Labour card for Partners in a business

A partner in a business establishment is not considered an employee. Therefore the partner of a business is not required to obtain a labour card from the UAE Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. For immigration and visa purposes, a foreign partner of a business organization will be sponsored by the entity he is a partner in, as an investor instead of an employee of the company and he will deal directly with the immigration authorities and does not need to go through the Labour Office.

For this purpose his name should be on the business entity�s trade licence and subject to a minimum investment requirement in the company. However, if the business partner holds an employee position additional to his partner status, he will be treated as an employee for the job he is performing in the company. In other words, employees working on a commission basis are also considered as employees even if they are business partners in the company they are working.