Introduction – Visa 6 Months UAE Visa Outside
The United Arab Emirates (“UAE”) now allows stays longer than 6 months outside the UAE, for a reason, when you hold a UAE resident visa.
The UAE is in full economic, socio-cultural and governmental boom. Being one of the countries that leads the world rankings and a pioneer in terms of tourist destination and location as a regional and world hub with an enviable tax system, the UAE is a location to be seriously considered by international businessmen and high net worth individuals.
Currently there are many clients who decide to establish companies in the UAE thanks to the connection that exists in this country with numerous foreign businessmen. Which encourages a great interaction with other parts of the world and as a consequence the internationalization of a brand/company in record time.
From our firm, RUBERT & PARTNERS, we dedicate ourselves daily to advising our clients on the best way to incorporate a company in the UAE, informing about the different Free Zones depending on the corporate purpose and modus operandi of the client, it is very important, for example, knowing the location where clients will be located, to the extent possible, of course. Being recognized as a Spanish-speaking firm in the UAE, we invite you to take a look at our website to learn more about our services.
During the process of setting up a company in the UAE, there are many questions that our clients ask themselves before embarking on the new venture. However, a question that is undoubtedly repeated and worries future investors and/or executive directors is how often should I visit the UAE so that my visa is not cancelled?
Until just a few days ago, we informed our clients of the duty to travel every 6 months. That is, every 6 months, the person who has a visa in the UAE must at least make a stopover in one of the country’s emirates, in order for their visa to remain active.
However, the UAE, in its initiative to continue growing and fostering ties with other countries, has very recently announced an exception to the regulations.
Looking back about a year ago, the UAE authorities announced the change of the country’s weekend, going from the traditional (non-business Fridays and Saturdays) to the European (non-business Saturdays and Sundays) in their drive to forge ties with other countries neighbors.
In line with this openness and desire to adjust to the different requirements of its future investors, the UAE has just announced that UAE visa holders that are out of the country for more than 6 months, will be able to re-apply for an “Entry Permit” that allows them to re-enter the country.
Requirements and Procedure
To apply for this type of service we must take into account the following factors: ·
- Applicants of this re-entry permit must specify the reason why they remained outside the country for more than 6 months, as well as provide the documentation that justifies such reason.
- To apply for this service, you can do it from the website of the Federal Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security Authority (ICP), in the section ‘Issue permit for staying outside UAE over 6 months’ and can be found under ‘smart services ‘.
- The subject that applies this type of request may re-enter the country once the UAE authorities authorize their entry again.·
This approval process by the ICP authorities may take between 10-15 days. Once the approval is obtained, the ICP system generates a fine that, a priori, is rumoured to be ranged between AED100 – AED 150 for each month of stay outside the country.
Every day there are more people who must return to their countries of origin for an extended period to attend personal matters. Surely COVID was a great instigator of this change but also the high caliber of residents in Dubai and the high attraction of profiles that for work, only for work, can justify this absence (elite athletes for example).
As COVID has taught us, there are also health, personal or family circumstances that could justify this continued absence.
In summary, we see that the UAE, in its eagerness to want to satisfy people who have businesses in the UAE (and to humanise themselves with the different circumstances they may suffer) has introduced an exception to the general rule that we knew of up to now.
This change is possibly linked to the recent change at the end of 2022 in the concept of residence in the UAE, accepting as residents in some cases those who spend only 3 months in the UAE instead of 6 as previously.
We hope this post will help you understand the new exception regarding stays longer than 6 months outside the UAE and we remain available for any questions regarding this post of general application.
For more information published in English you can visit all our publications at this link as well as the videos in English of our Managing Partner Maria Rubert.
*The information on this page is not intended to be legal advice. This article is intended to provide an initial introduction to the visa amendments in the UAE.