UAE Residence Visa 2024 – Types of Residence Visas in UAE

Due to the booming economy of the UAE, a lot of individuals are aiming to shift to the UAE to look for jobs, business, real estate, and study. Anyhow, whatever the case is, you’ll need to have a UAE Residence Visa. It can be tiresome to collect knowledge about the residence visa from multiple sources. But worry not, we’ll be providing everything you need to know about the residence visa in a single place.

So, let’s get started.

Types of UAE Residence Visas

UAE Residence Visa allows you to stay and work in the UAE. There are multiple types of residence visas, so first of all, you should understand which one will be ideal for you. So, let’s explore together.

Types of UAE Residence Visas

Real Estate Visa

Foreigners can acquire a direct residence visa by investing in the real estate sector by acquiring a property worth 750,000 AED. It doesn’t matter whether the property is residential or commercial and even the ready-to-rent properties can be bought as well.

If the property is mortgaged, a 2-year certificate will be issued.

Requirements

Let’s have a look at the requirements for the real estate visa.

  • For a 10-year Permit. a minimum investment of 20 Million AED is needed.
  • For a 2 Year Immigration Status, a minimum investment of 750,000 AED is needed.

Who Can Be Sponsored?

The residence visa holder can sponsor the following:

  • 2 Year Permit holders can sponsor children under the age of 18.
  • 10 Year Permit holders can sponsor daughters and unmarried sons under the age of 25.
  • The investor can sponsor his spouse(s) and children once he receives a green card.

Required Documents

Let’s have a look at the documents required for the real estate visa:

  • Certificate of Real Estate Ownership
  • Bank Statements (In case the property is mortgaged)
  • Marriage Certificate
  • Police Clearance Certificate from the native country or UAE
  • Medical Insurance
  • 3 cm x 4 cm Colored Photographs with a white background
  • Dubai Land Department’s Property Value Confirmation Certificate
  • Real Estate Purchase and Sale Agreement
  • Certificate of no marriage (For under the age of 18)
  • Passport Copy
  • Legit Immigration Copy

Once you’ve applied for the UAE visa, you can check its status at UAE visa check.

Retirement Visa

The retired professionals from all over the world get the privilege of acquiring a retirement visa and living in the UAE. The validity of the retirement visa is 5 years.

Requirements

Let’s have a look at the requirements needed to get a retirement visa.

  • Individuals should be retired and over 55 years of age.
  • Must have deposited 1 Million AED for at least 3 years.
  • The monthly pension should be at least 15,000 AED.
  • Must have invested 1 Million AED in a single or multiple properties.

Who Can Be Sponsored?

The retirement visa holder can sponsor the following:

  • Children under the age of 18.
  • Spouse

Required Documents

Let’s have a look at the documents required for the retirement visa:

  • Passport Copy
  • Last three months’ bank statements
  • Investment Fulfillment Confirmation Letter (Real Estate sale/purchase contract, Deposit Certificate from bank)
  • Retirement Certificate
  • Confirmation Letter of Pension Amount

Now, you can check the status of your Emirates ID at Emirates ID Status.

Freelance Visa

The UAE is promoting freelancers and individuals can get a UAE freelance visa by fulfilling certain criteria. It’s crucial to note the remote worker license is valid for 1 year.

Requirements

Let’s have a look at the requirements needed for the freelance visa:

  • License from Concerned Free Zones
  • Educational Certificates

Who Can Be Sponsored?

Freelance visa holders can sponsor the following:

  • Spouse
  • Parents
  • Children

Required Documents

Let’s have a look at the documents required for the freelance visa:

  • Passport with a remaining validity of over 6 months
  • Proof of Employment
  • Freelance license
  • CV
  • Medical Insurance
  • Last three months’ bank statements
  • Legit Travel Papers
  • 3 cm x 4 cm Colored Photograph with a white background
Got a fine ticket in UAE? Now, you can check Emirates ID Fines to cross-check your fines.

Business Visa

Investors and Entrepreneurs can get a UAE business visa by investing 500,000 AED in an Emirates-based company or establishing an innovative company.

Requirements

Let’s have a look at the requirements for the business visa:

  • To get a 10-Year Pass, you must invest 2 Million AED in a new or existing UAE-based company.
  • To get a 10-year Boarding Pass you must establish and sell the company for 7 Million AED.
  • To get a 10 Year Work Permit, your company must make an annual revenue of 1 Million AED.

Who Can Be Sponsored?

Business visa holders can sponsor the following:

  • Unmarried Daughters
  • Unmarried sons under the age of 25
  • Spouse

Required Documents

Let’s have a look at the documents required for the business visa:

  • Business Registration Certificate
  • Establishment Card
  • Passport Copy
  • Medical Examination Certificate
  • Company’s Trade License
  • Bank Confirmation Letter for authorized capital investment
  • Medical Insurance
  • 3 cm x 4 cm Colored Photograph with a white background

Also, explore how to check Labour Card Number with Emirates ID.

Student Visa

Individuals over the age of 18 studying in the UAE can acquire the UAE Student Visa which is valid for 5-10 years.

