With a resident visa in UAE how will leave the job and stay away from work or business as long as you like. Residence visa grants all the freedom you need provided you have enough cash. You can rent property, purchase luxury goods, open bank accounts and own properties in the same way as citizens without any restrictions. However, if your sponsor is leaving the country temporarily while you are still on his sponsorship he has to inform the immigration of the name and passport number of someone who will be assuming responsibility while he is away. The following are the list of documents required for applying Resident Visa In Uae
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There are a lot of people out there who do not have enough planning when it comes to the visa process. If you are also in this group, then there is a chance that you would end up getting rejected one way or another. This is why you need to be absolutely sure that you take the time to plan for this. You will definitely be pleased with all the great things that occur when you do this right.
Resident Visa In Uae
There are many options when a person is given the opportunity to move to the country of his or her dreams. It can be difficult to navigate everything, especially if you’re an expatriate who has never moved outside your home country before. As someone who has experienced it and worked within the visa industry, I felt it was my duty to write an article on what to expect in moving to Abu Dhabi, UAE.
WHAT IS UAE RESIDENCE VISA?
UAE residence visa is a permit that allows foreign people to live in this country for a long period of time. The visa can be valid for 2-3 or even 10 years and maybe renewed as many times as a person needs. Many international families living in the Emirates for generations, just keeping on renewing their visas regularly.
UAE permanent residency does not exist as such. Being a UAE permanent resident simply means having a visa stamp in your passport and constantly living in this country.
HOW TO GET UAE RESIDENCY?
There are a few ways to obtain UAE residency:
- Setup a business in the UAE
- Get employed
- Open a freelance permit in Dubai or other Emirates
- Enroll in a college or university
- Be a dependent (it can be a child or a retired parent of a resident)
- Own property with a value over 1 mln AED
- UAE Golden visa
- UAE residency visa for retirees
You can find more details about these ways here:
Opening a business is one of the fastest ways of getting a visa. Business setup in UAE free zones is one of the most preferred options due to 100% ownership, affordable fees, and transparent process.
WHERE TO OPEN THE BUSINESS?
In order to apply for a visa, you need to open a company under your name in one of the business registration authorities of the UAE.
There are over 40 of them and you can either search for a suitable registering body by yourself or get help from business setup consultants in Dubai.
PROCESS OF GETTING UAE RESIDENCY
If you are getting the visa as the business owner, the process would be the following:
- Registration of a company
- Getting establishment card (it’s an immigrational document of your company which allows you to start visa applications)
- Obtaining entry permit (a prerequisite of a resident visa, which is done at its initial stage)
- Making Emirates ID application and doing medical tests
- Stamping the visa into your passport
Normally you can stay in your home country during the company incorporation, establishment card and entry visa-issuing (provided that you visited UAE at least once in the past).
Your personal presence is required at the stage of Medical check and Emirates ID application and visa stamping. Your passport will be taken to the immigration office for the stamping and you will not be able to leave UAE until the process is completed.
Overall, visa stamping including Medicals and ID takes 5 working days.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
UAE resident visa cost differs depending on the place of your business registration. If you set up a company in one of the northern Emirates Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Sharjah or Ras Al Khaimah the fees would be the lowest. You can сheck the prices of UAE residence visa with company setup below:
| Free zone name | Activities | Visas | Cost starting, AED |
|---|---|---|---|
| RAKEZ | trading, service | 1 visa included | 30,600 |
| Ajman Media City | trading, service | 1 visa included | 24,640 |
| Umm Al Quwain FTZ | trading, service | 1 visa included | 26,883 |
As for Dubai resident visa cost, it will be higher due to the increased prices of the business registration and other extra expenses. One of them is obligatory health insurance, which must be done prior to the visa stamping.
Here you can see the breakdowns of Dubai resident visa for business owners:
| Free zone name | Activities | Visas | Cost starting, AED |
|---|---|---|---|
| KIZAD | trading, service | 1 visa included | 25,740 |
| DTEC | trading, service | 1 visa included | 36,157 |
| Dubai South | trading, service | 1 visa included | 45,358 |
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
UAE residency may be obtained for permanent living in the UAE or temporary regular visits, which is useful for those nationals who don’t get a tourist visa on arrival.
It is also helpful for corporate Dubai bank account opening because a resident visa holder is considered as a low-risk category by the compliance.
HOW TO MAINTAIN THE VISA?
If you are a person keeping UAE permanent residency, you won’t have any issues with having your visa valid.
If you are a frequent traveler or do not live in UAE, you have to make sure that you enter UAE 1 time every 6 months in order to maintain the visa. In case you fail to do it, the visa will be canceled automatically and you will have to go through the process of getting a new one from the start.
HOW TO RENEW THE VISA?
UAE residence visa renewal is simpler than getting a new visa, however, you will need to do a medical check and Emirates ID renewal.
You simply need to come to medical screening center 1-2 weeks before your visa expiration date and make necessary tests, after which apply for Emirates ID renewal.
