UAE charges visa fee to curb expatriates inflow

Published May 8th, 2002 - 03:00 GMT

The United Arab Emirates (UAE)’ Ministry of Interior recently announced that foreigners applying for entrance visas to the UAE will now on have to pay a deposit as a pre-requisite for obtaining the permit, reported Khaleej Times.

In a bid to reduce the misuse of tourist visas for bringing expatriate relatives into the country to look for employment, the new fee will be equal to the value of a return air ticket to the home country of the visitor. A sponsor bringing his relatives into the country on a visit visa must provide the airfare along with required documents to the Ministry’s naturalization and residency department.

The UAE implemented a number of rules that drastically restricted the issuance of visas for families of expatriates in 1994. An expatriate seeking visas for his family should have a monthly income of 4,000 Emirati dirhams ($1,100) if the employer provides accommodation and at least Dh 5,000 dirhams if not so. Businessmen will be allowed to bring in family or servants only if their share in a limited liability firm is no less than Dh 70,000. — (menareport.com)