Legal Wires has published the first detailed English-language analysis of Cabinet Resolution 162 of 2025, the “Remote Work System from Outside the State”, which quietly entered into force last November but is being rolled out across ministries this quarter. The resolution allows federal authorities to hire non-nationals who will perform specialised roles entirely from overseas, at up to 80 % of the local salary scale and without standard expatriate benefits. Key features include one-year renewable contracts, mandatory virtual attendance at meetings, and strict data-security obligations. Employees receive UAE-dirham denominated pay but no housing, schooling or health-insurance allowances, shifting cost burdens away from the government. The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources will maintain a central e-system listing approved posts and monitoring performance. For the global mobility sector, the framework creates a new, government-backed ‘offshore assignment’ category distinct from the well-publicised Remote Work Visa. Vendors providing payroll, employer-of-record (EoR) and cyber-security services can expect demand from ministries needing compliant cross-border solutions. Private-sector companies may also look to mirror the model, accelerating the regional market for location-agnostic talent. Foreign professionals eyeing these roles should note the absence of UAE residency status; they will remain tax-resident in their home country unless they subsequently transition to on-shore employment. Meanwhile, compliance teams must map export-control and personal-data regulations before allowing sensitive government work to be performed abroad. The move underlines the UAE’s ambition to tap global expertise while containing head-count costs, and signals a broader GCC trend toward hybrid public-sector staffing arrangements post-pandemic.
Source: Legal Wires
