Dubai Worker Accommodation Rules: Dubai has specific health and safety requirements for labour accommodation, covering sleeping rooms, worker capacity, individual sleeping arrangements and the upkeep of shared facilities.

The latest Dubai Municipality Technical Guidelines for Labour Accommodation Compliance, Version 5, sets out the requirements that accommodation operators need to follow. The document was issued on 30 September 2025 and is identified as DM-HSD-GU85-LAC2.

Dubai Worker Accommodation Rules: Minimum Sleeping Space for Workers in Dubai

One of the key requirements concerns the amount of space available to workers inside sleeping rooms.

Dubai Municipality's current guideline requires at least 3 square metres of space for each person inside a sleeping room. The number of workers in a room must also be calculated according to the actual number of occupants and the required space.

The guideline further states that a room should accommodate no more than 8 to 10 workers, while continuing to meet the required space per person.

Individual Sleeping Space Is Required

Workers must have their own sleeping space. This requirement applies even when workers operate on rotating shifts.

Dubai Municipality specifically states that sharing a sleeping space between workers is not permitted. Each worker must also be provided with a bed, comfortable mattress, pillow, blanket and clean bedding.

Maintenance Requirements for Labour Accommodation

The Dubai Municipality guideline also covers maintenance and service arrangements for labour accommodation.

Accommodation operators may need to maintain documentation for services including:

  • Water tank cleaning

  • Pest-control services

  • Air-conditioning cleaning and maintenance

  • Elevator maintenance, where applicable

  • Firefighting equipment and system maintenance

  • Grease-trap cleaning

  • Common kitchen or catering permits, where applicable

  • Other relevant maintenance and service contracts

The guideline also requires an updated list of authorised staff working in common kitchen or catering services, along with valid occupational health certificates for those staff.

Kitchen and Catering Facilities

Where a labour accommodation operates a common kitchen or catering service, the facility must meet the relevant Dubai Municipality requirements.

The current guideline refers to the requirement for a common kitchen/catering services permit, where applicable, issued by the Food Safety Department of Dubai Municipality.

This means accommodation operators should not treat kitchen facilities as a separate issue from overall accommodation compliance. The relevant permits and health documentation form part of the compliance requirements.

Air Conditioning and Building Safety

Air-conditioning maintenance is also specifically covered in the Dubai Municipality guideline. Accommodation operators are required to maintain records relating to the cleaning and periodic maintenance of air-conditioning units.

Fire safety is another part of the requirements, with maintenance contracts and periodic reports required for firefighting systems and equipment.

Dubai Municipality's Labour Accommodation Framework

The labour-accommodation requirements are not published as a single news announcement. Dubai Municipality maintains them through its Health and Safety Technical Guidelines.

The municipality's official Technical Guidelines List identifies Technical Guidelines (85) for Labour Accommodation Compliance.

Dubai Municipality also has a separate guideline for Ideal Labour Accommodation. That document says ideal accommodation must first meet the basic requirements contained in Technical Guideline No. 85 for Labour Accommodation Compliance.

Dubai's official laws and regulations database also lists several administrative resolutions relating to labour accommodation, including Administrative Resolution No. (110) of 2020, which regulates the provision of services at labour accommodation.

UAE Labour Accommodation Requirements

Dubai's municipal requirements operate alongside the UAE's wider labour-accommodation framework.

The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation maintains a Labour Accommodation System designed to help companies comply with applicable accommodation standards. According to the ministry's labour-market observatory, more than 2,500 companies were registered in the Labour Accommodation System as of November 2025, while about 1.9 million workers were residing in labour accommodation facilities meeting the stated standards.

The ministry also identifies health, comfort, cleanliness, safety, ventilation, air conditioning and sanitation as areas covered by labour-accommodation standards.

What the Dubai Rule Means for Employers

For employers and accommodation operators, the main practical points are straightforward:

  • Provide at least 3 sq m per worker inside each sleeping room.

  • Keep room occupancy within the stated 8–10 worker range while maintaining the required space.

  • Give every worker an individual sleeping space.

  • Do not allow workers to share the same sleeping space.

  • Provide appropriate beds and clean bedding.

  • Keep required maintenance and service records.

  • Maintain air-conditioning and firefighting systems.

  • Ensure applicable kitchen or catering permits and health documentation are valid.

These requirements should be considered together rather than treating the sleeping-room space requirement as the only accommodation standard.

Official Dubai Municipality Source

The primary source for the sleeping-room requirements is the Dubai Municipality Technical Guidelines for Labour Accommodation Compliance, DM-HSD-GU85-LAC2, Version 5.0, issued on 30 September 2025.

Dubai Municipality also lists Technical Guidelines (85) for Labour Accommodation Compliance on its official Technical Guidelines page.