20 second immigration clearence at all UAE airports within few months

 The smart gates now available at Dubai International Airport and Abu Dhabi Airport provide residents as well as visitors easy passing through the immigration formalities in 20 seconds approximately.

Registration for the e-Gate is required and it will save the details of the traveller in the system. Currently, registration in Dubai only provides access at Dubai’s airport, and registration in Abu Dhabi only to the airport in the capital.

This is soon to change, explained Saif Al Mazrouei of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) at Gitex Technology Week.

“All e-Gates will be unified and all airports will work together, so an e-Gate user will only be required to register once.”

Currently e-Gate registration is available free-of-charge at the airports where the technology is available, at GDRFA service centers and at Dnata offices. The applicant needs to be able to present a valid passport and residency visa.

Once registered, the long queues at the immigration desk of the airport can be skipped, and the traveller can head directly to the e-Gate. Here, he will first be asked to present the passport, after which a first gate opens.

An eye scan will verify whether the person is indeed the same as the passport holder, and the passport validity will be checked. When both verifications are successful, the second gate will open and the process will be complete.

The current system is an updated version of the older e-Gate system, which required passengers to present an e-Gate card that had to be purchased.

Although the old e-Gate system was available at all airports, the new technology was only recently introduced as a trial basis, and will be expanded to all airports before the year-end.

Within the next couple of months, the latest e-Gate technology will become available at all airports in the country. Once a person has registered as an e-Gate user, this will provide access to e-Gates of all airports in the UAE.

Dh20,000 fine for 'visa trading' firms in UAE

Companies involved in visa trading without any other business will be fined Dh20,000 in line with a federal cabinet decision that was enforced in August.

The penalty could reach Dh50,000 in case the company repeated that offence within a year, according to the new decision issued by the Dubai-based daily Al Bayan.

It said the decision is intended to crack down on “fake” companies which are registered in the UAE but are not involved in any business except trading in visas for expatriates.

“This is a very serious phenomenon as it gives rise to illegal migrants at a time when the country is locked in a drive to end anarchy and ensure stability,” the paper said, quoted an official at the ministry of interior.

UAE slashes cost of property investor visa by 45%

The UAE has slashed the cost of getting a property visa by 45 per cent, a move that could see more foreign property owners spending time in the country.The six-month visa, which was Dh2,000 prior to August 1, will now cost Dh1,100.

The conditions continue to remain the same and include property valuation to be above Dh1 million, the owner requiring an income of Dh10,000 per month, the property has to be ready, etc.

Property owners have welcomed the reduction in the cost.Though no official numbers are available as to how many property visas have been issued by the immigration departments across the emirate, industry sources say property visa is popular mostly among Russians, Iranians and Pakistanis.

“These nationalities mostly tend to apply for property visa for their families,” industry sources said.

Over Dh37 billion were pumped into Dubai’s property market by more than 140 nationalities with total transaction crossing Dh113 billion in the first six months 2014.

UAE to issue emergency entry permits valid for 4 days

The UAE will issue emergency entry permits, as per Cabinet decision No 22 for 2014, regulating naturalisation and residency services.

According to a report in 'Al Khaleej', travellers on an airline sponsorship will be eligible for an emergency entry permit valid for four days against a payment of Dh100.

The report quotes Brigadier Dr Rashid Sultan Al Khodr, Vice-President of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Interior and official spokesperson of Naturalisation, Residency and Ports Affairs.

Al Khodr said that the permit will be granted to travellers in emergency cases at air terminals, including when a traveler is sick or a flight is cancelled due to bad weather conditions or a technical fault in the aircraft.

The report quoted Al Khodr as pointing out that the emergency entry permit is in keeping with the pace of development at all airports across the country. It also addresses the situation of emergency traffic at airports.

"Entry permits for studies or treatment has not been changed, but has been amended. These are now valid for multiple entry," Al Khodr said, adding that these amendments are in order to facilitate medical tourism and facilitate the quick and easy movement of beneficiaries.

