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Visa Types

Transit Visa

These are valid for 14 days and are appropriate for those who are visiting Dubai on short business trips

Visitor Visa

Valid for 30 or 60 days, these visas are applicable to tourists visiting Dubai. If you are visiting prior to deciding whether Dubai is for you, you can do so with a visitor visa.

Employment Visas

The Employment Permit/Visa in Dubai is often referred to as a Labour Card and is issued by the Immigration Department in order to permit a foreign national to work in a UAE company. Anyone working in Dubai who is not a UAE citizen must obtain a labour card prior to beginning work.

Before you can apply for an Employment Visa, you must attend a medical examination to confirm that you are in good health. The examinations are conducted by the Ministry of Health and some private clinics. If you are an HIV or AIDS sufferer, your health card will not be approved and you will not be able to progress with your application for an Employment Visa.

The application for your Labour Card should be submitted to the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs within 30 days of your entry into Dubai. Following this, you should apply for your residency permit (this is stamped in your passport). If you are entering the country on the basis of an employment visa, your employer should complete the formalities of application for the residency permit on your behalf. In all cases, applications for both the Employment Visa and the Residency Permit should be completed within 60 days of your entry into Dubai.

Residence Visa

You must have a residency visa if you are going to live in Dubai and are not a UAE national. You will not be able to open a bank account, register a car, get a telephone connected, or deal with other routine tasks in setting up home in Dubai until you have a residency visa or permit. If you are going to work in Dubai, it is likely that you will be sponsored by your employer, who should make the visa arrangements on your behalf and will explain to you which documents will be required for submission with the visa application. If you are employed from overseas, your employer is responsible for the cost of obtaining your work permit and residency visa. Before you can apply for a residency visa, you must take a medical test and obtain a Health Card, which can be issued by the Ministry of Health or a recognised private hospital. There is an age limit of 50 years for a residency visa, although exceptions may be made to this rule. In general, residence visas are valid for three years.

If you are moving to Dubai with family members, you should obtain a family visa. This allows you to sponsor your family members and there is a minimum earnings level below which the family visa is not available.

Any contact with Israel, including having an Israeli entry stamp in your passport, will preclude you from entry into the UAE.

While in Dubai, you are required to carry identification documents with you at all times. Spot checks may be carried out to identify illegal workers and you can be asked to prove at any time that you are entitled to be living and working in the country.

You can obtain further advice on visa requirements from your consulate.

Do not mix consulate and embassy. The embassy is the representation of the State in a foreign country and is in charge of all the relations with the government of the country where located. The consulate protects and administrates the community coming from his country. However, you must usually live in the country for 6 months before you can register. You will learn all the information by asking the Consulate.