Only a few years ago in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), thus also in Dubai, there were quite restrictive regulations on the granting of visas. In the meantime, it has become much easier to obtain a residence permit in Dubai. In addition to the general tourist visa, which can be applied for for easy entry, both visas for employees and for entrepreneurs are available. Particularly attractive are Golden Visas, with which you can achieve a significantly longer residence permit with further facilitation.

1st Visa in Dubai – Introduction

Every nationality offers a clear advantage, because logically you live in the country of citizenship without needing special residence rights. Thus, Japanese in Japan, Italians in Italy and Germans in Germany live free of conditions (at least in democratically led states). What at first glance sounds banal, however, sometimes leads to complex measures if you want to live outside your own borders. If, for example, a cross-border worker makes use of the opportunity to move closer to work across the border, he is obliged to obtain a residence permit. Of course, this is regularly associated with a lot of bureaucracy, sometimes even recurring.

It goes without saying that this also applies to people from Germany who want to move to one of the currently most attractive countries, namely the UAE, especially Dubai. If you want to live there permanently, you need a visa valid in Dubai. Since many entrepreneurs in Germany are also thinking about moving to Dubai, we would like to present here what possibilities there are in Dubai to get a residence permit and what conditions are attached to it.

What visas are available in Dubai?

First, we provide an overview of the different visas you can apply for in Dubai. On the one hand, this certainly includes the most frequently issued visa, namely the tourist visa. Although this is not very attractive for those who want to settle permanently in Dubai, in many cases they also come to the country with such a visa. The advantage is on the one hand that it is relatively easy to obtain because you can apply for it at entry. In addition, you can stay in hotels or short-term rented apartments. However, this residence permit only applies for 90 days (with a one-time extension option). At the latest before the expiration of 180 days you have to leave again and can return at the earliest after three months with a tourist visa.

It should be noted that no entry visas are required for travelers from the Schengen area. This is due to the principle of reciprocity on which these states have agreed with the UAE. By the way, the UAE is currently making great efforts to increase the number of states in this regard. The reason for this is the forced expansion of the domestic tourism industry.

In any case, three other visas in Dubai in particular are much more interesting for expats: the visa for employees, the partner visa and the Golden Visa. In addition, there are also the so-called sponsor visas for family members, which can be applied for in Dubai in addition to the three previously mentioned visas. We now go into these three visas individually. Sponsor visas for family members, on the other hand, are disregarded because they are tied to the three now presented visas and are issued without further significant conditions.

Visa for employees in Dubai

First we illuminate the visa for employees in Dubai. As you can easily guess, you get it if you should work as an employee or employee of a company in Dubai and therefore want to live there. The prerequisite is, of course, that a valid employment contract is available.

You can distinguish between two different residence permits. The conventional approach is a residence and work permit, valid for two years. An extension for the same period is quite possible if the conditions are met. It is interesting that employers apply for such visas in Dubai. One of the requirements is that people over 18 must have a health certificate. In addition, you have to submit a copy of the valid passport to the authorities as well as a current photo of the person against a white background.

The alternative to this is Green Visa, which is available in Dubai for special professionals. The advantage here lies in the validity period extended to five years. In addition, no employer is required as a sponsor. Instead, you apply for a permit from the Dubai immigration office. For this, you must have at least a vocational training that corresponds to the Academic Bachelor degree. Furthermore, a monthly salary of at least AED 15,000 must be ensured (EUR 1 corresponds to approximately AED 4).

In addition to these visas for employees in Dubai working in the private sector, there are also numerous other residence permits tailored for people working as professionals in the public sector. It should also be noted at this point that entrepreneurs who set up a Dubai LLC can also settle as managing directors in Dubai via an employee visa. This is often the easiest way for them to obtain a residence permit.

Important for these visas is that one must avoid an uninterrupted absence from the UAE of 180 days or more. Otherwise, the residence permit shall expire.

4th Green Partner Visa for Entrepreneurs and Investors in Dubai

The so-called Green Partner Visa (Green visa for investors) is interesting for those emigrants who are entrepreneurial in Mainland Dubai or want to invest capital in companies there. For this purpose, too, certain conditions must be met, which differ even in terms of the nature and extent of the business activity. Here, too, special features must be observed for highly qualified entrepreneurs. This applies, for example, to respected artists and other talents for which the authorities in the UAE can grant special permits after examining the application.

In addition, two different formats apply to Green Partner Visas in Dubai: one general and one for particularly qualified specialists, for example doctors. In any case, the recognition of the planned activity by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization of the UAE is required. If this is available, you can legally live in Dubai as an independent entrepreneur with a Green Partner Visa for five years. Important here is the proof of an investment in a company or a company foundation in Dubai, such as a partnership, Memorandum of Association or Investment Memorandum, as well as the granting of a license to operate in the respective industry. Here, too, an extension after expiry of the validity is possible.

In addition to this permanent residence permit, there is a special short-term visa for entrepreneurs and investors. This Business Entry Visa allows you to stay up to 60 days for business in the UAE. The advantage here is that neither a host nor a sponsor on site is required to apply for this alternative.

5th Visa for property owners in Dubai

There is also another way to get visas in Dubai. This requires the purchase of a property on site. However, the value of the purchased property must be at least AED 2 million. For the purchase of a property in the best location, such acquisition costs are quite common, usually even higher. But in areas that are outside the real estate market hotspots in Dubai, you have to pay more attention to the fulfilment of this criterion. After all, property prices per square metre are often 50% cheaper there.

Another condition is that you have to show an income of AED 15,000 per month. This proves that you are able to secure your own livelihood.

6th Golden Visa in Dubai

Golden Visas are probably the most sought-after residence permit in Dubai. They allow an uninterrupted stay of ten years, with stays abroad in this case not resulting in the cancellation of the validity of the Golden Visa. However, there are certain conditions attached to this. Due to the complexity of these regulations around Golden Visa in Dubai, we refer here to our special article on this topic.

7th Visa in Dubai – Conclusion

It is therefore possible in different ways to obtain a visa in Dubai for a long stay in the country. There are certain official requirements for this, which should be absolutely known. Fortunately, these administrative procedures in the UAE are fully digitalized. In addition, the processing time for most visas in Dubai is 48 hours, so this can also be done very quickly. Furthermore, the granting of visas depends on whether you work in one of the numerous free zones or in Mainland Dubai. Access to Free Zones is generally a bit easier, but is managed independently by the Free Zones.

There is no question that such a step is worthwhile. Because in Dubai the standard of living is higher than even in most industrial nations – Germany included. The weather is usually sunny and pleasant. In addition, many amenities that are perceived as luxury in Germany are a matter of course in Dubai. Surely this is also due to the fact that you do not pay income tax in Dubai. Even the sales tax is extremely moderate at a uniform 5%. And business can also be done excellently in Dubai. After all, local purchasing power is significantly higher than in Europe.