New visa fee system in UAE from August 1st 2014

Effective on Friday, the employment visa for a worker sponsored by governmental bodies will cost Dh200 per year, while the visa charge for workers employed by the private sector or free zones will be Dh250 per year.
A new visa fee structure signed by Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, states that the residence visa for an investor or partner will cost Dh250 per year.
The residence visa for a family member of a worker employed by governmental bodies will cost Dh200 per year, while the charge for workers employed by private businesses and free zones as well as investors and partners of businesses will be Dh250.
Renewal of the residence visa will cost Dh200 per year for a family member of a worker employed by governmental bodies, private sector or free zones, while the renewal charge for investors and partners will be Dh250 per year.
The entry permit or its renewal for domestic workers sponsored by Emiratis or citizens of GCC countries will cost Dh150 per year, while the charge for workers sponsored by foreigners will be Dh200. The visa for a domestic helper sponsored by an investor or a partner will cost Dh250.

The new measures will include the issuing of a new array of entry permits and visas, such as multiple entry permits for visit or work; the activation of study visas, and entry permits for medical care and attending conferences.

• A multiple tourist entry permit will cost Dh200, while multiple entry visa for work will cost Dh2,100.
• A visit visa for residents in GCC countries will cost Dh200, while its renewal will cost Dh700.
• An entry permit for study or training will cost Dh550, while its renewal will cost Dh600.
• An entry permit for medical treatment will cost Dh550, while a multiple entry visa for treatment will cost Dh1,400. The same fees will be applicable to patients’ companions.
• The renewal of a visa for treatment will cost Dh500, while the charge for the companions will be Dh600.
• The transit visa issued to travellers transiting through UAE airports for 96 hours and sponsored by an airline operating in the country, will cost Dh100.
• A Dh5,000 refundable deposit will be collected for cancelling a sponsor’s residence visa without cancelling the visas of the sponsored family members, according to the decision signed by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The deposit will be refunded once the sponsor adjusts their status.

A Dh3,000 refundable deposit will be collected for sponsorship of each family member for a female investor, while a Dh5,000 refundable deposit will be collected for humanitarian cases determined by the Minister of the Interior.

The new Cabinet decision sets up a fund for the deportation of violators of the residency rules. Resources for the fund will come from deposits encashed after applicants fail to honour their obligations under the law.

A Dh100 fine will be imposed on users of residency department portals who fail to fill in applications accurately, according to the new rules.

Individual applicants who fail to honour any declaration or affidavit will be fined Dh500, while in the case of a corporate applicant the fine will be Dh2,000.

Companies that fail to adjust the legal status of their sponsored workers on time will be fined Dh1,000 for each worker, while failure to report any change in the company’s details to the ministry will cost Dh1,000.

A Dh5,000 fine will be imposed on those who misuse the residency system or submit bogus reports to the residency departments across the country.

Repeat offenders within a year will have their fines doubled, not exceeding Dh50,000.
 Types of visas and fees

• Employment Visa (Government): Dh200
• Employment Visa (Private Sector, Free Zones, Investors): Dh250
• Residence Visa (Government) Dh200
• Residence Visa (Private Sector, Free Zones, Investors): Dh250
• Employment Visa (Domestic workers sponsored by Emiratis, GCC citizens): Dh150
• Employment Visa (Domestic workers sponsored by residents): Dh200
• Employment Visa (Domestic workers sponsored by investors): Dh250
• Residence Visa for real estate owners: Dh1,100
• Multiple Entry Visa for work: Dh2,100
• Visa for medical treatment: Dh550
• Multiple Entry Visa for treatment: Dh1,400
• Residence Visa for study or training: Dh550
• Multiple Entry Visa for work or tourism: Dh1,500
• Entry Visa for GCC State Resident’s Companions: 150
• Renewal of GCC State Residents Companions’ Visa: 250
• Entry Visa for GCC State Residents: Dh200
• Renewal of GCC State Resident’s Visa:Dh700
• Transit Entry Visa: 100