Administrative Procedures in UAE
The UAE is a dynamic and rapidly growing country that attracts businesses and individuals from around the world. Understanding the administrative procedures in UAE is essential for anyone looking to live, work, or invest in this prosperous nation. Do you want to know about administrative procedures in UAE ? This guide will walk you through the key administrative processes and requirements in the UAE.
Visa and Residency Procedures
- Tourist Visas
Tourists planning to visit the UAE typically require a tourist visa, To obtain a tourist visa for the UAE, you must contact either a UAE-based airline, a tour agency, or the hotel where you plan to stay in the UAE. They will assist you in applying for the visa through the official visa-issuing authorities in the UAE.
Each airline imposes specific conditions that must be satisfied for them to facilitate your visa application. Typically, one of these conditions is that you book your flight with that airline.
Licensed travel agencies and hotels in the UAE have the capability to assist you in obtaining a tourist visa, as long as you purchase your ticket through them and maintain a hotel reservation with their establishment.
Alternatively, you can explore tourist packages to the UAE in conjunction with a local tour operator by reaching out to travel agencies in your home country.
- Resident Visas
For those planning to work or reside in the UAE, obtaining a visa is essential. This involves sponsorship by a UAE employer or a family member who is a UAE resident. The employer or sponsor usually initiates the application process.
There are three cases to get a visa for work, which include standard work visa, green visa for work, and domestic worker visa. The standard work visa is issued for employees in government and private sectors. The green visa is issue for skilled employees for 5 years. The last type of visas is issued for domestic helpers.
Company Formation Procedures
- Choosing a Business Structure
Entrepreneurs and investors can choose from various business structures in the UAE, including Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), Free Zone companies, and Offshore companies. The choice of structure depends on the nature of the business and the investor’s preferences.
- Company Registration
Registering a company in the UAE involves several steps, including deciding on your company’s legal structure, reserving a trade name, deciding on your location of business, applying for a company license, validation of visas and submitting the required documentation to the relevant authorities. Each emirate may have slightly different procedures.
Like Administrative Procedures in UAE, you may also like to read about Accommodation In UAE.
Employment and Labor Regulations
- Employment Contracts
The new Labour Law (Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations in the Private Sector) that went into effect on February 28th, 2022, mandates that all employees in the UAE be employed on fixed-term employment contracts not exceeding three years, which can be extended for the same or a shorter period. Unlimited-term employment contracts are no longer allowed in the UAE. Employers who do not comply with this rule may face penalties.
The UAE Labor Law mandates that all employment contracts must be in writing and in Arabic, with an English version for non-Arabic speaking employees. The contract must contain details of the job title, duties, duration of employment, working hours, and compensation. If the employee is a foreign national, the contract must also include details regarding housing, airfare, and residency visa sponsorship.
- Labor Cards and Permits
Labor card which is also known as a work permit is the identity proof of the workers in the UAE. Employees must carry their labor card while moving in the country.
Find your UAE labor card number (work permit number) through the MOHRE App.
Financial and Banking Procedures
- Opening a Bank Account
Opening a personal bank account provides an individual with a number of benefits, including depositing your income directly into a bank, paying your rent and utilities bills, storing your savings and transferring money securely.
To conduct financial transactions in the UAE, individuals and businesses must open a bank account with a UAE-based bank. To open an account, you will need to provide several documents. You should confirm with the bank beforehand exactly which documents are required and what the information the documents must include.
- Taxation
In the UAE, there is no income tax imposed on individuals. Nevertheless, the country does apply corporate taxes to oil companies and foreign banks. Additionally, excise taxes are imposed on certain goods known to be potentially harmful to human health or the environment. Furthermore, a Value Added Tax (VAT) is applied to a wide range of goods and services.
Real Estate Procedures
- Property Ownership
Nationals of the UAE are allowed to buy real estate in full ownership everywhere in the UAE. This also applies to citizens of some Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.
Foreigners from other countries can buy property in the United Arab Emirates under certain conditions. In special areas called freehold zones, it is allowed to purchase property into full ownership. In any other place in the UAE, it is allowed to have only a tenancy over a real estate object.
In the case of a tenancy, a person owns only a physical object for 50—99 years but not the land it is built on.
In the case of full ownership of a property in the freehold zone, foreigners can obtain the UAE Golden Visa. . There are 9 freehold zones in Abu Dhabi and around 50 in Dubai.
- Tenancy Contracts
In Dubai, the law mandates that you must register your rental contract and any subsequent amendments with RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Agency). Your rental agreement becomes legally binding only after it has been formalized through Ejari. Without this registration, the law does not provide intervention or protection for the rights of both landlords and tenants.
Legal and Notarization Procedures
- Power of Attorney
For various legal and business transactions, individuals may need to grant power of attorney to a representative. This involves drafting a legally binding document and having it notarized.
- Legal Dispute Resolution
The UAE offers disputing parties a choice of three court systems, operating under distinct jurisdictional regimes, for resolving their disputes by way of litigation. These are the onshore local courts and the offshore courts, which consist of two common law free zones.
