Abu Dhabi Pension Fund (ADPF)

The Abu Dhabi Pension Fund (ADPF) is the pension contributions, social secuirty and reqirement fund for Emirati and GCC National employees working in or retired from the workforce in Abu Dhabi. PPG can assist you to manage your pension contribtions and social insurance liabilities with our ADPF services.

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.

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%. In June 2023, the UAE government extended Emiratisation quotas to businesses with 20 or more employees.

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 20 employees)

4% for banks

5% for insurance companies (where the entity has more than 20 employees)

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

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 20 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. A similar system exists in Dubai called the General Pension and Social Security Authority (GPSSA). GPSSA is responsible for pensions in the Emirate of Dubai and also covers wider GCC Nationals pensions for both Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

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 based on the employees start date. New Active Members are anyone whose employment start date is on or after 1 December 2023 and who have not previously been registered with the ADPF. Anyone who is working and already registered with ADPF will follow the In-Service Active Members contribution as per below:

Employee (11%) and Employer (15%) - New Active Members
Employee (5%) and Employer (15%) - In-Service Active Members

For members working in the private sector, the wage specified in the employment contract can be up to AED100,000 (New Active Members) and AED150,000 (In-Service Active Members).

The full ADPF contribution amount is debited from the company bank account and then it must be agreed between employer and employee on how the employee returns their percentage (5 or 11%) of the contribution back 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 Sovereign PPG help?

Sovereign PPG 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. Sovereign PPG can assist with all steps in the registration of company and employees on the ADPF portal and continued portal maintenance assistance. Emiratization and ADPF requirements fall under our well-design HR services in Abu Dhabi for employee maintenance and labour law regulations. Our HR team in Abu Dhabi can assist you with all your employment needs.