How Much How To Get Uae Residency Visa In Uae
You’ve decided you want to live in the UAE, but hold on! Not so fast. After you get a job offer and are officially on an employee’s visa, you’ll need to apply for residency status. That’s right. A UAE employment visa is not actually a residency visa (although some misunderstandings exist). Here are several things to know about getting a UAE residence visa:Considering getting Uae Residency Visa (Uae Resident Visa)? Allow me to show YOU exactly how to do that. Here’s a short info-graphic breaking down the process:
To live and work in the UAE, most people need to apply for a residence visa. Applying for UAE residency can be a lengthy process since the country is very security conscious. For example, you will have to provide your blood and DNA samples as part of the application process. The state may even conduct a comprehensive background check on you and your family members (even those who are not applying for a visa).The United Arab Emirates is located in the Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf. The UAE stands for United Arab Emirates. It’s home to 718 islands which are comprised of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah and Umm al Qaiwain.
How Much How To Get Uae Residency Visa In Uae
How to apply for a UAE Residence Visa?
First, your sponsor has to get an Entry Permit for you at one of the following:
- The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship
- The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – GDRFA either online (see the websites below) or in-person. If your host applies in-person they must do so through one of the licensed typing centres of the GDRFA in each Emirate or through one of the Amer centres in Dubai.
- GDRFA Dubai mobile apps for Apple and Android
Once you are in the country, your sponsor has to apply for your Residence Visa at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) of the relevant emirate in which you will live.
At the time of application, they will also pay a UAE Residence Visa fee, depending on the validity of your visa.
Once your application is approved, the GDRFA will affix a Residence Visa on your passport, and you will receive an Emirates ID, valid for the same duration as the visa.
The websites of the GDRFA in each emirate:
- Abu Dhabi
- Dubai (see also Amer, a website which Dubai citizens and residents can use to apply for family reunion and visitors can use to extend their Visa On Arrival)
- Sharjah
- Ajman
- Ras Al Khaimah
- Fujairah
UAE Residence Visa fees
The fees for a UAE Residence Visa change depending on what duration your visa is issued for. For one year, the UAE Residence Visa fee is AED100.
Additionally, you will also have to pay a processing fee which also changes depending on where you apply, which can range from AED70 if applying in person or AED40 if applying online.
Please keep in mind that the visa fees are subject to change and that you will have to pay additional fees for medical exams and health insurance as well.
The difference between the UAE Entry Permit and Residence Visa
The difference between the Entry Permit and Residence Visa for the UAE is just as the name suggests:
The Entry Permit allows the holder to enter the UAE and it is valid for only a certain amount of time (usually up to three months). Entry permits are issued based on the purpose of your travel. For example, an entry permit for tourism purposes is a UAE Tourist Visa.
Your sponsor has to apply for your entry permit before you enter the UAE. Once you are in the country on an entry permit, your sponsor can then apply for your residence visa.
Additionally, some nationalities don’t even need an entry permit or can get one on arrival. Basically, if you are exempt from a UAE Tourist Visa, you don’t need to get an entry permit because the two are more or less the same thing.
See how to apply for a UAE Entry Permit (UAE Visa) and who is exempt.
The Residence Visa allows the holder to reside in the UAE long-term. After you enter the country, your sponsor has to apply for your residence visa from the relevant visa-issuing authorities as described above.
How long can I stay with a UAE Residence Visa?
The duration of UAE Residence Visas depends on the purpose of your travel: they are issued for 1, 2 or 3 years and can be renewed.
However, Investment Visas or Retirement Visas are also issued for 5-10 years and are renewable.
Getting a UAE Residence Visa renewal before expiry
Your sponsor has to renew your Residence Visa within the 30 days before it is set to expire.
However, your sponsor may also renew your visa after it expires if it is within the UAE residence visa expiry grace period.
The UAE residence visa renewal procedure is similar to when you first obtained your visa: your sponsor has to apply at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in the relevant emirate.
What’s the UAE Residence Visa expiry grace period?
The UAE authorities offer expatriates a 30-day grace period starting from the time their visa expires. This means that even if your visa has expired, you can stay for an additional 30 days, but if you do not have a visa renewal by then, you must leave the country and re-enter using an entry permit.
If you overstay, you will be fined for each day you have overstayed.
UAE Residence Visa overstay fee
The fees for overstaying your UAE Residence Visa are as follows:
- For the first 6 months (180 days) – AED 25 per day
- For the second 6 months (180 days) – AED 50 per day
- For every day after 1 year has passed – AED 100 per day
UAE Visa renewal for divorced women and widows
As of October 2018, the UAE government has issued a new immigration rule, allowing the widows and divorced women of UAE residents to remain in the country without a sponsor for a year, starting from the passing of their husbands or their divorce. The new rule also includes the children of said women, if any.
To qualify, the women and/or children must have been under the husband’s visa at the time of his death or the divorce and their visas must be valid at the time of application. They can apply at the GDRFA by submitting the following:
- Proof of death or divorce (as applicable)
- Proof of accommodation
- Proof the woman is able to financially support herself
- The Emirates ID Card
- Medical fitness certificates
This type of visa can only be extended once.
How can I get a Dubai Residence Visa?
Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the country of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As such, the process for getting a Dubai Residence Visa is the same as for any other emirate in the UAE (as explained above).
You must have a sponsor in Dubai (or invest/buy property there). Then, your sponsor has to apply for your entry permit and residence visa at one of the licensed typing centers of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai or an Amer center.