UAE changes visa rules to boost business, tourism

Posted by: Raj Friday, 22 February 2013 3:50 PM[UAE] - India

Hardly any discussion has taken place in Indian newspapers and in other public forums regarding the rules and regulations of Dubai if any Indian wants to invest in that place. As a result, it is not clear to many of us whether we should invest in Dubai or not ? Most important is the comparison between India and UAE as far as investment in real estate is concerned.

Posted by: Aly Thursday, 7 February 2013 1:44 PM[UAE] - UK

What, they want us to invest over a million dhs and they then want you to pay them Dhs.18,000 as a visa fee for 2 years.. why?.

If UAE wants you to invest over a million then one would expect a residence permit as long as you own the property. No one expects citizenship, but must be allowed access to the property to live or visit when required. You are paying for everything else anyway. ie: Service fees, Utilities etc..

Hope common sense prevails.

Posted by: Abu Handy Wednesday, 6 February 2013 9:07 PM[UAE] - UAE

According to staff at the Dubai Lands Department (6th Feb), the 2-year property owner's visa has the following conditions (these are the ones I've discovered so far and there will undoubtedly be others).
1. The property must be worth more than AED 1M. If bought for less than 1M and current value is more than 1M, then you must get a valuation from RERA - AED4,010 for a flat or villa.
2. Property must be registered with RERA and mortgage free.
3. The two year visa costs AED18,000. Staff implied that this allowed visas for husband and wife if both jointly own the property. Otherwise perhaps one sponsors the other?
4. Applicants must still take the medical.
5. Once the visa is issued, ID cards, Driving Licences etc can be obtained.
6. No apparent age restrictions.
7. Once visa is issued, then applicants can work - this needs confirmation.
8. There was no mention of the requirement to have AED10,000 income per month. This may apply for the 6-month visa issued by Immigration, but not sure.

Posted by: Khano Jarkata Sunday, 30 December 2012 9:01 PM[UAE] - Pakistan

I would not trust the UAE law regarding property investors, if you spend more than UAE 1M, to get a multiple visit visa, with no guarantee that you will be able to renew it or get a new one on expiry, would be in my opinion, very risky to invest.
Unless UAE guarantees, they as long as you hold property if UAE, you will get multiple entry visas as property owner and this law is for an indefinate period and not changeable, investors might still start to think about investing in UAE.
Most of the foeigners in UAE are either for work or Business (to earn their livehood and make money) except for those who come in for a very short tourist visa through hotels, relatives or countries allowed visa on arrival.

Posted by: Rajendran Tuesday, 20 November 2012 10:42 AM[UAE] - India

As far as my knowledge goes -- India is a land of opportunity , pays more ROI in the field of Real Estate.