ABU DHABI // Tenancy contracts and utility bills are no longer required to obtain a residence visa.
There was widespread dismay when the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigner Affairs required those wishing to obtain or renew visas from June 1 to provide a valid lease contract attested by their municipality, and utility bills in their name.
But Maj Gen Nasser Al Menhali, assistant under secretary for the residency department at the Ministry of Interior, said yesterday: "No tenancy contract is required for applying for a residence visa." Specifics of the latest decision would be available today, he said.
The new rules had so far been implemented only in Abu Dhabi, where residents were pleased they had been reversed.
"It's a big relief," said Alam Badusha, an Indian expatriate who has lived in the UAE for eight years.
"I work in Abu Dhabi and live in Sharjah. I wanted to get my daughter's visa but had a problem with this new tenancy contract rule. I am thankful to the authorities for the change."
Anish Kumar, an Abu Dhabi resident for three years, said: "I was looking for a visa for my wife but did not have an electricity bill under my name. Because of this reversal of the rule I am happy."
Wason, an Ethiopian, went to the typing centre and was told the tenancy contract was no longer needed.
Documents needed to renew a residency visa are a valid passport, a residency renewal application stamped by the employer, a copy of the expiring visa, a health certificate from the preventive medicine department, a copy of the health insurance card, a copy of the employer's commercial licence if it is a private company, a copy of the applicant's Emirates ID card or registration receipt, and an attested marriage certificate for couples.
Employees in the public sector need a valid passport, a renewal of residency application stamped by the sponsor, a copy of the former residency visa, a health certificate from the preventive medicine department and a copy of the health insurance card.
anwar@thenational.ae
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
