Mission visa in Dubai and Abu Dhabi UAE

There are two types of visa which are referred to as Mission Visas in Dubai and the UAE.

Special Mission Entry Visa - this is a 16 day visa also known as a Dubai transit visa (but is not the same as a 96 hour transit visa). It is valid for single entry only, and is not renewable. Issued by the DNRD or other UAE NRD.

Mission Visa - this is a 90 day visa (not 3 months) for the purposes of allowing expats to work for a short time in the UAE, or for workers on probation, and is applied for at the Labour Department by the sponsoring company. It may be renewable and/or multi-entry (conflicting information supplied by official sources).

Mission Visa application

A Mission Visa needs to be applied for at the UAE Ministry of Labour (MOL), not the immigration department / DNRD / FNRD (which is presumably why you won't find it on the DNRD website list of visas).

Mission Visa application needs to be submitted by the PRO of the sponsoring company.

Photo and passport are required, after the Temporary Labour Permit is received, the applicant then needs to do a medical test to complete the application and receive something called a Mission Card (presumably equivalent to the Labour Card).

The Mission Visa is valid 60 days before entry to the UAE, the holder can stay up to 90 days after entry, and it is renewable once for another period of 90 days.

Cost of Mission Visa is 500-600 dhs, renewing costs another 500-600 dhs (or 1200 dhs according to some sources). When visa rules changed in July 2008, reports said it cost 200 dhs and was not renewable but information received in May 2009 was that it cost 500 dhs and was renewable. Add an update to the Mission Visa Dubai topic if you can clarify. MOL website procedure for Electronic Mission Permit (EMP) says AED 100 application fee + AED 500 for approval + AED 3000 deposit. And for renewal says AED 500 + AED 500 penalty if renewal applied for more than 7 days after expiry of original permit.

Refundable depost of AED 3000 dhs is required.

There may be a restriction on job title for female applicants (engineers only?).

Transferring from Mission Visa to normal work permit and labour card is possible, not clear if employee must leave the UAE or not. Latest information (May 2009) is no, but back in July 2008, Humaid bin Deemas, Acting-General Manager of the MOL, was reported as saying "The engineer must leave the country because the mission visa was issued for three months and extended for three months. Hence, the worker must depart from the country and the company can then apply for an employment visa to bring him back and complete the formalities of either residence or employment visa," (Khaleej Times 22 July 2008).

If the applicant is already in the UAE (on a tourist or visit visa for example), they might have to leave the UAE to cancel their tourist / visit visa, and re-enter on the Mission VisaPrevious Mission Visa information

Mission Visa infomormation valid prior to new visa rules introduced in July 2008. Out of date but left here for reference and comparison with other undated information.



The Mission Visa was introduced late 2007 / early 2008 and intended for people working in the UAE temporarily with the permission of the Labour Ministry. The DNRD website information is not very clear - this information comes from articles in the press.

Visa is issued for 3 months, cost is 600 dhs. Extension for another 3 months costs 1200 dhs. Maximum stay is 180 days (so if you stay 6 months, you may be in trouble for the extra couple of days although there is apparently a grace period of 7 days for 3 month visas - may not apply for the second 3 months).
Apparently you need to get a Temporary Work Permit from the Ministry of Labour first before applying for the Mission Visa. MOL website does not have further information about a TWP (at least, not in English).
According to the Interior Ministry, it is only available to expatriate doctors, engineers, lawyers and technicians.
29 September 2007 - New 6 month Mission Visa (superseded by new rules July 2008)
The Ministry of Labour is apparently planning to introduce a new visa, the Mission Visa, valid for residency and employment up to six months. Cost of the Mission Visa is expected to be 1200 dhs. This sounds similar to an already existing Mission Visa, but with no restrictions on job categories. It may be possible to change a Mission Visa to a normal Employment Visa. Information from report in Emirates Today 28 Sep 2007 about the new Mission Visa

visit visa clarification

18 January 2010 - there are press reports that visit visa holders must stay away from the UAE for 30 days after exit before a new visa can be issued, resulting in some confusion over the "new" rule. It's not that new - it was announced when visa rules changed in July 2008. The rule does not apply to citizens of countries who can get a free visa on arrival in the UAE. Note that tourist visas and visit visas on arrival are renewable once.

HE Humaid Mohamed Obaid Al Qutami, Minister of Education, officially opens

The Office Exhibition, sponsored by Hewlett Packard, was inaugurated today by HE Humaid Mohamed Obaid AL Qutami, Minister of Education. Taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre, the exhibition will run from 9 to 11 February, 11am to 7pm each day, with free entry for visitors. The exhibition will feature over 250 companies and brands from around the globe showcasing everything from office furniture to the latest office technology.

