Dubai has several options allowing you to self-sponsor yours and your family’s residency. Remote Working Visa grants you a one-year visa, renewable. Leaving you enough time to assess if you plan to stay here long term and find your next long term visa scheme.
UPDATE NOTE: As the residency rules keep evolving, we would recommend you to keep you updated on the latest schemes on the official website.
There are many ways to settle in Dubai or UAE. And the Government is very incline to allow more talented people to come to the country. They are constantly increasing the possible ways to come to UAE. Indeed, there are Gold visa (10-years), Green Visa (5-years), Freelance Visa (2-years) and Remote Visa (1-year). The 10-year Gold visa is targeting professionals and exceptional talents and/or investors. The Green Visa is more targeting skilled talents and freelancers to come to UAE. If you have more than 55 years old, you are eligible to a 5-year Retirement Visa. Finally, the Remote Visa enables global remote workers to continue to work remotely from Dubai. This is this scheme that we used and will detail the process for you.
Remote work visa
First you need to go to the Dubai Tourism Official website. Applicants need the following:
- Passport with a minimum of 6 months validity.
- Health insurance with UAE coverage validity.
- For employees:
- Proof of employment from a current employer with a one-year contract validity, a minimum of US$3,500 per month salary, last month’s payslip and 3 preceding months’ bank statements.
- For business owners:
- Proof of ownership of the company for one year or more, subject to extension, with an average monthly income of US$3,500 per month or its equivalent in foreign currencies and 3 preceding months’ bank statements.
- Proof of work/employment outside the United Arab Emirates and that the work is conducted remotely.
Please note that when we used this scheme a few months back, we were interacting with a Travel Agency who was representing the Dubai Tourism. As the rules changed in October 2022, the process has evolved. All applications (new applications and renewals) will be reviewed and processed by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai (GDRFAD).
Documents to provide
Passport valid at least 6 months
The 6-months validity is a standard time frame to apply for any visa anywhere in the world. However, as everything will be linked to this passport and its visa, I would strongly recommend renewing your passport before applying if you have less than 12 months validity. The fees associated with each step in the residency adds up very fast and can be significant, thus I would suggest minimizing the ‘expensive’ administrative fees in UAE.
Health Insurance with UAE
My credit card issuer is offering some basic health insurance as a travel insurance when I purchase my plane tickets. This is exactly what we did. We bought our plane tickets and requested a document specifying the Health insurance coverage. It usually allows you enough time to get your local Health Insurance in UAE. Keep in mind that it is illegal not to have a Health insurance in UAE, and medical expenses are far from cheap. As a reference, a GP visit will cost you roughly US$100!
Proof of employment
You need to show a work contract which started at least 3 months before you apply for the visa. You should earn at least US$3,500 per month, in whatever currency. The last 3 month’s payslip (or salary certificates) are needed. And finally, you need to share your last 3 months’ bank statement listing out the bank transfers for your salary. Sometimes, your bank will allow to generate a bank statement whenever you need it, without having to wait for the next bank statement cycle. It can be useful and save you a few weeks in your application.
Application
Once you have all these documents available, you can create a username and password, choose the service required labelled ‘Golden Visa’ and submit their application through the GDFRA portal. At this stage, you are applying only for one person. Once this application is successful and the applicant has his residency permit and Emirates ID, the applicant can then sponsor the other members of his family.
If you have a family, we recommend you read our valuable post about early years education. It will help you understand which curriculum are available and their key difference. And ultimately it will help you find the best kintergarden / maternelle for your lovely precious one(s).
Note: Payment of processing fee does not guarantee approval of the application. Any subsequent fees may change based on the country of citizenship, on the application service required, and whether you are applying from the UAE or from overseas. You can also apply for the programme from Dubai.
In a next post, we will detail the process and the fees associated to get your Emirates ID. The key that will unlock all the following activities to settle properly:
- opening a bank account
- obtaining a check book
- renting a home
- transferring your international driver’s license
- buying a car
- hiring a helper / nanny for your home
The residency is just the first step but a must. Let us show you the way.
Which scheme have you used to settle in Dubai and why? Would you still recommend it? Welcome to Dubai and Happy FireCracking!
image: https://www.visitdubai.com/
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