The Federal Office for Identification and Citizenship of the United Arab Emirates has introduced a new type of visa – they will be valid for six months and will give the right to multiple entry into the country.
Visas are intended for applicants for a “golden” residence permit – certain categories of citizens who apply for resident visas to the UAE for 5 or 10 years. It is expected that within six months, applicants can complete all formalities and obtain a long-term visa, while they are free to leave the country and travel.
The cost of a six-month visa is 1150 dirhams, after which it can be extended. Investors, entrepreneurs, doctors and scientists, inventors and doctoral holders, athletes, creative workers, programmers and researchers, as well as prominent school and university students can apply for such a visa.
You can apply at https://smartservices.ica.gov.ae. If the application requires clarification, it is necessary to make them within 30 days and re-send the request. After the third return of the application, it is automatically canceled – in this case you will need to re-submit the documents.
It is worth recalling that the system of “golden” visas was initiated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and the ruler of Dubai. More than 7,000 visas have been issued since the program was launched. You can apply for a “golden” visa at https://business.goldenvisa.ae/. All interested government agencies will also be able to check the status of the application. Visas are issued for 5 or 10 years.
Even today, the owners of the privilege include investors, scientists, athletes and members of their families, as well as other gifted foreigners. In total, representatives of 103 nationalities received 10-year resident visas. The new system has become a driver of growth for the real estate sector. In particular, buyers of real estate in the UAE with an investment of 5 million dirhams (US $ 1.36 million) can apply for “golden” visas.
Writers, authors, designers, historians and researchers in various fields of knowledge, arts, etc. can apply for “golden” visas. To apply, they must be residents of the UAE, have published works or participate in exhibitions, invest in the UAE, and devote 36 hours a year to volunteer work.
From December 1, 2020, the Dubai authorities will significantly expand the system of 10-year “golden” visas in order to attract and retain highly qualified foreigners in its territory. In particular, any doctor, as well as scientists from various fields and experts in the field of data processing can apply for a 10-year resident visa. Applications for “golden” visas can be submitted by engineers in the fields of electronics, computer science and programming, as well as students of a number of universities with average scores of 3.8 and higher.