Dh1,000 deposit for issuing UAE visa could be waived for certain nationalities
By Samir Salam, Associate Editor
Published: July 27, 2008, 15:18
Abu Dhabi: Deposits for issuing visas could be waived for certain nationalities, said a top official on Sunday.
The Dh1,000 mandatory deposit for issuing visit, transit and some other types of visas could be waived for certain nationalities, said Brigadier Nasser Al Awadi Al Minhali, Acting Director-General of the Federal Naturalisation and Residency Department.
The criteria for waiving the deposit depends on adherence to the new rules and regulations by the visa-seeking nationalities; the less violation of the rules, the more the chance of a deposit waiver, said the official.
Brig Al Minhali predicted the new visa regulations which will take effect from tomorrow would uproot all visitors who overstay their welcome by December.
Concerning visit visas for friends, Brig Al Minhali said residents would not be allowed to bring in friends on visit visas.
Free entry unchanged
Only Emiratis will be allowed to sponsor friends on a visit visa, which is also conditional, said the official.
"Residents can apply for a visa for their spouse or blood relative. Expatriates will not be allowed to sponsor friends. And sponsoring other blood relatives will require the approval of an undersecretary of the Interior Ministry or their representative," he said.
Brig Al Minhali said a visit visa holder would be allowed to enter the UAE once within two months from the date of issue of the visa.
The UAE will not charge 34 nationalities for an entry visa and the free entry permit on arrival will remain unchanged, Brig Al Minhali said.
Citizens of the 34 countries including the UK, US, Australia, Japan and Brunei and Singapore, will also not be subject to the Dh1,000 deposit or the health insurance applicable to subjects of all other countries.
On how authorities will stop short trips to neighbouring countries to change visit visas commonly known as "visa runs", Brig Al Minhali said visitors wanting to apply for a new visit visa after the expiry of their visa, must go back to their home countries. But he did not speak of any time frame of how long they would have to stay abroad before they could apply for a new visa.
"The system will allow people to come back to the UAE soon but there must be a valid reason as each application will be studied thoroughly before a visa is issued. We will be tracking applicants and sponsors and based on their records, a visa may or may not be issued," he clarified.
People applying for any visa will have to pay a refundable deposit of Dh1,000 and be covered by health insurance.
Separate visas will be issued for various purposes such as medical treatment or studies.
"We will know why each person is coming here and the sponsor will be responsible for the visitor. Individual and corporate sponsors will be blacklisted if the system is misused. This will address the issue of illegal overstayers, a problem that is expected to disappear by December," Al Minhali said.
Misuse
Lieutenant Colonel Rashid Sultan Al Khadar, director of the legal department at the Ministry of Interior, said a visit visa may still be converted to a work visa, but residency departments may decide otherwise to prevent misuse of this facility, he said.
"Applicants may be asked to go back to their home country and wait for the work visa, which will be authorised by the Ministry of Labour," he said.
Changes: effective tomorrow- Residents can apply for a 30-day or 90-day visit visa for their spouse or blood relatives of 1st or 2nd degree only.
- Expatriates will no longer be allowed to sponsor friends, and all visitors should have health insurance cover. A Dh1,000 refundable deposit is mandatory for all visas.
- Medical treatment visas for 90 days and renewable once for a similar period can only be applied through licensed hospitals and clinics.
- Education visas for 60 days and renewable twice for a similar period can only be applied for by a licensed educational institution.
- Exhibition, festival and conference visas for 30 days, non-renewable, can only be applied for by the organisers.
- Tourist visas for 30 days and renewable once for a similar period can only be applied for by a licensed hotel, a travel or a tourism agency.
- Visit visas for 60 days, renewable twice for a similar period, can be obtained for domestic helpers who accompany citizens of GCC countries.
- Residents in GCC countries and their domestic helpers can obtain a 30-day visit visa, renewable once for a similar period.