Visa Services
Employment
Any resident of the UAE that is not a UAE national, is required to have an employment visa in order to work for the private sector in the UAE as an employee.
It is the employer’s responsibility to secure an employment visa prior to the employee starting to work in the company. The only exception to this rule may be if the employee is working for the company on a ‘contract-basis’ as part of a legal contractual arrangement between 2 companies.
The typical process of securing an employment visa involves the following steps in order:
Securing an Entry Permit (if the candidate is outside the UAE) or
Conducting a change status (if the candidate is inside the UAE)
Submitting to a medical test
Submitting to a biometrics appointment (applicable only for new residents and only once the candidate passes the medical test)
Visa Stamping (physical visa stamp on passport is NOT required any longer. However, the online process called ‘resident visa stamping’ must still be completed)
Visa is granted (subject to all the above conditions being met)
Securing the Emirates ID (a personal ID valid across private & public institutions in the UAE). You may collect it from your local Emirates Post office or have it delivered to you by your employer.
The UAE government has scrapped several bureaucratic processes making the application for an Employment visa in the UAE smooth and fast. What used to typically take between 2-3 weeks, now takes under 7 days to complete.
Golden
The Golden Visa is a new type of residence visa introduced by the UAE Government to attract and retain top global entrepreneurs and talented professionals across industries.
There are 4 categories of Golden visas available based on the profession or expertise of the applicant:
Investor (Business or Real Estate)
One who has invested a sum of AED 2,000,000 as ‘share capital’ into a company (without loan) and has a valid share certificate as proof along with AED 250,000 in annual payments to the FTA (Federal Tax Authority). This category is eligible for a 10-year visa.
In the context of the UAE Golden Visa, a real-estate investor is one who has invested into one or multiple properties in the UAE totalling in value to a minimum of AED 2,000,000. If the investment is via loan, it must be from banks approved by the competent local authorities. This category however, is eligible for a 5-year visa only.
Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs that own a project of a technical or future nature based on risk and innovation are eligible for a 5-year UAE Golden Visa, provided, they furnish an audit report valuing the project at no less than AED 500,000; a certificate from a competent authority stating the technical or futuristic nature of the project; and an approval letter from an accredited business incubator to establish the activity in the UAE.
Skilled Professionals & Specialized Talent
This is one of the most sought after categories of UAE Golden Visa due to its vast applicability. This 10-year visa includes executives and managers that have a minimum monthly salary of AED 30,000 with 6-months bank statement as proof of continuous employment and salary payment and an attested bachelor’s degree or higher.
Other than high-level executives and managers, artists, doctors, Ph.D. holders, scientists, inventors, and athletes are also eligible to apply within this category. Depending on the specialisation of the applicant, they are required to furnish approval letters/endorsements/recommendation letters from certain listed competent authorities within their respective fields. Please check our blog for the full list.
Students
High school students and national-level toppers scoring 95% and above are also eligible to apply for the 5-year UAE Golden Visa without a sponsor subject to a recommendation letter from the ‘Ministry of Education’.
University students on the other hand, are eligible to apply for the 10-year UAE Golden Visa no later than 2 years from their date of graduation, provided they have scored a 3.5 GPA and above from grade A or B universities in the UAE or the top 100 global universities (rated by the Ministry of Education) and can support it with a recommendation letter from the university or accredited graduation certificate.
Each category has strict qualifying criteria and applicants must be aware of them prior to filing their application. If you are interested in securing the UAE golden visa for yourself or your family members, make sure to read our blog for a detailed list of the criteria, documentation requirements, cost, and the time required to secure your golden visa in the UAE.
Green
A Green Visa in the UAE is similar to the Golden Visa in terms of its objective to attract exceptional and high-level professionals across industries to live and work in the UAE.
There are 3 main categories for the UAE Green Visa such as the:
- Investor category
- Skilled professionals
- Freelance professionals
Investors are required to show proof of capital investments into their company or companies; while freelancers need to provide proof of earnings of minimum AED 360,000 in the last 2 years or financial solvency throughout their stay in the UAE. As for skilled professionals, the monthly salary criteria is at AED 15,000 per month and must hold a valid employment contract classified under the first, second or third employment category as per the Ministry of Human Resource and Emiratisation (MOHRE). The employee must also hold an attested bachelor’s degree or higher.
Investor/Partner
An investor visa is a standard 2-year residence visa given to an individual (natural person only) that establishes his or her own company in the UAE and is the sole shareholder of that company. The legal structure of such a company may be FZE/FZ-LLC (Freezone) or LLC/Sole Proprietorship (Mainland).
If the business has more than one shareholder, (natural person) with each shareholder holding 25% or more of the company, such individuals can apply for a partner visa. The legal structures applicable here are the same as above with the addition of a Civil Partnership.
Investor/Partner visa holders can travel and stay outside the UAE for a period of more than 180-day continuously without their residence visa being cancelled.
Dependent
A dependent visa is applicable to any individual such as children under the age of 18 (for normal dependent visas); individuals up to 25 years of age (for Golden Visa); and without age limit for people of determination and unmarried daughters.
Aged parents may also be sponsored by their employed children holding any type of residence visa in the UAE. The eligibility criteria and minimum salary requirements for being a sponsor may vary depending on the type of visa held by the sponsor.
All dependent visas carry the same duration of validity as that of the sponsor’s visa.
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Frequently Asked Questions
There are several different types of visas in the UAE. They are mostly categorized into: Investor/Partner Visa; Employment Visa; Golden/Green Visa; Freelance Visa and Tourist/Visit Visa.
This depends on the type of visa itself. While visit/tourist visas range from 14 – 90 days, employment visas are valid for 2 years. Golden visas on the other hand are long-term visas valid for 5 – 10 years. Freelance visas are valid for 1 – 2 years depending on your choice.
Across the UAE mainland, health insurance is mandatory for employment visa holders. Some freezones have also made this requirement mandatory while others are still to enforce this. Employee health insurance is paid by the employer and it is not legal to charge the employee for the same.
Wages Protection System is a system whereby mainland employers are regulated to ensure that they pay their employees’ salaries on a regular basis.
A medical fitness test is a mandatory requirement for every type of visa application except visit/tourist visas. This test is required to be done at every renewal stage. For example: a 2-year visa would require the test to be done once every 2 years.
Like the medical test, a biometrics appointment is mandatory for securing a UAE residency. This is done only once per individual and not required during visa renewals.
An Emirates ID is an identification for all UAE nationals and residents. This is received after a successful medical test, biometrics appointment and residence visa approval. A fresh Emirates ID is valid for the duration of the residence visa and issued with every renewal.