The only exhibition of its kind in the Middle East, The Office Exhibition will occupy a space of over 15,000m2 . Split into four main sectors (technology, interiors, furniture and consultancy), the show features exhibitors from 25 countries, including USA, Italy, Spain, UK and Germany. They will be showcasing everything from high-end office chairs to storage wall systems, and acoustics to IT products and solutions.

New for 2010, The Office Awards provide an additional avenue for exhibitors to highlight their innovative products and designs, and cover a number of categories, including seating, files and storage, and tables. Sponsored by Bene and judged by Gensler, Cityscape, EMS and Reliance FM & Green Technologies amongst others, the Awards were presented to the winners today by Bernard Walsh, Managing Director of dmg world media. Two USA companies fared well, with Allsteel being awarded two Gold Awards (for Stride - Furniture Systems and Encircle – Lounge Seating) and a Silver Award (for Villi – Public Seating); and Izzy+ receiving three Silver Awards (for Dewey – Education, Olivia – Public Seating, and Eliott – Worksurfaces). Boss Design from the UK also scooped three awards, one Gold (for Kruze – Guest Seating) and Two Silver (for Lily – Task Seating, and Pegasus – Tables).

Another debut feature for this year’s show is The Future Office, which is a design collaboration between some of the leading companies in the region. It will provide a visionary look at the shape of the office in years to come, and will consider a work environment that optimises employee health, safety, motivation and productivity (otherwise known as the science of ergonomics).

This year’s show will also feature Office Talks, which will address some of the most important issues surrounding the commercial sector, such as sustainability, coping with tough market conditions and ergonomics. Speakers include Siddarth Peters, Managing Director of The Total Office, Nick Burnett, Design Director of Cityspace and Philp K. Mathew, Syndicated Research Manager at Ventures Middle East, who will be discussing commercial sector development within the GCC.

The now well-established Loft Student Design Competition will be another of this year’s attractions, thanks to sponsors Frezza SpA. Providing a great opportunity for upcoming local talent to demonstrate their skills within the design and architecture industry, students will be competing to design a meeting table or area, workstation, reception desk and office lamp. Winners of the much sought after award will win a week long trip to the design capital of Europe Italy, where they will be able to visit the famous international design fair in Milan, as well as visiting Frezza’s office in Venice where they will be able to get a real feel for how the company works.

Sinead Bridgett, Show Director, The Office Exhibition, said, “The Office Exhibition 2010 will truly be a one stop shop, bringing together key players from the commercial office design sector, in addition to leading technology companies. In addition to a fabulous show, our other new features, such as the Future Office, make The Office Exhibition a must attend event for anyone in the commercial sector.“Particular note goes to the winners of the first ever Office Awards. We were delighted with the success of this new feature, both in terms of quantity of applications and quality of products. I am confident that the winners will benefit from their involvement.”

Exhibitors include: The Total Office, Unifor, H2O Concepts, Knoll/Al Reyami, Archi Gaza, Impact Design International, Boss Design, The Office & Co, Rockworth, QED Advanced Systems, MECO, Point Export, Della Valentia Office, Sirianni, and CPU Holders 4 U.

Credit card bill worries In Dubai

A reader from India asks: I lost my job suddenly and went back to India, but my bank filed a case against me in court regarding my credit card bill. The bank is not negotiating to settle the amount reasonably. What can be done to close this issue? I am in India right now.

I would like to advise the questioner to settle the issue with the bank amicably by way of trying to reschedule the debt and repayment in comfortable instalments or payment of the amount currently required by the bank otherwise the questioner has no choice but to await the court judgment if the bank remits the matter to the competent court.

Questions answered by Advocate Mohammad Ebrahim Al Shaiba of Al Bahar Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Visa cannot be cancelled when the person is not in the country

A reader from Dubai asks: The company that I work for sent me abroad on business for five months and I will be returning to Dubai in two weeks, but I received a call two days ago saying the Labour Department wants to check my passport. I’m afraid they’ve cancelled my visa and no one at the company is answering the phone. Can they cancel the visa or make any problems for me while I’m away?

I would like to clarify to the questioner that the company may not take any action against the questioner or cancel his visa while he is abroad, especially if the questioner has a letter from the company to the effect that he is working outside the country. Therefore, once the questioner returns to the country he shall contact the company to inquire about such matters or to go to the Ministry of Labour if he finds that matters are going against his interest.

Questions answered by Advocate Mohammad Ebrahim Al Shaiba of Al Bahar Advocates and Legal Consultants.