Unpaid UAE gratuity? The route to payment from abroad

The UAE does not run a pension register for expatriate workers. What most expats are chasing is end-of-service gratuity under UAE Labour Law, or, for employers in the DIFC, DEWS (DIFC Employee Workplace Savings) contributions. The federal Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) handles labour disputes; DEWS balances sit with the DEWS administrator. GPSSA covers Emirati nationals and GCC citizens under a separate statutory scheme. This guide is honest about which route applies to whom.

For end-of-service gratuity under UAE Labour Law, MOHRE is the official channel for a wage-protection or labour-dispute case where the former employer has not paid. From abroad, MOHRE accepts filings but the practical route runs faster through the former employer's HR or, for DIFC employers, through the DEWS administrator directly.

For Emirati nationals and GCC citizens covered under GPSSA (the General Pension and Social Security Authority), GPSSA holds the pension record. See gpssa.gov.ae.

There is no central portal that returns "your UAE gratuity" or "your DEWS balance" from a single lookup. The route is employer-first, then MOHRE (federal) or DIFC/DEWS as required. PensionHunter does this as prepare-and-guide, with a complete request pack at the Enhanced Pension Identification Report tier, written and ready for the customer to send under a signed Information Request Authority.

For UAE traces, PensionHunter's role is bounded and honest:

• End-of-service gratuity: in the Country Pension Identification Report, we identify which regime applies (mainland vs DIFC vs ADGM) per former employer and where the request should go. In the Enhanced Pension Identification Report, we draft the request to each identified employer or DEWS administrator, written and ready for you to send yourself.
• MOHRE / GPSSA routes: prepare-and-guide the filing from abroad; the filing itself is yours to lodge with the relevant UAE authority.

The gratuity calculation, the DEWS balance, and the GPSSA record always stay with the employer, the DEWS administrator, or GPSSA. PensionHunter identifies where each sits and prepares the request pack, written and ready to send.

Is there a UAE pension I can claim as an expat?

Expat workers accrue end-of-service gratuity under UAE Labour Law, or, for DIFC employment from Feb 2020, DEWS savings. There is no state pension for expats.

How do DEWS and gratuity relate?

DEWS replaced end-of-service gratuity for DIFC-based employers from 1 Feb 2020. Pre-Feb-2020 service is still gratuity; post is DEWS.

What if the employer no longer exists?

Successor research is required before a claim can be made; if there is no successor, MOHRE's remedies are limited. This is honest, not encouraging.

What does PensionHunter deliver at the end of a UAE search?

For gratuity/DEWS, the identified regime per former employer and (at Search) the complete request pack for each, assembled as your Action Pack. For MOHRE/GPSSA, prepare-and-guide support.