abu dhabi retirement pensions & benefits fund

Abu Dhabi Pension Fund (ADPF)

Abu Dhabi Retirement Pensions & Benefits Fund

Abu Dhabi Pension Fund (ADPF)

UAE Emiratisation Requirements


Effective from January 2023, companies will need to meet their Emiratisation quotas. Emiratisation is a UAE government initiative mandating the employment of Emiratis in both the private and public business sectors, to increase their contribution to the national economy. The UAE's goal is to have 10% Emirati private sector employment by 2026, raising Emiratisation for skilled private sector jobs annually by 2%.

Emiratisation Quota System

In order to reach the desired rate of 10%, a quota system will be imposed on private sector employers, requiring them to recruit and retain a certain number of Emirati nationals as a percentage of their overall staff. These thresholds are as follows:

  • 2% for commercial entities (where the entity has more than 50 employees)
  • 4% for banks
  • 5% for insurance companies (where the entity has more than 50 employees)

Companies who fail to meet their quota will be subject to a AED6,000 monthly fine for each Emirati not employed.


What is the Abu Dhabi Pension Fund (ADPF)?

Under Abu Dhabi Pension Fund Law No (2) of 2000, The Abu Dhabi Pension Fund (ADPF) is a government entity used to manage contributions, pensions and end-of-service benefits for UAE nationals working in or retired from the government and private sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. 


Does my company need to register with ADPF?

Employers who have any Emirati employees will be required to register the company and its UAE Nationals with the ADPF system. In line with the Emiratisation quota criteria, if your business has 50 or more staff, you will be required to hire Emirati employees and therefore will also need to register your UAE National employees in the system.

The fund requires the employer to register and contribute on behalf of the employee within 30 days of the employee receiving their Labour Card. Pension contributions are made monthly and equate to 20% of the employees total salary. The employer is required to contribute 15% of the employee's salary and the employee must contribute 5% of his/her salary into the fund. The full 20% is debited from the company bank account and then it must be agreed between employer and employee on how the employee returns their 5% contribution to the employer. 


What Document are required for a company to register with ADPF?

  • Official letter from the entity to the fund requesting for registration with Abu Dhabi Retirement Pensions & Benefits Fund
  • POA copy of the authorised signatory
  • Valid Trade Licence copy
  • MOA copy (if LLC) or National Service Agent Agreement (if Foreign Branch)
  • Signature Proof of the authorised signatory of the company – if available
  • Passport, EID, and residence visa (if applicable) of the authorised signatory of the company
  • Direct Debit Form – can be obtained once the username has been set up
  • IBAN details of the company’s bank account

Once the documents have been received, we will proceed to create a username for the company so we can proceed with the next step of the entity registration and then we can obtain the Direct Debit Form.

Also, the details (Mobile Number, EID, email address) for the personnel of the company: General Manager, HR Manager, Finance Manager

How can PRO Partner Group help?

PRO Partner Group have close ties with key Abu Dhabi government departments and therefore can make the ADPF process more seamless for our clients.

Registering your company and employees with ADPF can be a complicated, time-consuming process with a lot of administration and document requirements. PRO Partner Group can assist with all steps in the registration of company and employees on the ADPF portal and continued portal maintenance assistance.

Need ADPF assistance?