Career Advice

Gulf Job Offer Checklist: How to Verify Offers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait

Published October 26, 2026 · Resume Minter

A Gulf job offer can change a family's life — which is exactly why fake ones are so common. Scammers copy real company names and logos, send convincing PDF offer letters and "approved visas", and then ask for money for processing, medicals or training. Saudi authorities flagged a rise in fraudulent visa schemes targeting Indian and South Asian workers in 2026 (TerraTern), and UAE authorities issue similar warnings regularly.

The good news: every Gulf country now runs digital government systems where a genuine offer, contract or visa can be checked. That gives you one simple rule for all four countries:

This guide compares how to verify a job offer in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, the checks to do on the India side, the red flags common to all four, and what to do if you've already been targeted.

The four countries at a glance

In every country, the employer — not you — pays for the visa and recruitment. Each country section below explains the steps and sources.

Beware of lookalike websites. Many unofficial sites copy the names of government portals (for example "MOI Qatar" or "Kuwait visa check") and some charge fees. Only trust government domains such as mohre.gov.ae, qiwa.sa, mofa.gov.sa, moi.gov.qa and moi.gov.kw, and type them yourself rather than clicking links in messages.

First, the checks on the India side

Whichever Gulf country you're heading to, start here.

1. Is your recruiting agent registered? Under the Emigration Act, 1983, anyone recruiting Indians for overseas jobs must be registered with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) (JobSpectra). Check the agent on the government's eMigrate portal at emigrate.gov.in under "List of active RA" (Careers360). By January 2026, the MEA had also published a list of 3,505 unregistered agents on eMigrate (NextMigrate). The MEA warns that many illegal agents operate only through Facebook, WhatsApp and text messages (GIEC Global).
2. Are you paying more than the legal limit? A registered recruiting agent can't charge a worker more than ₹30,000 plus 18% GST as a service charge, and must issue a receipt (Careers360). If an agent asks for ₹1 lakh or more, they're either breaking the cap or not registered.
3. Do you need emigration clearance? If your passport is marked ECR (Emigration Check Required) and you're going to work in an ECR country — which includes the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait — you need emigration clearance before you travel (MEA). It's usually filed on eMigrate by your registered agent or employer; if you were hired directly by a foreign employer, you can apply yourself (NextMigrate). Confirm clearance has been granted, not just applied for, before going to the airport. Passports without the ECR endorsement don't need clearance.

A note for women with ECR passports: India does not grant emigration clearance to women under 30 for any job in an ECR country (NextMigrate). Anyone offering to get round this is offering an illegal route.

4. Is there a proper contract? The MEA says a valid job offer comes with an employment contract signed by the foreign employer, the recruiting agent and the worker (Careers360).

UAE: verify the MoHRE job offer

What a genuine offer looks like. Employers must use an approved Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) job offer form carrying a unique serial number and barcode, which you can verify on the MoHRE website, mobile app or call centre at 600 590000 (Khaleej Times). MoHRE also says the job offer and the employment contract must be identical in content (Gulf News).

How to verify

1. Get the offer's number from the employer.
2. On the MoHRE website, use the Application Status Inquiry service with that number (Gulf News), or call 600 590000.
3. Check that the employer, job title and salary match what you were promised.
4. Contact the company yourself using details from its official website, not those in the recruiter's message (Gulf News).

After you sign. The employer should issue an electronic work entry permit so you can enter the UAE to work (Gulf News). Never travel to start a job on a visit or tourist visa: MoHRE warns that working on one can lead to fines and legal action.

Who pays. UAE law places full responsibility for recruitment costs on the employer, including the work permit, residency permit, visa fees and airfare when recruiting from abroad (The National).

For what to do if your UAE visa application is refused later, see our guide UAE Employment Visa Rejected? The Real Reasons and How to Fix Each.

Saudi Arabia: check Qiwa, then the MOFA visa

Saudi Arabia issues work visas in two steps: the employer gets authorisation from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD), then the visa is issued through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) platform (Best Recruitment Hub).

Step 1: Find your contract in Qiwa

Qiwa is the MHRSD's digital labour platform. After an employer creates a contract, the employee can approve it, reject it or request an amendment through their Qiwa Individuals account; once both parties approve, the contract is documented by the ministry (Tadween).

• Check the employer, occupation, basic wage, allowances, place of work and contract duration (VisaVerge).
• Watch for fake Qiwa contracts. A common scam is a PDF that looks like a Qiwa document but arrives as an email attachment; if the contract isn't visible in your own Qiwa dashboard, it isn't legally valid (TrueScho). Log in at qiwa.sa directly rather than via a link.

Step 2: Check the visa on MOFA

Use the official MOFA visa inquiry at visa.mofa.gov.sa or Enjaz (enjazit.com.sa) with your passport number, and make sure your name, passport number and job title match your contract (TerraTern). A genuine work visa shows the visa type as WORK, the sponsor's name and a valid status (Best Recruitment Hub). Never accept a visit, tourist or Umrah visa for a job.

Beware the "azad visa". The heavily advertised "azad" (free) visa is not an official category, and anyone selling it is running a scam (Seasonal Work Visa). Genuine Saudi jobs always come with full employer sponsorship.

