In this overview, we provide the info on the possible scenarios on the change of the UAE visa status and the applicable procedures.When talking about such change we need to evidently separate the tourist or visit visa which is provided to be able to stay in the UAE for up to 30 days and the resident visa which gives the right to permanently live in the UAE and is usually provided for 2 or 3 years with the further renewal option.
When speaking about tourist or visit visa - such visa may be changed/transferred to residential visa. Earlier days, to apply for a residency visa, there was the obligatory requirement to travel out of the UAE and only then the application for the UAE residency visa could be preceded. Now it is possible to apply for visa status change within your stay in the UAE.
The residency visa, once obtained, gives the option to apply for UAE tax residency certificate as well as has some other benefits. The UAE residency visa can be of the following main types:
- Investor visa - for the ones who are the shareholders in a UAE company.
- Property visas - for property owners in the UAE.
- Employment visa - for the ones who sign an employment contract with a company in the UAE.
- Family visa - provided to family relatives of the holders of the visas under the points 1 to 3 above.
- Student visa - for the ones who study in some Institute or University in UAE.
Residency visa status change - possible scenarios and solutions
1. When talking about employment visa - the change can be done for the following scenarios:
- Transfer of employment residency visa from one company to another
- Transfer from employment visa to family visa
- Change from employment visa to investor visa or property owner visa
In case of the transfer of employment visa from one company in Dubai or other emirates of the UAE to another company, there is the certain procedure to be followed. Normally employees do not have to handle this matter themselves is this is doneby their companies PROs or HR departments. The only main points to be aware of are the obligatory requirements which may be imposed by the previous employer on the notice period and applicable employee obligations, and the possible limitations/restrictions in certain cases such as the availability of ban or limitations for employment visas for citizens from certain countries.
On the transfer from an employment visa to family visa procedure - this is possible under the condition that you have the direct family member (your husband or wife) who possesses the visa and the visa standing is sufficient to sponsor your visa.
On changing the Dubai employment visa to investor visa - this includes the process of cancellation of an existing visa from a company which provided you the employment visa and applying for an investor visa.
2. Investor visa change in the UAE - possible scenarios
An investor visa can be required to be changed due to some factors and different scenarios. Such cases include:
- Change of investor visa from one company to another
- Change of investor visa into property visa
- Change of investor visa into employment visa
3. Property visas - for property owners in the UAE.
The scenarios for the visa change from this status into its other possible forms can be quite similar to the ones for the transfer of the investor visa which we described in the point 2 above. These include:
- Change of property visa into investor visa
- Change of property visa to the property visa linked to other property
- Change of property visa into family visa
4. Family visa in Dubai, the UAE
It is important to know that the family visa in Dubai, the UAE can be provided to immediate relatives and under-aged kids. Means the family visa option is available only for husband-wife relations and the children under the age of 18. For certain situations, the age limit can be higher. If the family visa option is not applicable since your kids are over 18 - there are other options available as well.
To summarize the above - there are different situations and cases when one type of residency visa in the UAE needs to be transferred into another type whereby each case has a different procedure and the documents required. If you have any questions related to investor or property visa status change - please feel free to ask our advisors.
