How to Verify Your Gulf Work Permit Online Before You Board

Workers have been detained at Gulf airports holding work permits that looked valid but were not. The permit was real enough to fool them - but not real enough to pass the immigration officer's check. In some cases, the employer had cancelled the permit after issuing it. In others, the agent had fabricated the visa stamp entirely. Both are preventable.

Every Gulf country provides free online tools to check the status of a work permit before you board. Using them takes under five minutes. Not using them has cost workers their savings, their freedom, and weeks detained in a foreign airport.

Why Permits Fail at the Border

Work permits fail at Gulf immigration for four main reasons:

1. The employer cancelled the visa after issuing it - sometimes due to a change in business, sometimes to commit fraud and recruit the next batch.
2. The visa is genuine but the quota number is invalid - the employer's trade licence was suspended after the visa was issued.
3. The work permit category does not match the immigration officer's record for that employer - a data entry error at the MOHRE or equivalent stage.
4. The visa is a forgery produced by a fraudulent agent.

All four are detectable before departure. Here is how to check, country by country.

UAE: Check Your Work Permit via MOHRE

The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation provides a free work permit verification service.

Steps:

1. Go to MOHRE portal - search for "work permit inquiry" or "verify work permit."
2. Enter the permit number from your visa document and the employer's establishment number (on your offer letter).
3. The result shows permit status (active/cancelled), employer trade licence validity, and job title.

What to look for: status must be "Active," employer licence must not show "Suspended" or "Cancelled," and the job title on the permit must exactly match your offer letter.

You can also check your entry permit status at ICP portal (Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security) using your passport number.

Saudi Arabia: Verify via Absher and MISA

Saudi Arabia has two checks:

Absher platform: Go to absher.sa - individuals can check visa status using the visa number and passport number without creating an account. The inquiry shows whether the visa is active and the employer's Iqama status.

MISA: For employer verification, check the company registration at MISA portal using the employer CR (Commercial Registration) number from your contract. A valid employer has an active CR.

Qatar: ADLSA Employer Verification

The Qatar Ministry of Labour (previously ADLSA) provides employer verification at ADLSA registry. Enter the employer's trade licence number to confirm their registration is active.

Qatar visa status can also be verified through the Ministry of Interior e-services at MOI Qatar portal using your visa application number.

Bahrain: LMRA Portal

Bahrain's Labour Market Regulatory Authority provides worker permit verification at LMRA portal. Search by CPR number (Bahrain ID) or passport number to check permit status.

Employer registration is also verifiable through the LMRA employer search tool on the same portal.

Kuwait: MOL Portal

Kuwait Ministry of Labour e-services at Kuwait MOL portal allow visa status inquiry using the civil ID or residency permit number. Ask your employer for the civil ID application reference before departure.

Oman: HRMD Portal

Oman Ministry of Labour's Human Resource Management Department provides permit verification. Contact details and visa inquiry services are available at Oman MOL portal.

India-Side Check: eMigrate Before Departure

If you hold an ECR passport, your departure requires eMigrate clearance. Check that your registration is complete and approved at eMigrate portal before going to the airport.

eMigrate registration also cross-references the employer against the MOHRE/equivalent database. A failed eMigrate registration is sometimes the first signal that the employer or agent is fraudulent - if eMigrate cannot find the employer, the permit may be invalid.

Red Flags - Stop Before You Board

Stop and verify at MEA Madad Portal if any of these are true:

• The employer's name on the visa stamp does not exactly match the offer letter
• The agent cannot provide the employer's trade licence number
• eMigrate registration failed or shows "employer not found"
• The MOHRE or equivalent portal shows the permit as "cancelled" or "pending"
• Your job title on the permit differs from the offer letter
• The agent asked you not to check the permit online "because the system is slow"

That last one is the clearest warning of all. A legitimate employer and agent have nothing to hide from a five-minute online check.

Every employer listed on skilledupIndia is verified against MOHRE, MISA, ADLSA, and LMRA records before listing. Zero fees for candidates.