Hiring your first employee in the UAE turns a company into an employer, with obligations that outlast the visa paperwork. For mainland employers, federal law sets the contract rules and end-of-service gratuity, and since 1 June 2026 wages have been due on the first of each month through the Wage Protection System. DMCC runs its own WPS rules with a different threshold. What applies elsewhere is a question for your own free zone authority.