Government fees and agency fees are different things
What do PRO services cost?
Two numbers hide inside every PRO quote. The government fee is set by the authority issuing the visa, the Emirates ID, the licence or the attestation, and it varies by type, duration and emirate. The PRO agency fee on top of it is a market price with no published schedule anywhere. This site refuses to invent the second one. Tell us what you need and PRO providers will quote you their actual fee.
What happens next
- Tell us the job, the volume and where the company is licensed. Two minutes, no account.
- We pass your details to PRO providers covering that jurisdiction, and to no one else.
- They quote you directly. Ask each of them to split the government fee from their own fee before you compare.
PRO Services Prices is a free introduction service operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd; we pass your details to relevant UAE PRO service providers who quote you directly. We may receive a fee from providers; you pay nothing and are under no obligation. We are not a PRO agency, we are not affiliated with ICP, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Federal Tax Authority or any other government body, and nothing here is legal, immigration or tax advice. Government fees are set by the issuing authority and change without notice, confirm the current fee on that authority's own service page.
PRO services: who sets each fee, and what moves it
Last updated
Every line on a PRO invoice is one of two things: a government fee the provider pays on your behalf, or the provider's own fee for doing the work. The first is published by the issuing authority and varies by type and emirate. The second is not published by anyone. This table separates them so you can compare quotes on the part that is actually comparable.
A cost driver table rather than a price table, because no published schedule exists for PRO agency fees anywhere in the Gulf: they are a private services market set firm by firm. Government fees are published, but by each issuing authority separately, and they vary by visa type, duration, emirate and free zone, so a single figure would be wrong for most readers. Where an official source states a specific figure, timing or penalty we have read at source, it is quoted and cited on this site; where it does not, we describe the driver instead. Ask any provider to itemise government fee and agency fee separately, and to name the authority for each.
| Service | Government fee set by | What the government fee depends on | What drives the agency fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| New employment residence visa and work permit | The immigration authority for the emirate, plus the labour authority or free zone authority | Visa duration, employee category, mainland or free zone, standard or express handling | Number of employees, whether medical and biometrics appointments are chaperoned, whether the file is a first-time company file |
| Residence visa renewal | The same authority that issued it | Duration renewed, whether it lapsed, medical and insurance requirements | Whether the provider tracks expiry dates for you or reacts to your instruction |
| Emirates ID issue or renewal | Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) | Card validity period, urgent or standard service, and any late penalty. Renewal is possible from six months before expiry; renewal more than one month after expiry attracts AED 20 a day up to AED 1,000 | Typing centre work, biometrics chaperoning, courier and tracking |
| Trade licence renewal | The emirate's economic department or the free zone authority | Activity, number of activities on the licence, establishment card, lease registration and any market fee | Document preparation, portal handling, and how many approvals the activity needs |
| Document attestation and legalisation | Ministry of Foreign Affairs, plus the issuing country's authorities and its embassy | Number of documents, whether the document is personal or commercial, the attestation option chosen, and which attestations are included in the selected service | Collection and return of originals, courier, and coordination with the country of origin |
| Visa cancellation and company deregistration | The immigration authority and the licensing authority | Number of visas, any fines outstanding, and whether the establishment card is cancelled at the same time | Sequencing, since Emirates ID cancellation is linked to residence visa cancellation and the sponsor must submit the request |
| Corporate tax and VAT registration and filing support | Federal Tax Authority | Registration itself, and the penalties for missing deadlines. Returns and payment are due within nine months of the end of the tax period | Whether the provider is a registered tax agent, and whether bookkeeping is included or assumed |
- A PRO quote contains two different kinds of fee: government fees set by the issuing authority, which are published but scattered across authorities and emirates, and the PRO agency's own fee, for which no published schedule exists anywhere in the Gulf.
- An Emirates ID can be renewed as early as six months before it expires, and renewing more than one month after expiry attracts a late fee of AED 20 a day up to a maximum of AED 1,000, according to the UAE Government's own portal.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation fees depend on the number of documents, whether the document is personal or commercial, the attestation option applied and which attestations the selected service includes, with the total displayed before payment.
Cite this page
“PRO services: who sets each fee, and what moves it”, PRO Services Prices, https://proservicesprices.com/ (updated 2026-08-15). A cost driver table rather than a price table, because no published schedule exists for PRO agency fees anywhere in the Gulf: they are a private services market set firm by firm. Government fees are published, but by each issuing authority separately, and they vary by visa type, duration, emirate and free zone, so a single figure would be wrong for most readers. Where an official source states a specific figure, timing or penalty we have read at source, it is quoted and cited on this site; where it does not, we describe the driver instead. Ask any provider to itemise government fee and agency fee separately, and to name the authority for each.
Guides
Every figure sourced and dated.
- UAE visa and Emirates ID fees: who sets them and where to check
Residence visa and Emirates ID fees are set by the immigration authority and ICP, not by your PRO. Where the published figures live, and the deadlines that cost money.
- Document attestation for the UAE: the route and what changes the fee
How Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation works, the difference between digital and courier routes, turnaround times, and the four things that change what you pay.
- What a PRO actually does, and when a company needs one
A public relations officer in the Gulf sense is a government liaison specialist. What the role covers, what to ask a provider, and how to compare two quotes fairly.
The questions we get
How much do PRO services cost in the UAE?
There are two figures and only one is published. Government fees are set by the issuing authority and vary by service, duration, emirate and free zone. The PRO agency fee on top has no published schedule anywhere, so the honest answer is to get itemised quotes and compare the agency portion.
Why does this site not publish PRO price ranges?
Because no official schedule exists and we could not source a reliable published survey. A made-up range would anchor your negotiation to nothing. Instead we set out who sets each fee and what moves it, and pass you to providers who quote their own numbers.
Are government fees the same for every PRO provider?
For the same service in the same jurisdiction, yes. The authority sets the fee and the provider pays it on your behalf. That is why an itemised quote is so useful: the government line should match between providers, and any real difference is in the agency fee or in what the service includes.
What is included in a PRO service?
Typically visa processing and renewals, Emirates ID applications, labour and immigration filings, trade licence renewals, document attestation, government liaison, and visa or company cancellations. What is included differs by provider, which is the second thing to check after the fee split.
Do free zone companies need a PRO?
Often less than mainland companies, because free zone authorities run their own consolidated portals for employee files. The work does not disappear: attestation, medicals, biometrics and Emirates ID still involve federal authorities, and each free zone's process differs.
Can a PRO handle corporate tax registration?
Many providers offer it, and registration and filing run through the Federal Tax Authority's EmaraTax platform. Returns and payment are due within nine months of the end of the tax period. Ask whether the person doing the work is a registered tax agent before treating it as a tax service rather than an administrative one.