Visas & Customs Requirements

Employment:

The work visa is a multiple-entry visa: you can leave and re-enter the country anytime without additional formalities. You must get a work contract or a job offer from a local company or a foreign company based in Dubai to qualify. Your employer in Dubai (the sponsor) has to initiate the procedure by requesting a work visa for you at the Immigration Department. Fees apply and expenses for the visa and are normally taken in charge by your employer. If requirements are met, you will get your labour card once your work contract is validated.

Once the labour card in your possession, you have to apply for a residence visa, valid for 3 years and renewable. A residence visa is mandatory for foreigners settling in Dubai. The residence visa is issued by the immigration office in Dubai and is not related to consular services of your country. In order to get a residence visa, you must provide evidence of residence in Dubai (lease or rental agreement). Note that your residence visa will allow you to sponsor your dependants.

To apply for a residence visa, you must hold a valid passport, be aged between 18 to 60 (over 60 for certain professions), be healthy and possess particular skills or qualifications needed in the country. HIV, tuberculosis or hepatitis C tests are systematically carried out, and in case of infection, you will not be allowed to live and work in the Emirates.

Your credentials need to be authenticated both by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by the embassy or consulate of the UAE in your home country.

Employment Situation:

There is no such thing as minimum wage, and because of this, there are people working 8 to 12 hours a day for Dhs. 30 (US$ 8), but this is normally for unskilled labourers. Skilled individuals normally have fixed timings of work and a fixed salary, which is paid around the beginning of each completed month. A regular individual will normally make between Dhs. 2,000 (US$ 548) and Dhs. 4,000 (US$ 1,096) per month. You won't find jobs that pay per hour or companies that will pay wages at the end of each week.