What Is a UAE Residence Visa
The UAE residence visa allows foreign citizens to live and work in the UAE on a permanent basis. It also provides an opportunity to invite family members and assistants to come, get medical insurance, education, a local driver’s license, as well as open bank accounts and conduct business in the UAE. Moreover, you can freely travel around the Persian Gulf and other countries without tourist visas.
The Residence Visa grants the right to preferential taxation: individuals are exempt from paying income tax.
Mortgage loans with local banks not exceeding 10 million dirhams are available to foreign residents who purchase real estate in the UAE. The minimum mortgage rate is 3.99% per annum. The only condition is to pay at least 20% of the property’s value as an initial payment.
How Long Can One Stay in the UAE without a Visa?
This question interests many tourists and travelers. Depending on your nationality, you can stay in the UAE without a visa for 30 to 90 days. For example, one can stay for up to 90 days, and Kazakh citizens – only up to 30 days.
If you need to stay in the UAE longer, you should have good grounds for it. Read on to find out what they can be.
How to stay in Dubai for more than 90 days?
If you want to spend more time in Dubai than you can with a standard tourist visa, you should analyze how much time you need and what visa type would be suitable. There are several ways to stay in Dubai legally.
One of the ways to stay in Dubai for a longer period is to extend a tourist visa. This can be done through any travel agency in the country. To do this, you will need to provide certain documents, such as a copy of your passport and a copy of your visa. A UAE tourist visa is issued upon arrival for 90 days and can be extended for 30 days. The allowed period of stay in the UAE for tourists should not exceed 120 days.
If you are considering moving to the country, then you can choose from a wide range of UAE residence visas, depending on your needs.
How to Get a UAE Residence Visa?
The first step to obtain a UAE Residence Visa is to choose the most suitable visa type for your needs. There are several types of visas:
- An Investor Visa is for owners of UAE companies and is valid for 2 years.
- An Employment Visa is for employees with an UAE employment contract and is valid for 2 years.
- A Student Visa is for students in various educational institutions, such as universities and language courses, and is valid for 2 years.
- Long-term residence visas, such as the Green Visa (for 5 years) and the Golden Visa (for 10 years).
- A Freelance Visa is for qualified employees and is valid for 2 years. The main difference from the Employment Visa is that you can freely provide qualified services without being officially employed.
Residence Visa Advantages
- A Green Visa, unlike a standard Employment Visa, does not require a sponsor. A number of family members and household staff available for a Green Dependent Visa is significantly extended. It becomes possible to include unmarried daughters of any age and unmarried sons under the age of 25. The validity period is up to five years.
- Obtaining a Golden Visa also does not require a sponsor. For a Dependent Golden Visa, there are no restrictions on age or number of members.
- The Student Visa offers favorable opportunities for university students with an average score above 3.75. In this case, the visa can be issued for five years.
- An Investor Visa allows to conduct business in the UAE.
To obtain a UAE Residence Visa, it is also necessary to comply with certain rules and requirements established by local authorities:
- to fulfil conditions for each visa type (e.g., an employment contract, a property deed, a bank letter confirming making a deposit, etc.);
- to provide the applicant’s passport, valid for at least 6 months;
- to submit a passport format photo of the applicant;
- to pass a medical test (blood test and fluorography);
- to give biometrics (fingerprints).
Thus, a UAE Residence Visa opens up a unique opportunity to live and work in one of the most advanced and attractive countries in the Middle East, broadening horizons for personal and professional development.
It is important to remember that obtaining a visa may take some time, so it is better to plan everything in advance. It is also advisable to thoroughly study all the requirements and rules in order to avoid possible problems and delays.
Renewal of the UAE Residence Visa
A regular residence visa is to be extended every 2 years if the grounds on which the residence was granted remain unchanged. An extension requires contacting the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs through an employer or an agent.
Green and Gold visas are to be extended every 5 and 10 years, respectively. You shall submit documents to the authorities and departments where you received this visa for the first time.
After the date of expiration, there is a 6-month period when the visa holder can either extend it or decide to leave the country.
Students of universities, language courses and other educational institutions get a Student Visa for one year and can extend it for any time while they continue their studies. Usually, an educational institution takes care of the visa’s extension.
Extending a visa in the UAE can take several days, so we recommend to start in advance to avoid unpleasant surprises. It is also worth considering a visa’s fee, which may vary depending on the extension’s duration and the visa type.
How Many Times a Year Can One Enter the UAE?
Tourists can stay in the country for up to 120 days during a 180-day period without a long-term visa. In case of non-compliance with the rules of stay in the country, you will have to pay a fine of 50 dirhams for each day before you leave the country or get any other visa.
A Green Visa allows you to enter the UAE for an unlimited number of times within 5 years. Holders of the Golden Visa can enter the UAE multiple times over the course of 10 years.
A Residence Visa in the UAE gives an opportunity to enter the country many times during its validity period. This means traveling freely and staying in the UAE for work, study or residence.
Is It Possible to Live in Other Emirates Besides Dubai?
You can choose any emirate to live and conduct business activities, regardless of where you got a visa. The same rule applies to renting, getting an education and applying for a Dependent Visa for all family members. The only exception is the UAE driver’s license, which can be obtained only in the emirate where the visa was issued. Usually, foreign residents choose between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which recently has been gaining in popularity. The infrastructure and standards of living of other emirates are also constantly growing.
For what reasons the UAE can deny a visa? Firstly, the Migration Service may reject the application for some well-known and obvious reasons: the applicant provided false information, did not pass a security check, or has been charged with serious legal transgressions. Another common reason are technical problems faced by the Migration Service.
Secondly, if the applicant held a visa in the past and did not cancel it before leaving the country. A new residenсe visa will be denied until the applicant cancels the previous one.
How much does a 2-year residence visa cost in the UAE?
The cost of a 2-year visa in the UAE may depend on many factors, such as country of issue, visa category, type of company, position, accelerated medical test and biometrics, and other circumstances. Usually, the cost of a 2-year visa can vary from 2,000 to 5,000 dollars. For more information about the cost and types of UAE residence visas for 2 years, feel free to contact our lawyers.
How can an entrepreneur get a UAE visa for 10 years?
- by establishing a company with an income exceeding 1 million dirhams per year;
- by launching an innovative startup approved by the UAE Ministry of Economy;
- by investing in a local company with the total value of at least 2 million dirhams.
