Job offer letter template
A clear offer letter avoids most disputes in the first year. Copy this template, fill in the brackets, and send it before the employment contract. It works for Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia with the country notes below.
Before you use this template
This is a starting point, not legal advice. Labour law differs between Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and free zones, and changes. Adapt it to your company and have a lawyer review it before you use it.
The template
[Company letterhead] [Date]
Dear [Candidate name],
We are pleased to offer you the position of [Job title] in the [Department] team at [Company legal name], reporting to [Manager name, title]. Details of the offer:
- Start date: [date], at [work location]
- Contract: [open-ended / fixed-term until date]
- Basic salary: [amount and currency] a month
- Allowances: housing [amount], transport [amount], other [amount]
- Total monthly gross: [amount]
- Working hours: [hours a day / days a week], weekly rest day(s): [days]
- Probation: [period], during which [notice terms]
- Annual leave: [days] a year, plus public holidays
- Benefits: medical insurance [cover], [flight ticket, bonus scheme, other]
- Conditions: this offer depends on [references, certificates, background check, medical test, work permit or visa approval]
- Please confirm your acceptance by [date] by signing below. The full terms will be in your employment contract, which will prevail over this letter.
[Signature, name and title of the authorised signatory]
Accepted: [Candidate signature] [Date]
Country notes
- Egypt: state gross pay and say that social insurance and income tax are deducted; the contract is in Arabic, in four copies
- UAE: the MoHRE offer letter is a formal step for mainland work permits; the figures in your letter should match it, and basic salary drives gratuity
- Saudi Arabia: the contract is documented in Qiwa; state basic and housing separately, since both count for GOSI
- Free zones (DIFC, ADGM and others) have their own forms and rules
Common mistakes
- Quoting only a total package, so basic salary is disputed later
- Promising a bonus without saying it is discretionary or how it is calculated
- Leaving conditions out, then withdrawing the offer after a failed check
- Figures that differ from the contract or the work permit application
Free tools for this
Put your policies into the system
keyt HR turns your leave types, attendance rules and approvals into settings, so the policy you wrote is the policy that runs, in Arabic and English.
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