DUBAI IMMIGRATION – DUBAI RESIDENCY – DUBAI EMPLOYMENT VISA – DUBAI INVESTOR VISA

Why Live in UAE

United Arab Emirates has one of the highest expatriate population rate’s in the world at more than 80% – an impressive figure. No wonder that foreign investors are keen to set up business in Dubai, with good weather, fair regulations for foreign residency in comparison to other countries and good opportunities, it’s a highly attractive jurisdiction.

Generally there are two main types of visa: DUBAI VISIT VISA and DUBAI RESIDENCY VISA.

DUBAI VISIT VISA

A Dubai visit visa can be obtained for the purpose of short visits. There are different types of visit visas as follows.

TOURIST VISA

Validity up to 30 days – not extendable. The visa status cannot be changed to any type of visit or residency visas. Usually travel agencies, airlines or even hotels will become sponsor for this type of visa.

VISIT VISA

Validity 60 days, extendable to total of 90 days. Both companies and UAE residents will be eligible to sponsor this type of visa. Citizens of the following countries can get a 30 day visit visa free of charge upon arrival, entitling them to stay for 60 days. These countries are: Britain, France, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium , Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Finland, Malta, Spain, Monaco, Vatican, Iceland, Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. After this period a visitor can extend the visit visa by a further two months by leaving the country and returning. This can be done twice. When the third Dubai visit visa expires, the person must leave the UAE for at least a month before returning.

DUBAI RESIDENCY VISA

A Dubai residency visa is required in case expatriates want to do any legal activity in UAE like getting a driving license, leasing a home or office, opening a bank account or sending their children to a school or college. All resident visas in UAE are valid for 3 years and renewable on the 3rd year. The Dubai residency visa will become invalid if the holder stays out of the country for more than 6 months. There are different types of resident visas as follows:

A. Dubai Investor Visa

A Dubai investor visa will be granted in case of purchasing a property or establishing a company in UAE. Holders of a visa are not allowed to be employed in any company other than their own company. If you would like to set up business in Dubai please contact us for further information.

B. Dubai Employment Visa

A Dubai employment visa will be granted in case of employment from a valid company in UAE. Usually a company will be able to employ people on the basis of the size of its office space (eg one visa per 9 square meters)

C. Family Visa

Any male person holding an investor/partner residence visa or employment visa (in case of written permission of the employer) are eligible for sponsoring his family members (wife, un-married daughters, and sons below 18) for the UAE residency. The Emirate of Dubai as an exception from other Emirates, which allows a female to sponsor her family (husband and children) for a residence visa with a minimum salary of 10000 AED per month.

If you wish to set up business in Dubai, please contact us for the latest information on Dubai Immigration and Dubai Visa regulations.