also reach out on their hotline on 800-60.
There are forms to fill out which are fairly simple and intuitive. They ask for the following details:
- E-signature card of the employer
- Passport copy of the candidate
- Residence visa copy of the candidate
- Birth certificate copy of the candidate
- Passport copy of parent/guardian
- Residence visa copy of the parent/guardian
- Application copy
- Contract copy
- Passport photograph of the candidate
- A certificate of fitness from an official (this is the medical screening students would have done at the time of enrollment)
- Written consent of the student’s parent or guardian. This is essentially an NOC that looks like this.
- Document outlining training program + activities (for temporary work permits only)
- Copy of Employer’s business license
What type of work can 12 to 18 year old high school students participate in?
Daily work hours are restricted to 6 hours a day, with one hour (minimum) for lunch, and 10-minute breaks throughout day to eat/rest/pray. Students with a Juvenile work permit, temporary work permit, or part-time work permit cannot work for more than four hours consecutively. Similar rules apply for students with part-time work permits, except the daily work hours are less.
What type of work are 12 to 18 year old high school students not allowed to participate in?
While there is a lot of flexibility in the type of work students can undertake, there are a few prohibitions:
- Night shifts
- Work involving:
- Mines, quarries and mineral extraction
- Metal melting furnaces and oil refineries
- Bakery ovens
- Cement or cooling factories
- Silvering of mirrors, glass melting, or tanneries
- Manufacturing fireworks, oxygen or electric welding, and painting
- Extraction of silver, the industries of iin and metal compounds containing lead
- Production of asphalt and the operation of mobile machinery, manufacturing mechanical pressing and oil mills
- Fertilizer industry or working in its warehouses, working in citrus plants and crops
- Slaughterhouses, rubber industry, or uploading CDs
- Loading and unloading of goods in ports, shipping, or leave stores
- Coal industry and dyeing textiles
- Cafes, clubs, or bars
- Overtime or holidays
How much do work permits cost?
There are two separate charges – one to request a work permit (AED 100) and one for the application of the permit itself.
All permits costs the same but have slightly different validities:
- Juvenile Permit – AED 500, one time fee, for 1 year
- Part-time Work Permit – AED 500, one time fee, for 1 year
- Temporary Work Permit – AED 500, one time fee, for 6 months
Both the initial request and the permit application payments are done online during the application itself.
And there you have it! It’s a fairly simple process to bring onboard talented young people for when you have projects come up with special or unique requirements.
Particularly when projects involve millennials or generation Z, social media activations, focus panels, user research, social trends etc., those ideas that may seem amazing to you may be overlooked by your target audience. In these scenarios, it may be a better idea to bring onboard a younger team, with fresh ideas, and a completely new style of thinking.
P.S. Want announcements and updates as they come up? Get them straight to your inbox
Join +4,500 employers getting our weekly posts.