New UAE Visa Rules 2024 (Updated) – What’s New for Dubai Travellers

The UAE has always welcomed guests from around the world and encouraged new ideas and inventions. We have seen how dynamically progressive the country has evolved over the years, and how it has secured its place on the global stage. While it prioritizes tourism the most, it also encourages people to come and settle for a while to take advantage of better opportunities. The UAE’s strategy is split into two components – on the one hand, it ensures that people seeking bright prospects and a pleasant lifestyle find it in the destination and on the other, it proactively pursues international investors to assist the country to flourish.

Dubai has long been the focal point of the United Arab Emirates, attracting visitors for vacation, employment, and business. To ensure that the flow of tourists and eager ambition seekers to make it big in one of the world’s most dynamic places is smooth and effortless, the UAE has proposed several visa reforms that will go into effect in October 2022. What are these visa modifications, and who will they impact? Let’s take a look.

What are the New Dubai visa rules

Dubai visa

For tourists:

Tourist visa – The Dubai visa will be valid for 60 days instead of 30 days and can be extended for another 30 days. The UAE has introduced a 5-year multi-entry tourist visa that does not require a UAE sponsor to acquire the visa. This Dubai visa permits the individual to stay in the UAE for up to 90 days from the date of issuance, with a further 90-day extension. A tourist can enter the UAE several times and remain for a total of six months on this visa, which can be obtained by self-sponsorship. However, the visa applicant must show proof of AED 15000 or its equivalent in foreign currency earned in the past six months to avail this visa. The total stay period in the UAE on this visa should not exceed 180 days in one year.

For skilled personnel, professionals, students, investors, and business owners:

Golden Visa – Individuals with talent, such as A-level students from prestigious universities, philanthropists, humanitarians, investors and high-net-worth business owners, are eligible to apply for UAE Golden Visas. With this long-term UAE visa, applicants can stay in the UAE for a long time and bring their dependent family members along. Furthermore, they do not have to worry about their visa getting revoked if they stay outside the UAE for a long time. The applicant must, however, meet a range of criteria in order to qualify for this type of visa. It is primarily granted to scientists, exceptional talents and skilled individuals, real estate investors, high-yield entrepreneurs, and exceptional students.



For freelancers and self-employed individuals:

UAE Green visa – The UAE Green visa programme intends to recruit skilled workers, self-employed individuals, and freelancers with a specialised degree or a bachelor’s degree and can show a minimum salary of AED 15000. Skilled employees however will have to present a valid employment contract to get this visa. This visa has the following advantages for the visa holder:

  •  This is a type of residence visa in which the individual does not need to be sponsored by a UAE national or an employer.
  • With this visa, the applicant can obtain a 5-year residence permit in the UAE and bring family members with them.
  • The UAE Green visa also includes a 6-month grace period once the visa has expired, providing the visa holder plenty of time to get their affairs in order and plan their next steps.
  •  Instead of being limited to sponsoring male children until the age of 18, those with this visa are allowed to do so until the age of 25. Unmarried daughters are eligible for parental sponsorship without any age limit.

This change in the visa system has made it possible for middle-income expatriates to stay in the UAE for an extended period of time and provide their services in exchange for a better lifestyle for family members, whilst also avoiding the hassles of having to renew a visa every two years or so, as was previously the case.



How much will these visas cost?

It has not been officially announced how much these types of Dubai visas will cost, as they are still in their launch phase. With its launch in October 2022, the new UAE visa prices will also be announced.

To summarise, the mentioned new UAE visa rules and amendments will considerably help the UAE’s ex-pat population while also making it easier for tourists to visit the nation. With these visa modifications, the UAE hopes to make the country more appealing to foreign visitors. However, since the nation also seeks to accelerate its economic development, the visa may only be advantageous for long-term commitments of highly qualified workers, exceptional students, and high-net-worth foreigners. Its aim is to make the UAE an ideal destination where foreigners can visit, study, work, live and invest. With these visa modifications, the UAE is becoming more flexible and accessible to people from all over the world.



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *