In order to grant a residence permit to a foreign national, the United Arab Emirates has established a number of requirements. Firstly, if the foreign national is related to a citizen of the nation, proof of kinship of any kind must be provided.
Secondly, if the foreign national is related to a resident of the nation or to his spouse, proof of the following types of kinship must be available: the foreign national's relatives (“father, mother, minor brothers”), as long as the maintenance requirement is met; relatives of the foreigner's wife ("father of the wife and mother of the wife"), and minor stepchildren as long as the custody requirements are met.
Conditions for bringing relatives
The state emphasized that a foreign national who wishes to bring a "relative" must have a source of income and suitable housing. Such a person may bring up to five people if their monthly income is 10,000 dirhams or more, and up to six people if their monthly income is 15,000 dirhams. The director general of the federal authority for identity, citizenship, Customs, and Port Security will decide whether an applicant is eligible to bring more than six people.
Decision of the Chairman of the Authority
This is in line with the commission chairman's Decision No. 74 of 2022, which went into effect on October 3, 2022, and sets forth the terms and regulations implementing the Council of Ministers' Decision No. 65 of 2022, which deals with the executive regulations of federal law Decree No. 29 of 2021, which deals with the entry and residence of foreigners.
The decision stipulated that an alien whose country is experiencing war, disaster, or unrest may be granted a residence permit for a renewable one-year period, provided that a guarantor or host is available. The decision also considered the applicant's humanitarian situation. The five requirements for granting a residence permit to an alien are as follows: the alien must be located within the state; they must possess the nationality of the state that is classified among the countries of war, disaster, or unrest; they must have adequate housing; and their residence may include family members who are inside or outside the state.
harm to or loss of a foreign national's passport
The head of the "gender identity" department decided to include all procedures pertaining to the loss or damage of a foreign national's passport or identity card, regardless of whether the person is based domestically or overseas. Give permission for a foreign national who has misplaced their identity card, passport, or both to enter the nation. They must report the loss and apply for entry using the smart services platform. After that, they must review the process with the relevant public administration within three working days.
The decision outlined the requirements for issuing a tourist entry visa, which included the host or guarantor having to be one of the organizations, businesses, or bodies engaged in the tourism industry and registered in the authorized establishment card system, as well as the provision of the tourist program for the upcoming tourism event.Along with the entrance visa requirements for workers on cruise ships and excursion boats, it also detailed the requirements for truck drivers entering the nation through land ports of entry or through foreign embassies.
official delegation visas
According to the decision, foreign nationals must be granted a visa in order to enter neighboring border areas from land entry ports for a maximum of 90 days. The visa holder may enter the country more than once as long as it is valid and may stay for no more than 48 hours each time, provided they meet the following requirements: they must be residents of the neighboring border area, have a valid residence there, and are not employees or workers, with the exception of auxiliary service workers who are accompanied by their employer or family members. Lastly, the visa holder is never permitted to work in the country, whether for pay or without compensation.
The "entry visa for Wanted" decision states that, upon an official request from the relevant authorities in the state, the director general of residency and foreigners affairs or his authorized representative may grant an entry visa for the required foreigner. Additionally, the director general of residency and foreigners affairs issues a "special entry permit" for the escorts of heads of state and ministers whenever they are visiting the state on official business.
a visa for a friend or family visit
All entry visas for visits allow the holder to enter once or multiple times as determined by the issuing authority in this regard, and in all cases the period of stay of a foreigner with a visit visa may not exceed 180 days. The decision stipulated that the entry visa should be valid for a period of 60 days from the date of issue. The holder of an entry visa is entitled to stay in the country according to the type of visa, except for the wanted visa.
According to the ruling, nationals of nations exempt from prior visa requirements will continue to have their periods of validity honored, as per the terms of the agreements and memorandums of understanding in the nation as well as the decisions made by the Council of Ministers before this decision was issued.
The decision clarified all the conditions related to the business opportunities exploration visa and the requirements for granting a green residence to a foreign investor for five years, or for two years outside the green residence. The decision also added new controls for issuing an entry visa to visit a friend or relative, on top of the previously announced conditions. These controls read as follows: to issue a visa, the foreigner coming to the country must be a friend of a citizen or a relative of him, regardless of the degree of kinship; and the foreigner coming to the country must be a relative of a foreigner residing in the country of the first or second degree.
Residence without work
The decision covered the requirements and limitations for allowing a foreign national to remain unemployed in the nation, such as the availability of the minimum family income for the spouse or both, and their financial solvency. Accordingly, housing must be provided by the employer if the monthly income is less than 3,000 dirhams, but not less than 4,000 dirhams.
If the required housing is to come from the spouse, children, or parents of the citizen or citizens holding foreign passports, then the spouse's or parent's marriage contract or certificate of continuity of marriage must be certified, as applicable, and the children's certified birth certificates. The provision of adequate housing must be commensurate with the number of people living in the rented or owned eye with the carrying capacity of the property, a certified lease agreement or the presentation of a title deed to the property.
Categories not covered by the residence cancelation policy
The resolution outlined three categories that are exempt from having their residence permits invalidated if a foreign national's stay abroad exceeds 180 days. These categories include holders of Gold and Green residence permits and their families, as well as cases that the competent director general of residence and foreigners affairs deems excluded upon an application submitted for reasons he appreciates and after paying the required fee. The residence permit remains valid until the end of its term, regardless of the duration of the foreign national's stay abroad.
The resolution also listed six groups of people who are exempt from the requirement that a travel document have a valid period of at least one month when the foreign national enters the country. These groups include crew members of aircraft, sailors, workers on cruise ships and excursion ships, emergency entry visa holders, transit visa holders, and visa holders entering neighboring border areas.
The ruling specified that the following five groups of foreign nationals are permitted to remain in the nation for a maximum of 180 days following the cancellation or termination of their residence permit: holders of green and golden residence permits, along with their family members; widows of foreign nationals living in the nation following a divorce; students pursuing post-terminal studies; and parents, children, and spouses of foreign nationals holding passports. Only two categories—skilled professionals at the first, second, and third levels as well as property owners—are permitted to remain in the nation for 90 days. Another category, residences issued with guarantors or hosts, is permitted to remain in the nation for 60 days. All other categories are only permitted to remain in the nation for 30 days.
In addition to the list of professions approved for issuing a visa from the outlet for residents of the GCC countries, the decision was accompanied by the schedule of terms and extension powers for different entry visas by each type, which included 15 types of visas. The list of jobs for the first, second, and third professional level, which includes 670 jobs specified according to the content classification, was also attached.
