Residency Visa

Residency Visa Dubai

In terms of business operations and residence in the world, there is no other country as attractive as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). And this is quite because the advantages mentioned below:

• Tax free status
• High standards of living
• Business development opportunities
• Economic and political stability and different others.

But before you start any business or relocate in the country, it is necessary that you should have a UAE residence visa or a residence permit of the country. Obtaining this Visa is very easy and doesn’t take long if the procedure is followed correctly. We, at Docman, make sure to help you throughout the process.

Peculiar features of residence visa in the UAE

You will be issued UAE residency for a period of 3 years. And after that, you will have to renew it (the renewal process is discussed below), which can be done as many times as needed. Once you obtain your residence visa, you will be entitled to permanent residence in the United Arab Emirates. Plus, you can also get a visa for your spouse (husband/wife), children (below 18 years of age) or any other immediate family member.

The UAE resident visa is actually a sticker inside your passport. Along with this visa, you also obtain an Emirate identification card that includes general information about you. being valid throughout the Emirates, this card can be used as a passport within the country.

You must show up in the Emirates once in six months to maintain the validity of this visa, violating which can block your UAE residency. In order to unblock the visa, you would then have to go through its reactivation procedure.

Documents required for getting a Residency Visa in UAE

The Mandatory Documents that are required to be submitted when applying for a UAE or Dubai residence visa are as mentioned below:

• Passport Bio Data Page: this page in your passport has your photo and other personal details. When submitting a copy of this page, make sure it is colored as black and white copies won’t be accepted.
• Passport Last Page: Certain nationalities (like India) have some important information imprinted on the last page of their passport. A colored copy of the last page, in this case, is also a mandatory requirement for acquiring a Dubai residency. Black and white copies will be rejected in case the last page is attached.
• Photograph: while applying for a resident visa for Dubai or UAE, ensure that you have your clear, passport sized photograph. Make sure that the photograph is preferably not same as that in your passport. Again a black and white photograph would not be accepted.
• Proof of Residence: this document is necessary only if your present Nationality and present Country of Permanent Residency is not the same. In case this is applicable for you then you are required to submit your current residency visa.

Validity of a residence visa

The Dubai residence visa will remain valid for 1, 2, or 3 years depending on its type and sponsor. Certain conditions also make the residence visa valid for 5 to 10 years, according to some recent alterations in the UAE laws.

Renewing your residence visa

Your sponsor must renew your residence visa as soon as it is expired, if you want to live in the Emirates without facing any fines or legal consequences. A grace period of 30 days is given by the relevant General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) to stay in the country even after your residence visa expires. Therefore it is advised to get your visa renewed in advance.

You would have to pay the following penalty for staying in the country after your visa expires, as per the UAE immigration fines’ system.

• AED 25 per day for the first 6 months (180 days)
• AED 50 per day during the second 6 months (180 days)
• AED 100 per day after passing a year and more.

Note: as soon as your residence visa validity expires, your UAE ID card expires too.

How early can a residence visa be renewed?

Whether you are looking to renew the expired residence visa for parents in Dubai, or that for your wife, the time limit of doing so is 30 days from the date of its expiry. However, in case of emergency needs, like in case you are travelling and need to renew your visa a few months earlier, you need to take permission and approval from the relevant GDRFA that issued your visa.

Requirements for renewal

The conditions and requirements for renewing your visa are quite similar to those you followed when you got your resident visa for the first time.

Basic requirements include:

• You must be sponsored by a person who has a valid UAE residence visa
• You must pass a medical fitness test if you are above 18
• You must have an insurance card (mandatory in Dubai and Abu Dhabi)
• You must have a renewed identity card issued from ICA, or must have the original receipt of registration showing that you have applied for renewal with ICA.

The following documents are needed:

• A registered application for renewal of residency permit signed by the sponsor, whether public sector, private sector company, or personal sponsor
• Your original passport
• Your colored photograph

If you are sponsoring your family members, including your spouse, children, parents and siblings (relatives of first and second degree), then you must present:

• a copy of your spouse’s employment contract or company contract for investors
• a salary certificate from the employer that states the employee’s monthly salary
• a legal marriage certificate
• latest utility bill.

UAE residence visa fees, costs and charges

• Your sponsor must deposit AED 3000 (approximately) for getting your Dubai resident
• The actual cost of visa itself is relatively inexpensive. You need just 120 Dirhams for a 1 year visa, and just 360 Dirhams for a 3 year visa.
• An additional fee of 100 Dirhams is needed for urgent processing.
• You may add around 200-300Dirhams for medical tests.

Note: All of the figures and numbers given here are approximate. So, you must always check with the Residency and Immigration department for latest official information.