New Visa Rules - Resident Visa Types

Residence visa

A residence visa is required for those who intend to enter the UAE to live indefinitely with a person who is already a resident. It is issued to the immediate kin of a resident for three years for a fee of Dh300. 

The residence permit becomes invalid if the resident remains out of the UAE for more than six months at a time.

Parents of residents can obtain residence visas after special approval. These have a renewable validity of one year for a fee of Dh100 annually. A refundable deposit of Dh5,000 has to be paid for each parent, however. 

Investor visa:

These are issued to expatriate investors in partnership with locals. The foreign investor must hold a minimum stake of Dh70,000 in the share capital. Like the residence visa, it is issued for three years for a fee of Dh300. 

Employment visa:

Employment visa or permit is issued by the Immigration Department to a foreign national who wishes to work for a company in the UAE upon the approval of the Ministry of Labour. 

It allows the holder to enter the UAE once for a period of 30 days and is valid for two months from the date of issue. 

When the employee has entered the country on the basis of the employment visa, the sponsoring company will arrange to complete the formalities of stamping his residence.