The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department reduced Will Registration Charges for Non-Muslims

The ‘wills’ registration office in the capital where many non-Muslim residents register their wills, has reduced the registration charges from Dh5,500 to Dh950 from December.

Though the service charge was only Dh500 when the service started in August from November, the office revised the service fee and started charging Dh5,500 for a ‘will’ registration. The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department [ADJD] reduced it to support the registry of wills.

In case of sudden death of the testator, the assets will be distributed by the court as per the will. The wills registration office for non-Muslims builds up the confidence among residents of legal protection of their assets in the UAE and it ensures them the liberty of selecting the appropriate method to write and register their will concerning the disposal of their estate after their death.

A spokesperson of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department said: “Now the service fee is only Dh950 for registering a will.”

The spokesperson said: “Any person can bequeath his/her estate to males and females equally and in case of his/her death, the assets will be distributed by the court as stated in the testator’s will.”

Whereas the changing or revoking of will is concerned, the testator can revoke the will at any time, or otherwise replace it by a new one, the spokesperson said.

The office helps to legalise a will of a non-Muslim for the disposition of a deceased’s estates, nominating a guardian for his/her minor children, he said. From August last year, a special “Non-Muslims Wills Office” started operations at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department to register inheritance wills for non-Muslim expatriates in the capital.

As people from many nationalities live in the UAE, they can now legally register their will here. It guarantees that their families and children can legally claim the assets in the UAE in case of testator’s death.” As per the will, beneficiaries can claim assets of the testator anywhere in the UAE, whether they register in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. It will be valid for all the UAE.

“More than 50 of my clients have registered their wills at the Abu Dhabi office but I can say that approximately, so far, more than 100 expatriates would have registered their wills at the Non-Muslims Wills Office in Abu Dhabi,” he said.

About the different services fees, he said, the Dubai Courts charges Dh2,165 for registering a will and Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts takes Dh10,000.”

The office in Abu Dhabi was established after a decision issued in May by Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, who is also the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, to create a registry of wills office and probate for non-Muslims.

The application is submitted online at [ADJD] website. The competent employee verifies if the application meets the requirements. A notification by SMS is sent to the applicant with the approval of the application or request for modification. The application fee is paid online through ADJD website.

The applicant can contact the Non-Muslim Wills Registration Office to schedule an appointment for the application processing. Then the applicant has to visit on the fixed date the Non-Muslim Wills Registration Office to submit the original documents. After completing these procedures, finally, the will is legalised and will be delivered by the Notary Public of the department.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

• Emirates ID.

• Passport (original and a copy).

• The document “Will” to be legalised, with a sufficient number of copies for all parties concerned and a copy of records.

• Documentation that provides clear proof of the bequeathed property ownership.

• An official translation attested by the Ministry of Justice is required where the document is drafted in a language other than the Arabic language.

• Venue: Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (Main Building)

• Timing: 8am to 2pm [Sunday to Thursday]

• Service Fee: Dh950

UAE work permit fees linked to company classification

 The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MORHE) will enforce a revised fee structure for issuing work permits linked to the classification of companies. The new classification system of companies will be in three categories according to the skill level and the cultural diversity of their workers, in the implementation of a recent Cabinet decision.

Under the system, new work permit fees will be applied depending on the level of skill of the worker and whether he or she is outside or inside the country and the category of the company.

Companies recruiting Emiratis or citizens of Gulf countries as well as fishing boat facilities will be exempt from work permit fees, according to another Cabinet decision.

Classification System

The first category of the new system includes fishing boats owned by citizens and enterprises, members of the Emiratisation Partners Club, small and medium enterprises that are members of the youth project support institutions which meet the conditions as well as the new service centres “Tadbeer”.

Multicultural diversity

A company is classified as “Category 2” and rated as A, B, C and D in this category — according to the ratio of skilled workers, and to the extent of its commitment to multicultural diversity.

A company will be classified as (Category 2A) if it has 40 percent or more skilled workers of its total workforce — and at least 50 percent of the multicultural ratio is available in the company.

Category 2B - A company, which has between 10 percent and less than 40 percent skilled workers and at least 50 percent of the multicultural ratio will be classified as category 2B

Category 2C - If the percentage of skilled workers ranges between 5 percent and less than 10 percent of the total workforce and it has at least 50 percent of the multicultural ratio, the company will be classified as category 2C.

Category 2D - The company is classified as category 2D if the percentage of skilled workers is less than five percent of the total workforce, or the establishment does not have at least 50 percent of the multicultural ratio.

Cabinet resolution

The Cabinet resolution stipulates that companies with a workforce of not more than three workers will be classified in category 2B, which also includes companies with four to 10 workers — if 50 percent of the multicultural ratio is met.

If the multicultural ratio is not met, a company will be classified as category 2D.

A company will be included in the third category of the system if it has committed one or more of the 10 violations as stated in the Labour Law.

The facilities are transferred from one category to another, or from one level up or down, whenever they meet the classification criteria and conditions of the category or level to which they are transferred.

Work permit fees for workers from outside the country

The fee for issuing a work permit for a worker from outside the country is Dh 200 for the three categories.

The fee for issuing a work permit for two years is Dh 300 for the companies listed in the first category, regardless of the skill level of the worker.