Requirements

Let’s have a look at the requirements for the student visa:

  • Confirmation of Admission to one of the State Accredited institutions
  • EmSAT Score of 1250, IELTS score of 5.5, or TOEFL iBT score of 70.

Required Documents

You’ll need the following documents for the student visa:

  • Application form
  • Passport Copy
  • Ministry of Education’s issued Equivalent Certificate of Foreign Diploma
  • 3 cm x 4 cm Colored Photograph with a white background
  • Notarized Copy of High School Diploma in Arabic
  • Birth Certificate
  • Language Proficiency Certificate

Employment Visa

The traditional way to get a UAE residence visa is through the employment visa where individuals apply for jobs and once hired, the employer is responsible for applying for the employment on the employee’s behalf.

Requirements

Let’s have a look at the requirements for the employment visa:

  • Experience Certificates
  • Verification fee for the documents attestation
  • Bachelors: 100 AED
  • Ph.D: 200 AED
  • UAE’s Ministry of Education Endorsed Educational Documents

Who Can Be Sponsored?

Employment visa holders can sponsor the following:

  • Spouse
  • Sons (between 18-21 years of age)
  • Unmarried Daughters
  • Parents (if the salary is above 20,000 AED/month)

Required Documents

Let’s have a look at the documents required for the employment visa:

  • Work Permit
  • CV
  • 3 cm x 4 cm Colored Photograph with a white background
  • Passport Copy
  • Notarized Copy of Diploma

How To Apply for a UAE Residence Visa?

Before applying for the UAE Residence Visa, you’ll need an entry permit to enter UAE and your sponsor will apply for your Entry Permit. Let’s get started with the procedure for the residency visa:

  • Step 1: Your sponsor will apply for an entry permit on your behalf which will be valid for 3 months.
  • Step 2: Once you’re in UAE, your sponsor must apply for your residence visa either through the ICP website or the GDRFAD website and he’ll provide the following details:
  • Your Name
  • Date of Brith
  • Nationality
  • Email
  • Step 3: The next step is to pay the fee and your sponsor will be responsible for paying the fee:
  • Request Fee: 100 AED
  • E-Services Fee: 22 AED
  • Smart Service Fee: 100 AED
  • Issue Fee: 100 AED
  • ICP Fee: 22 AED

Once the fee is paid, your residence visa will be affixed to your passport by the GDRFAD and an Emirates ID will be issued to you as well.

How Much Does the UAE Residence Visa Cost?

Although the sponsor is responsible for paying the employee’s residence visa fee still let’s have a look at how much it costs.

Normally, a Residence Visa costs 100 AED for 1 year. The service center fee of 70 AED for in-person and in case online then 40 AED also applies. The detailed cost has been shared below:

  • Request Fee: 100 AED
  • E-Services Fee: 22 AED
  • Smart Service Fee: 100 AED
  • Issue Fee: 100 AED
  • ICP Fee: 22 AED

What is the Difference Between an Entry Permit and a Residence Visa?

An entry permit is just a ticket to enter the UAE and it’s issued for a short-term span such as for three months. However, once the person is in the UAE, then the employer applies for his residence visa which has a long-term validity varying from 1 to 3 years.

Your sponsor is responsible for applying for both; the entry permit and the residence visa.

How To Renew UAE Residence Visa?

Once your residence visa is about to expire, you can ask your employer to renew your visa before the deadline, however, the employer and the employee both must agree to prolong the employment contract.

Once both agree, the below procedure can be followed to renew the residence visa:

  • Step 1: The employer must visit the GDRFAD service centers or visit the GDRFAD website.
  • Step 2: The employer will submit the following information:
  • Employee’s Name
  • Passport Number
  • Emirates ID
  • Date of Birth
  • Nationality
  • Other Necessary Documents
  • Step 3: The next step is to pay the fee.

Once the fee is paid, your residence visa will be renewed successfully and your employer will receive a confirmation text as well.

Residence Visa Cancellation

In case if you want to cancel your residence visa, the below procedure must be followed by the sponsor:

  • Cancellation of employment contract
  • Cancellation forms should be submitted to MoHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation)
  • Sponsor’s signed authorized cancellation paper
  • Cancellation of Labour Card
  • Employee’s Legit Original Passport
  • Cancellation Documents are submitted to the authorities that originally issued them.

You can find more details at UAE Visa Cancellation.

FAQs

Look for the job and once hired, your sponsor will apply for a residence visa in UAE on your behalf.

Previously, the residence visas were valid for 2 years but according to new visa rules in UAE, they’ll be valid for 5 years from now on.

Summary

A comprehensive guide on the UAE Residence Visa has been shared above along with the types of residence visas, their requirements, and how you can get one. Make sure to go through the above guide before applying for the one.

Do let us know if you face any issues while understanding anything mentioned above.

About Author

Sheikh Suleman is an SEO Expert and Legal Services Consultant who has lived in various countries of Gulf since 2018. He’s providing services related to ID and Visa.

He has started this website in order to provide information on ID and Visa Services to all the people who are living in Gulf or wishing to relocate to there.

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