Quick Answer: There is no single published table that turns square metres into visas. In Dubai, your visa allowance is set by the authorities when they assess your licence and your premises, and the size of your registered office is one of the things they look at. You will often hear a rule of thumb of about 9 square metres per employee. Treat it as a guide for planning, not a promise, and check your expected allowance before you sign a lease.
If you plan to hire, the office you choose affects more than where people sit. It affects how many people you can sponsor. Founders often learn this late, after signing for a desk or a small unit, when the first visa application meets a limit.
This guide explains how the allowance works, where the 9 sqm figure comes from, and how to plan an office around the visas you will need.
How the visa allowance works in Dubai
Sponsoring an employee on the mainland involves two sets of records. The company is registered with immigration and with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), and each employee then needs a work permit and a residence visa. The UAE government portal lists the conditions for a work permit, including that the company’s trade licence must be valid and free of violations (u.ae, work permits).
Your premises come in through your tenancy. A mainland licence is tied to a registered address with Ejari, and the authorities can look at that address when deciding how many people the company can reasonably employ. A larger, real workspace supports a larger team. A shared address supports very few.
The rules and the way they are applied can change, so any number is subject to approval by the authorities. We check it against your licence and your activities.
The 9 sqm per visa rule of thumb
Many setup advisers in Dubai work on roughly 9 square metres (about 100 sq ft) of office space per employee. We have not found an official source that publishes this as a fixed rule, so read it as a planning guide:
- It is useful for a first estimate: a team of five needs a meaningfully bigger space than a team of two.
- It is not a guarantee. The allowance is decided case by case, and your activity, company history and record matter too.
- Desks and seats are not the same as visas. A suite that seats six people is not automatically approved for six visas.
If someone promises a precise number of visas for a given office before seeing your licence, ask where the number comes from.
Flexi desk and virtual office allowances
A virtual office gives you an address and an Ejari without a dedicated workspace. It is the right choice for a founder who needs a licence and perhaps their own investor visa, but it is the weakest basis for hiring. Expect a small allowance, and expect questions if you apply for more.
A flexi desk sits between the two. Many free zones sell flexi desk packages with a stated visa allowance; those allowances are set by the zone, not by DET, so check your zone’s own terms. On the mainland, a shared desk usually supports fewer visas than a private office of any size. Our guide to virtual office vs flexi desk compares the two in more detail.
Visas each private office size supports
At Jetset, private offices seat up to six people per suite, and larger teams take adjoining suites. Inner suites (100–190 sq ft) start at AED 50,000 a year, Canal-view suites (150–220 sq ft) at AED 65,000 and Burj Khalifa-facing suites (150–220 sq ft) at AED 75,000. Each comes with a tenancy contract and Ejari, so your premises are on record from day one.
At Jetset, we register every suite on the Ejari at a standard size of 10 sqm. That generally qualifies for around 4–5 employment visas, subject to approval by the authorities.
The final number still depends on your licence and on how the authorities assess your case. Before you sign, our team will look at your licence, your hiring plan and the suite you’re considering, and tell you what to expect. If you are comparing offices in Business Bay, ask every provider the same question and ask for their answer in writing.
A practical approach:
- Count the people you expect to sponsor in the next 12 to 18 months, not just today.
- Choose a suite that seats that number comfortably, with some space to spare.
- Check the expected allowance for that suite before signing.
- Plan to move to a larger suite, or add an adjoining one, when you approach the limit.
Raising your visa quota
When you need more visas than your current allowance:
- Increase your registered space. Move to a larger office or add a suite, then update your tenancy and Ejari so the new space is on record.
- Keep your records clean. A licence with violations or unpaid fines can block new work permits.
- Apply for the change. Once your premises are updated, the allowance can be reviewed. A PRO can prepare and track the application.
- Check the classification. MOHRE classifies companies, and the work permit fee depends on the classification, from AED 250 to AED 3,450 according to the UAE government portal.
Our visa processing team handles these applications for our members, so upgrading your suite and updating your records can happen together.
If you are still choosing an office, start with a private office for rent in Dubai that fits next year’s team, and read our guide to the residence visa process for the steps after the allowance is in place.
Questions to ask before you sign for an office
Whoever you rent from, a few questions now save a stalled visa application later:
- Will the tenancy be registered on Ejari in my company’s name, and when?
- Have other companies of my size and activity sponsored staff from this kind of space?
- If I need more visas next year, can I add space in the same building and update the Ejari?
- Who handles labour and immigration inspections at the address, and is that included?
Clear answers to these tell you more than any rule of thumb. If you are setting up from scratch, our company formation consultation covers the licence, the office and the expected visa allowance together, so the three fit before you commit to any of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
(1) Is there an official rule of 9 sqm per visa in Dubai?
It is a widely used rule of thumb, but we have not found an official source that publishes it as a fixed rule. The authorities assess each company’s premises and licence. Use 9 sqm per person for planning and check the actual allowance before you sign.
(2) Can I get a visa with a virtual office?
A virtual office with Ejari can support a licence and usually a small number of visas, often the owner’s. It is not a good basis for hiring a team. For staff visas, choose a desk or a private office.
(3) How many visas does a Jetset private office give me?
Every suite is registered on the Ejari at a standard 10 sqm, which generally qualifies for around 4–5 employment visas, subject to approval by the authorities. The final number depends on your licence, and our team checks it before you sign.
(4) Can I increase my visa quota later?
Yes. Move to a larger office or add space, update your tenancy and Ejari, and apply for the change. Keeping your licence free of violations helps.
