FAWRI - UAE Government e-Visa online application system

 

This online system allows companies to apply, re-apply, track and complete their immigration procedures for issuing visas from the comfort of their office.

From 1st April 2013, all employment entry permit/visa applications had to be submitted online using the username and password of the registered establishment and companies must apply and pay for FAWRI. Hard copies of the ‘pink’ employment entry permit were no longer be issued from Immigration. These entry permits can now be printed directly from the online system once it has been submitted and approved. All companies need to be registered at Immigration to obtain their usernames and passwords.

Subscribe features in the system (Fawri)

•     You do not need Impost service
•     Visa is obtained immediately
•     You do not need to sponsor’s signature

    Required document to participate in Fawri:

•      Copy of the business license
•     Copy of the firm card
•     To Whom It May Concern from the authorised signatory inscribed in the firm
•     To Whom It May Concern certificate from the company to use the Fawri system
•     The sponsor or representative (PRO) contact numbers.

    Automated payment service

 

    Issuance of Entry Permits for Workers in Government Sector.

    Issuance of Entry Permits for Workers in Private Sector.

    Issuance of Mission Permits for 90 Days.

    Issuance of Short Visit Entry Permits for 30 days.

    Issuance of Long Visit Entry Permits for 90 days.

    Issuance of Tourism Entry Permits.

    Issuance and Renewal of Residency.

Included Emirates:

    Abu Dhabi

    Sharjah

    Ras Al Khaimah

    Um Al Qaiwain

    Fujairah

    Al Ain

 

Late in 2014 FAWRI costs went up – in Abu Dhabi, there is now an AED 2000 Fee plus AED 5000 Deposit required. From 1st September 2015, ALL companies in Dubai will also have to now register with FAWRI as well.

From December 2016, onwards In Abu Dhabi when making employment entry permits/visa applications, Immigration is now checking that companies have correctly registered for FAWRI and have paid the AED 2060 Initial Fee plus the AED 5050 Deposit. Companies will need to submit proof that this has been done in the form of their initial deposit receipt. In addition, there is now an annual fee for the eVisa FAWRI system of AED 1200 payable by all companies in Abu Dhabi.

FAWRI includes the following services

    Entry Permits

    Mission Visas – 90 Days

    Short Visit Entry Permits / Visas – 30 days

    Long Visit Entry Permits / Visas – 90 days

    Tourism Visas / Entry Permits

    Issuance and Renewal of Resident Visas

Business to Start planning for Vat in U.A.E

The VAT will be implemented in U.A.E from January 2018. The rate that is decided for VAT is 5%. The collection of VAT will be done by the government. The companies and the business owners have to maintain proper documentation for the completion of registration process. After that, they will be able to charge the specified amount of VAT on all the goods and services they are providing.

Value added tax (VAT) is a type of tax that is applied to the goods or services produced. It is a form of an informal tax that is also known as a multi-stage tax. The government of Dubai is implementing this tax for the betterment of services that are provided to the residents. With this additional source of finance, the government will be able to provide better services to the people. The VAT is applied on all the goods that are produced in the companies that are registered with VAT. It is the tax that is applied on every step of production and the total amount is calculated after the completion of the production process.

In the UAE, the registration exercise of companies that are above the yearly threshold for VAT is expected to start in less than 3 months from today, as the country gears up for implementing the 5 percent levy from January 1, 2018. Businesses that provide taxable goods or services, with annual revenue of more than Dh375,000 will be required to register, while businesses with taxable supplies below Dh375,000 but over Dh187,500 will have the option to register.

The UAE has yet to publish its VAT law but has established a Federal Tax Authority to deal with the levy. The authority will administer, collect and enforce federal taxes and will perform tax audits and administer penalties in cases of non-compliance with the tax laws.

The difference between VAT and general sales tax:

A sales tax and VAT are both a type of consumption tax. For a layman, there is no difference between the sales tax and the VAT. Some may also think that there is no difference between the working of both taxes. However, there is some key difference between both taxes. The sales tax is the one that is imposed on the customers only at the final stage. VAT, on the other hand, is imposed on each and every step of production. Moreover, VAT is also applied on the imports of services and goods to ensure and maintain a proper working of tax.

The preference is given to VAT instead of other sales taxes because, in VAT, the business owners or the companies act as the tax collector for the government. It is a more sophisticated form of tax.

 

The Ministry of Finance will start registering companies that are above the yearly threshold for value added tax in the second half of this year as the country gears up for implementing the 5 percent levy from January 1, 2018.

The ministry announced that businesses that provide taxable goods or services, with annual revenue of more than Dh375,000 will be required to register. Businesses with taxable supplies below Dh375,000 but over Dh187,500 will have the option to register, it said.

Businesses exempt from VAT will not be able to recover from the government the tax incurred on the cost of an item or a service that is not exempt, and it will be up to the business to decide whether to pass on the VAT cost to the consumer. 

New Amer Centres for Visa process replace 600 typing Centres in Dubai by November 1

A new UAE Vision visa system, which allows residents to complete all visa and residency transactions at typing centres, is operational now through the first such centre in Al Muhaisnah 4 area in Dubai.

Residents are urged to contact the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) via new Amer centres for visa transactions to cut time and effort. The GDRFA Dubai yesterday opened the first of the 50 Amer Business Centres which will replace nearly 600 typing centres in the near future.

Residents are no longer required to visit the GDRFA in order to renew or apply for visas. Instead, all transactions will be carried out through the approved Amer centres. Major-General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, director-general of GDRFA Dubai, said the Amer centres will replace the typing centres by November 1 this year and provide many services for residents at one place.

“We want to make people’s lives easier in Dubai by finishing their transactions at one place. At this centre, we have all our services and other government services,” Maj-Gen Al Merri said.

He said they aim to keep their services on a par with technological advancements to expedite and simplify all transactions.

With the new system, residents are no longer required to visit the GDRFA headquarters or any of its external branches to renew or apply for visas.

The transactions include applying for a visa, renewing residency, applying for new residency, visa cancellation and other related services.

According to the GDRFA, there have been no changes in the required documents or charges for visa transactions.

“Typing centres are crowded now and they must change the way of providing services by having proper space and not delay the residents, tourists and businessmen in their transactions,” Maj-Gen Al Merri added.

Major Salem Mohammad Bin Ali, director of Amer Client Happiness Department at GDRFA Dubai, told Gulf News that they received 25 requests from businessmen to open Amer centres and four such centres will be opened soon.

“The Amer centres will provide services of a slew of other government entities as well like Department of Economy Development, Dubai Municipality and Emirates Identity Authority. They will replace the current typing centres. We will have employees from GDRFA Dubai working in these centres,” Major Bin Ali said. The Amer Centre launched in Muhaisnah can serve 2,000 people every day and the working hours for the moment will be from 8 am to 3 pm, but after Ramadan, the hours will be from 8 am to 8 pm.

People can contact Amer Service call centre on 8005111 for further details.