The United Arab Emirates is the home for expatriates from all over the world, UAE expats consist of over 200 nationalities.
A UAE resident visa must be secured whether a foreign national would like to invest, work or just live in the UAE.
Here are the different types of resident visa in the UAE:
Below we provide details on the steps and requirements to obtain a UAE Visa for the various classes of Visa:
If a foreign national obtains employment in the UAE, he or she must have a resident visa to legally work and live in UAE. The employer will be the sponsor of the visa. The employer can be a company from UAE mainland or from a Freezone jurisdictions or from a UAE government entity.
The first step is to process the employment visa. If the employee was hired abroad, then the employment visa will entitle him or her to enter UAE under this visa. Once the employee has entered the country, he or she needs to undertake a medical test and will complete the emirates identity card biometrics for the issuance of the resident visa and Emirate ID Card.
If the employee was hired inside the country, then the employee visa status can be changed via an in country application. The employee can then undertake the medical test and complete the emirates identity card biometrics for the issuance of the resident visa and Emirate ID Card.
The resident visa sponsored by a mainland or LLC company is valid for 2 years. Whilst a UAE resident visa sponsored by a freezone or government entity will be valid for 3 years. The resident visas by employment can be renewed after this period.
A company investor visa is granted to the foreign nationals who owns a company, holds shares in an existing entity or expatriates who wish to establish their own business in UAE. The company investor visa is valid for 3 years and can be renewed. The holder of this type of visa can legally live and work in UAE and will have the capacity to sponsor the visa of his or her family.
An expatriate investor can apply for a 10 year-resident visa in the UAE. The investment requirements are as follows:
Granting the visa is subject to the following condition:
The visa can be extended to included business partners, provided that each partner contributes AED 10 million investments. The holder of this type of visa will have the capacity to sponsor the visas of their family members for 10 years as well.
An expatriate investor can apply for a 5 year-resident visa in the UAE without a sponsor, provided that the following requirements are being met:
A foreign national who has secured a UAE resident visa can sponsor the resident visa of their families. The requirements are:
The documents required are:
| From the Sponsor: | From the Family Members or Dependents |
|---|---|
| 1. Copy of Passport and UAE resident visa | 1. Passport (valid at least 6 months) |
| 2. Original Emirates ID | 2. Passport sized photo in white background |
| 3. Copy of labour card and contract issued by the Ministry of Labour | 3. Copy of previous visa such as tourist visa or on arrival visa details or cancelled visa (if applicable). |
| 4. Arabic Salary Certificate issued by the registrar if the employee is employed by a free zone or government entities. | 4. Marriage certificate for spouse** (for spouse) |
| 5. Ejari/Tawtheeq (lease) Certificate or equivalent as proof of domicile | 5. Birth Certificate** (for child) |
| 6. Recent electricity bill | 6. DHA approved health insurance |
| 7. 3 months bank statements (if applicable) |
**The certificates must be legally translated into Arabic, attested from country of origin, and further attested by UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The UAE national or an expatriate resident in UAE can recruit a domestic worker under their personal sponsorship.
The category of the domestic worker are - housemaid, babysitter, cook, private driver, housekeeper, and similar. The domestic worker must have a resident visa to legally work in UAE.
An expatriate resident has the capacity to sponsor the resident visa of a domestic worker if:
The retired residents in the UAE over the age of 55 can apply for a retiree visa. The visa will be valid for 5 years and the visa may be renewed, provided that the retiree fulfills one of the following eligibility criteria:
This includes specialist talents and researchers in the fields of science and knowledge such as doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, as well as creative individuals in the field of culture and art. All categories are required to have a valid employment contract in a specialized field of priority in the UAE.
An expatriate who would like to study in UAE must obtain a resident visa to join a university. The student visa will be valid for 12 months and can be renewed annually until the duration of his or her program in the university.
The required documents are:
A 5-year resident visa can be granted to outstanding students with a grade of 95% in public and private secondary schools. As well as, the university students within and outside the country having a distinction GRA of at least 3.75 upon graduation.