Upon getting the medical report, send it to the immigration office together with the passport and the new visa will be stamped for another period.
HOW TO CANCEL YOUR RESIDENCE VISA IN THE UAE
Who can cancel a residence visa in the UAE?
Usually, it is the duty of anyone sponsoring a residence visa in the UAE to apply for its cancellation. The sponsor could be:
Your employer
While your employer is cancelling your visa, you will still have to sign a certain form to confirm that you have no withheld salary and benefits. If you have worked a considerable number of years in a company, you will be entitled for end-of-service benefit.
Your own company
If you have your own business and a visa under the company, you may cancel it by yourself or hire a PRO or a business consultancy company to do it on your behalf.
Your spouse or parent
If you are on a dependent visa which needs to be cancelled, your sponsor – spouse or parent – will be responsible for visa cancellation.
Usually they can hire a PRO or a business consultancy company, who can process visa cancellation provided they have the original passport of the applicant and original Emirates ID of the sponsor.
Government authority
If you worked for the UAE government authority, then it will be responsible for your visa cancellation.
Visa cancellation in or out of UAE
During the visa cancellation process, the applicant may be in or out of UAE. However, certain rules apply.
In UAE visa cancellation
If you are in the UAE, you need to submit your original passport to the authority which issued the visa and wait for the cancellation.
Out of UAE visa cancellation
If you want to cancel the visa being out of the UAE, you need to be outside for longer than 6 months in order to cancel it without sending the original passport to the UAE.
If you are out of UAE less than 6 months and want to cancel the visa, you will have to send your original passport to your company or a PRO to process your visa cancellation.
Where to apply for UAE visa cancellation?
UAE residence visa has to be cancelled by the same authority which did the visa stamping.
Those authorities are:
- The General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, Dubai (GDRFAD) – for Dubai Mainland visas. GDRFAD can be represented by Tasheel or Amer.
- Free Zones – for the visas issued in free zone companies.
Three ways to cancel your visa in the UAE
Thanks to the UAE government who made provision for both offline and online cancellation of visas, the residents can follow the process most suitable to them.
Note that these options are only for Mainland visa cancellation (non free zone). So, you can cancel your UAE residence visa through:
- Online services of ICA or GDRFAD
- Any of the approved typing centres near you
- The ICA or GDRFAD mobile application
How to cancel your UAE visa using the GDRFAD online services
- Click here to start the process
- Click on “Cancellation of residency visa”
- At the end of the new page it takes you to, click on “Start service”
- Then it takes you to an individual login page where you will have to provide the necessary details and documents required
- Follow the instructions till you are done with the process
How to cancel your residence visa in the UAE through a typing centre – Tasheel
- Gather all the necessary document to be listed below
- Proceed to any approved typing centre near you
- The required forms will be filled by the centre agents
- Submit the required documents
- The centre continues with the remaining process
How to cancel your UAE residence visa using the ICA or GDRFAD application
- Download the ICA or GDRFAD mobile application
- Login with your accurate details
- Under the listed service categories select “Cancellation of residence visa” or you can simply search it on the search button
- Follow the instructions till you have completed the process just as in the online service
Once your application is done and approved, you will be notified via email or mobile call. After that you will need to submit your passport for the actual cancellation of the visa.
So next, we are going to give you the list of required documents for the cancellation of the UAE residence visa.
Documents required for the cancellation of residence visa in the UAE
- Your original passport
- The original copy of your Emirates ID and labour card
- A copy of the cancellation paper signed by the sponsor of your visa
If your company is sponsoring your visa, be sure to have the cancellation application form containing a clear signature and stamp from them. Your company also has to include a clearance document form the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE).
These are the required steps and documents to have ready when it’s time to cancel your UAE residence visa. You will definitely find the process hassle free when you have all the requirements ready.
LONG TERM VISAS
A new initiative from the UAE government allows you to get a 5 or 10-year visa based on your investments in UAE. You should make either 5 mln AED or 10 mln AED investments in real estate, investment funds or business.
More details can be found here:
Long term visas also have a category of talented individuals or researchers, who already have an employment contract in UAE and can prove their input in the specific field of science, medicine or art.
WHERE CAN I LIVE?
Regardless of the authority that issued your visa, you can maintain Dubai permanent residency or live in any other Emirate you prefer.
Any visa, whether it’s obtained from Dubai or another Emirate, makes you eligible for UAE permanent residency in any place. You can rent an apartment and settle your family anywhere.
However, such things as UAE driver’s license need to be applied for in the Emirate your visa belongs to. So if you opened a company in Fujairah free zone, you need to get your driver’s license in Fujairah road and traffic authority accordingly.
Dubai residency tends to be more expensive, but also much more fun! All the largest amusement parks, fashionable restaurants and malls are located here. The infrastructure in general is more advanced: you have a bigger choice of grocery stores, hospitals and clinics, schools and colleges.
Regardless of the Emirate you reside and the type of visa you have, UAE is a great country to live, work, study or run your own business.