What is a resident visa in the UAE? Ras Al Khaimah free zone visa rules
A resident visa is a document that gives a foreigner the right to live, study, conduct business, buy and rent real estate in the United Arab Emirates. This visa is issued for the period of 3 years, or in some cases, it can be issued for two years. But if you do not violate local laws, visa renewal in the UAE is possible. You can extend this document almost unlimited number of times. A resident visa is a permit to live in the UAE, and such a document actually equates you to the citizens of the Emirates and gives you the right to take advantage of the main opportunities that citizens have:
- Open a bank account in local banks.
- Lease real estate, for commercial activities or living.
- Start training in one of the local higher education institutions.
- Get a job in local companies.
- Travel in the Emirates (tourist visa is not required).
- Feel the benefits of the tax-free environment.
- Enjoy staying in a country with a high standard of living and excellent infrastructure.
- Most of the goods here are rather inexpensive (for example, energy, electronic devices, cars, clothes, etc.).
- Take advantage of the benefits offered to UAE residents regarding automatic tax information exchange – the UAE will not collect and transfer information on accounts owned by residents of the country.
According to Ras Al Khaimah free zone visa rules, if you are not going to stay permanently in the United Arab Emirates, remember that you cannot leave the country for more than 6 months (180 days), otherwise your visa will be canceled, and in order to obtain a new visa you need will initially cancel the old one, which will entail additional costs.
How to get a resident visa in the UAE
According to the current Ras Al Khaimah free zone visa rules, a resident visa in this Emirate can be obtained in three ways:
- Register a company: either a local company (for certain types of business, 51% of the shares should belong to the local partner, in other cases, it is enough to have a local agent-trustee) or onshore company in one of the free zones. Opening a company of this type means you are going to stay and work in the Emirates, which in turn means that you need a resident visa. The government does its best in creating favorable business conditions to meet interests of foreign investors and provide them with a residency without any problems. In this case, you will be able to issue an investor visa.
- Get a job in one of the companies in the country. The UAE government does not demand the owners of companies to have employees from a certain country. But there is one condition – foreigners must stay on the territory of the country legally, which means they need to have a resident visa. Such a visa is issued and paid by the employer himself/herself (including the cost of medical tests and Emirates ID).
- Purchase property. If you like to spend your vacation in the Emirates or have business interests here, a good solution is to get your own house (or apartment). If you purchase a residential property with the price of more than 1 million dirhams, you will receive an investor visa in addition to your profitable investment of course. The same type of visa is granted to owners of onshore and local companies in the Emirates.
The process of obtaining a resident visa (just like the UAE residence visa renewal procedure) involves the collection of certain documents. The list is very coarse – in fact, this is your passport of a foreign citizen and a written confirmation from the employer that you really work in a local company (for real estate owners and business owners – documents confirming property rights), you will need to fill out a form, and that's it!
According to the established procedure for issuing a visa for a resident, an employer is responsible for processing documents for employees. In the event that a visa is received for the purchase of real estate or the registration of a company, a foreigner himself/herself will be engaged in the process of obtaining a visa, as well as in the case of a UAE residence visa renewal procedure. But, it should be noted that there is another way – to apply for help to a consulting company, as a rule, the registration of a resident visa is included in the set of standard services of business consultants in the UAE.
Obtaining a residence visa, UAE residence visa renewal fees
Now let's talk about the cost of issuing a residence visa and the UAE residence visa renewal fees. The registration of a residence visa in this country can cost you about $1,100 (if you will carry out the whole process by yourself and pay only the state fee) or up to $7,000 ... $8,000 (together with payment for the services of a consulting company). After three years, it is necessary to pass a visa renewal visa procedure. The UAE residence visa renewal fees include a compulsory state fee of 4,000 dirhams (about $1,100). A resident visa, unlike a tourist visa, is an A4 document, which must be kept into your passport and always be available to confirm the legality of your stay in the Emirates.
In addition to the resident visa, you will also receive a card that will help to identify you – Emirates ID. This identification card is very convenient and has a small size (like an ordinary bank card), it is more convenient to always carry it with you than a passport with a residence visa. In addition, Emirates ID includes all the basic information about the resident, and it allows you to identify and confirm that you have a valid visa. The Emirates ID cannot be obtained without a residence permit.
Conclusion
UAE in every possible way encourages the influx of foreign investors and highly qualified specialists into the country, and to a large extent, this is facilitated by the simplicity and ease of issuing a resident visa for an investor and an employee. And even taking this into account, the process can be more simplified by applying for help to a consulting company – they will take on the whole organization of the process so that you will save yourself from the cares of getting a visa.
