Dubai visit visa on your mobile-- DNRD

Dubai’s Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) says its mobile application will soon enable residents to apply for a visa using their mobile phones.

Major-General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director-General of the Directorate told  that certain services of the DNRD have been operational on the e- platform for quite a while now.

Col Khalid Nasser Al Razouqi, Assistant Director-General of e-Service at DNRD who conducted the briefing about the new mobile application said the app is being implemented in two phases.

In the first phase, users will only be allowed to renew and cancel visas.

The second phase will incorporate more extensive services like incorporating the complete visa application process through the mobile app and thereby totally avoiding the typing centre.

The  app is being developed by Emartech. ‘Naqadi’ the payment gateway built and managed by Emartech will be incorporated into the application to manage visa payments and other fees and charges of DNRD.

According to Al Razouqi the application should be completely up and running incorporating all features by the end of next year.

Health card, insurance mandatory to obtain UAE residence visa

A valid health card or valid health insurance is a prerequisite to obtain a residence visa in the UAE.

The Ministry of Health confirmed that newcomers to the UAE are obliged to have a valid health card or a valid health insurance in order to get a residence visa, reported Al Ittihad newspaper.

The ministry, in a circular sent to all departments of preventive medicine and registration centres, urged them to inform applicants to pay fees for health card or health insurance in order to complete the transaction.

The MoH circular No 1001 of 2013 stressed on the non-issuance of health fitness certificates without the health card or health insurance.

The circular also stressed that no health card or health fitness certificates can be issued without verifying the fee receipt.

Al Ittihad reported that the ministry took this step following manipulation by some companies in the Northern Emirates, which obtained health fitness certificates for workers without issuing them health cards, in order to save money

Property investors will be able to save Dh30,000 plus in court fees - New Dubai committee to settle property dispute for free.

“The committee will aim to resolves disputes and issue refunds to investors by auctioning the project,” said Sultan Butti Bin Mejren, Director General, DLD.
“People who generally pay over Dh30,000 in court fees will not have to pay anything. The committee will work free of charge,” he added.
No details were shared how investors could file their claims and the time taken to resolve the disputes.
Emirates 24l7 reported that developers had started putting notices of project cancellations, a move that has gained pace after the government set up a committee to liquidate and settle claims on cancelled projects.
The notices being published are as per the regulation set by Dubai’s Real Estate Regulatory Agency (Rera).
The notices generally give claimants two weeks' time from the first date of publishing of the notice to submit their claims with Rera’s liquidation department. Claimants are asked to provide property reservation form, original property agreement, passport copy and original payment receipts.
In July, the Dubai government issued Decree No. (21) of 2013 setting up a special legal committee for the liquidation of cancelled property projects and the settlement of rights disputes related to such projects.
Rera said earlier it would not release in public the list of cancelled projects, but stated investors in cancelled projects are notified through email.
As per Dubai government’s bond prospectus issued in 2012, 217 projects have been cancelled as of May 31, 2011.
Rera data reveals that 187 projects have been completed since the beginning of 2009; 253 projects are on hold; 232 projects are likely to be completed in due course.
Each of these 253 registered projects is likely to qualify for either the Tayseer or the Tanmia initiative, the bond prospectus said.
In its August newsletter, UAE-based Hadef & Partners law firm said: “It appears Decree 21 will create greater certainty, and a faster and more inexpensive process for aggrieved purchasers to make claims.
"However, given that the decree applies only to projects that have been cancelled by Rera, it is too soon to assess with any accuracy how dramatic the impact of Decree 21 will be in the property market.”

Property investors will be able to save Dh30,000 plus in court fees as the Dubai Land Department (DLD) will set up a new settlement committee from next week to resolve disputes.

Dubai property registration fee doubled to 4% from october 6th

Dubai Sharjah Ajman Abu dhabi Properties: Dubai property registration fee doubled to 4% from...: The Dubai The Dubai Land Department (DLD) on Sunday announced the doubling of the property registration fee to 4 per cent of the control from 2 per cent earlier.

The new registration fees covers all property transactions in the emirate of Dubai except for the industrial sector, including warehouses.

The new fee structure will start to be implemented from October 6, 2013.

DLD Director-General Sultan Butti bin Mejren said: "The move is aimed to stop quick transactions (flipping) which are unhealthy for the market and result in sudden price increases. “The decision has come at the right time… the market has matured and investor confidence is growing. The move in not likely to have any negative impact."

Mejren pointed out that 110 countries in the world had higher property registration rates than Dubai, citing United Kingdom, which charges 4-10 per cent, France 8 per cent and India 7.3 per cent.

As per the decree, the fee will be split 2 per cent each between the buyer and seller. Although the previous law did specify one per cent each for the seller and buyer, in practice the buyer always paid the two per cent.  Mortgage registration fees remain same at 0.25 per cent of the mortgage value to encourage end-users.

No rollback

Asked if the department would consider delaying the implementation, Mejren asserted in no way the decision would be rolled out.

“The mechanism to issue laws in Dubai has evolved. We took almost three months to finalise the decision and I was been reviewed by the financial and legal department and even by investors. The law has been issued and is being executed. There is no way it will be revised.” Although the government hopes to slow down the price rise and discourage flippers, some experts believe this will not discourage genuine buyers because the price increases are based on real demand in Dubai property and not flipping.

Expatriate residents in UAE to pay Dh500 for health cards from Spetember

Dubai – Expatriate residents will have to pay a fee of Dh500 for issuing and renewing their health cards that will enable them to receive medical treatment at government hospitals and facilities across the UAE.

The move is in line with the Cabinet resolution, issued by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The decision provides for levying Dh500 for issuing and renewing health cards for expats of all ages. It will come into force on September 30, the Ministry of Health announced today. Earlier, the health card issuance or renewal fee was Dh300.

Shaikh Mohammad has issued resolution No 18 for 2013 concerning the fees of health cards and curative and diagnostic services for non-nationals.

According to the resolution, an additional fee of Dh300 will be charged for the issue of a health card in lieu of a lost one.

Article No 3 of the decision stipulates that the fees will be levied against curative and diagnostic services provided by the Ministry of Health to expats holding health cards. These fees will be doubled for those who do not hold ministry-issued health cards.