Other steps you'll see. Depending on your role, you may need degree attestation and primary source verification through Dataflow, which contacts your university and past employers directly (TrueScho), plus a medical and police clearance.

Qatar: the Qatar Visa Center is your checkpoint

For Indian workers, Qatar has a built-in safeguard: the Qatar Visa Center (QVC). It's a mandatory pre-departure step where you complete biometrics, a medical examination and digital signing of your employment contract in India before travelling (Let's Move Globally).

Where the QVCs are. In India, QVCs operate in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi and Lucknow, with bookings at qatarvisacenter.com (WorkWise Visa).

Read the contract at the QVC carefully. Your Ministry of Labour contract is shown on screen in your language, including Hindi. Before signing, check that the job title, basic salary, food allowance and housing allowance match what the employer or agent promised (WorkWise Visa). This is your chance to stop a "bait-and-switch" before you travel.

Check the visa with the Ministry of Interior. Use the Ministry of Interior's "Visa Inquiry & Printing" service (on moi.gov.qa) or the Metrash2 app with your passport or visa number (Qatar Visa Check). Avoid unofficial lookalike sites, even when they appear high in search results.

Red flags specific to Qatar

• Being asked to travel before completing the QVC process.
• A visa you can't find on the Ministry of Interior's system.
• Pressure to sign a contract at the QVC that differs from your offer.
• Agents charging for a QVC appointment that the employer's process should arrange.

If you use an agent, verify they're registered on India's eMigrate portal (Let's Move Globally).

Kuwait: PAM and the Ministry of Interior

In Kuwait, the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) handles work permits for private-sector employees, while the Ministry of Interior (MOI) issues visas and residency (GCC Visa Guide). Your employer must be registered with PAM and hold a valid commercial licence (Kuwait Visa Checks).

How to verify

1. Check the visa status on the MOI portal. For work and residency files, use rnt.moi.gov.kw with your passport number and file or application number. Tourist eVisa portals are separate, so don't confuse the two (Kuwait Visa Checks).
2. Make sure the spelling matches. Your passport's Latin spelling must match the MOI system exactly, including hyphens and middle names; if the check shows no record, spelling is a common reason (Kuwait Visa Checks).
3. Ask your sponsor to confirm the work permit with PAM. The Sahel app generally needs a Kuwaiti Civil ID login, so workers abroad should use the MOI portal or ask their sponsor to check (Kuwait Visa Checks).

Avoid paid "verification" sites. A common trap is third-party sites charging a fee to "verify" a Kuwait visa; only official moi.gov.kw domains are authentic, and checking is free (Kuwait Visa Checks).

Know Kuwait's rules before you go. Since 1 July 2025, private-sector expatriates need an electronic exit permit, approved by the employer, to travel (Express Global Employment). Kuwait has also introduced an automated system to verify academic qualifications before work permits are issued, after fraudulent documents were found (Gulf News) — so never let an agent "arrange" certificates for you.

Red flags that apply in every Gulf country

Unusually high salaries for little experience, or "no experience needed" for skilled roles, are further warning signs.

If you've already been targeted or paid

1. Stop paying. Scammers often ask for "one last fee".
2. Keep evidence: messages, emails, receipts, bank transfer details, the agent's name and number.
3. Report it in India. Report illegal recruiters to the MEA through the eMigrate portal or its helpline (GIEC Global). For online fraud, report at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930, and file a police complaint.
4. Report it in the destination country. In the UAE, contact MoHRE on 600 590000 (Khaleej Times); in any Gulf country, the Indian embassy or consulate can advise.
5. Already abroad and in trouble? Contact the nearest Indian embassy or consulate immediately. The MEA warns that unregistered recruitment that lures workers into dangerous conditions amounts to human trafficking (Careers360).

Master checklist: before you pay, before you fly

In India

• Agent found on the eMigrate "List of active RA" and not on the unregistered list
• No more than ₹30,000 plus GST paid to the agent, with a receipt
• Emigration clearance granted (if your passport is ECR)
• Contract signed by the employer, agent and you

Employer

• Company verified independently through its official website and contacts
• You applied for and interviewed for the role

Destination country

• UAE: MoHRE offer number checked; work entry permit issued
• Saudi Arabia: contract visible in your Qiwa account; MOFA visa shows type WORK
• Qatar: QVC contract matches your offer; visa found on the Ministry of Interior's system
• Kuwait: visa found on rnt.moi.gov.kw; work permit confirmed with PAM

Before you travel

• Visa is a work visa, not visit, tourist or Umrah
• No fees paid for visa, medical or processing in the Gulf
• Copies of passport, contract and visa saved and shared with family
• Indian embassy or consulate contact saved for your destination

The bottom line: a genuine Gulf job can always be verified. The governments of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait all run official systems where real offers, contracts and visas can be checked — and India's eMigrate portal lets you check the agent. If anything can't be verified, walk away. When you're ready to apply for genuine roles, build a Gulf-ready CV free on ResumeMinter, and read our UAE CV Format and How to Evaluate a UAE Job Offer guides.