The fee for the second-class companies

The skilled worker is Dh500

The semi-skilled worker Dh1,200

Level B Dh1000 for a skilled worker, Dh2,200 for semi-skilled skill

Level C Dh1,500 for a skilled worker, Dh2,700 for semi-skilled worker

Level D Dh 2000 for skilled worker and Dh3,200 for the semi-skilled worker.

The fee for a work permit for workers from outside the country for companies classified in category III is Dh5,000 regardless of the skill level of the worker.

The fee for a work permit for a worker from outside the country was also unified, as was the issuance of a work permit of Dh100 for each of the two services mentioned for the companies listed in the different categories in the classification system.

Work permit fees for workers from inside the country

The work permit fee for those who are on sponsorship of their parents for companies listed in the different categories is unified at Dh200.

The fee for a work permit for those who are on the sponsorship of their parents and for a period of two years for the first category is Dh300, regardless of the skill level of the worker, while the companies in the second category A is Dh500 for skilled workers and Dh1000 for a semi-skilled worker and the company’s category IIB Dh1000 for skilled workers and Dh2,000 for semi-skilled workers.

Companies of category 2C will be charged Dh1,500 for a work permit for a skilled worker and Dh2,500 for a semi-skilled worker

Category 2D will be charged Dh2,000 and Dh3,000 for skilled and semi-skilled workers respectively.

Work permit fees for companies listed in the third category will be Dh5,000 regardless of the level of skill of the workers.

A fee of Dh 100 for different categories of companies has been fixed for the application for a work permit and Dh 500 for issuing a work permit for one year for part-time jobs for teenagers.

A fee of Dh100 for the different categories of companies has been fixed for each service for requesting a temporary work permit, issuing a temporary work permit for each month, requesting a work permit for some time, issuing a work permit for some time for each month, requesting a training permit and issuing a training permit for a month and request a permit to test the worker and issue a permit to test the worker  for each month.

Employment transfer fees from one company to another

A fee of Dh100 was determined for companies listed in the three categories for each service requesting a transfer permit and the use of a worker from one company to another and requesting permission to transfer and employ a worker from one company to another owned by the same owner or partner, for a period of two years.

A transfer permit and the use of a worker from one company to another for two years will coast Dh 150 for the companies listed in the first category, regardless of the skill level of the worker.

The fee for the second-class companies at Level A will be Dh250 for the skilled worker and Dh500 for the limited skill and level  B, Dh500 for the skilled worker and Dh1,000 for the limited skill and level C, Dh750 for the skilled worker and Dh1,250 for the limited skill and level D, Dh1,000 for the skilled worker and Dh1,500 for limited skill, while the fee for the companies classified as category III is Dh2,500, regardless of the skill level of the worker.

 Renewal and amendment of work permits

The fee for the renewal of work permit for two years will be Dh300 for the first category regardless of the level of skill of the worker and companies in the second category level A, Dh 500 for the skilled worker and Dh1,200 for a semi- skilled worker and level B, Dh1,000 dirhams for skilled workers and Dh2,200 for limited Skill and level C /, Dh1500 for skilled workers and Dh2,700 for semi-skilled worker and level D, Dh2,000 for skilled workers and Dh3,200 for limited skill, while the fee for the companies classified in the third category Dh5,000, regardless of the skill level of the workers.

A fee of Dh200 was allocated for the companies listed in the three categories for each service to change the work permit or the job contract.

A fee of Dh100 per month for the companies included in the three categories has been determined for the renewal of a work permit.

A unified fee for the three categories in the classification system was set at Dh2,000 for the opening of a company register and Dh250 for the electronic signature card and Dh200 for issuing a public relations officer (PRO) card for expats for two years.

The fee for the issuance of an electronic work permit for domestic workers for two years for citizens and one year for expats is Dh100 dirhams and Dh100 dirhams for renewal of the permit.

The fee for the issuance of a work contract for domestic workers for two years for citizens and one year for expats is Dh50 and Dh50 for renewing the contract.

New Emirates ID cards issued system for UAE companies

The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (FAI) announced a new system of electronic application for companies that want to issue or renew Emirates Identity (EID) cards for its staff.The new system allows companies to use FAI services for issuing ID cards electronically.

According to an FAI press statement, the new service aims to change 80 percent of all services provided by the authority for smart and electronic services in 2018, using cutting-edge technologies to make its clients happier. The new service allows companies to renew all EIDs for it staff together, saving time and making it easier for the FAI to deliver the cards to the companies.

Nasser Al Abdouli, director of Service Centres Support at the FAI, said that the new system saves on issuing and renewal fees for the companies, while also reducing the possibility of mistakes and accelerating the issual process.

The FAI launched a campaign to promote awareness among the companies, particularly for company representatives, to explain the benefits of the new system. Training courses will be arranged for the representatives who want to use FAI's new system, Al Abdouli noted.

Al Abdouli explained that the authority has set a number of conditions that must be met by companies that wish to obtain the new system: a key one is that the number of employees of one company, or the group of companies belonging to the same sponsor, shall not be less than 100 employees.

The company must be licensed by the responsible authorities and apply with the FAI to avail of the new system ID issuance system, with the necessary documents, as well as sign a contract.