Thursday, December 17, 2009

Visas in the UAE

Visit Visa: Visit visas valid for 30 days will cost Dh500. This cannot be renewed. A person wishing to stay for an extended period must obtain a visit visa valid for 90 days that costs Dh1,000.
Citizens of the certain countries (listed in the next paragraph) can get a 30-day visit visa free of charge upon arrival, entitling them to stay for 60 days: Britain, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Finland, Malta, Spain, Monaco, Vatican, Iceland, Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
After this period a visitor can extend the visit visa by a further two months by leaving the country and returning. This can be done twice. When the third visit visa expires the person must leave the UAE for at least a month before returning.
For residents of other countries, the visa must be sponsored by an individual, such as a relative, or an establishment. The application is submitted by the sponsor with all required documents.

Tourist Visa: It is available for tourists sponsored by tour operating companies and hotels. It is issued for 30 days for a fee of Dh100 and an additional Dh10 for delivery. This may be renewed only once.

Student Visit Visa: Will cost Dh1,000. To obtain this, a person must be registered in one of the universities in the UAE and must obtain health insurance. Additionally, a refundable deposit of Dh1000 must be paid.

Special Mission Entry Visa: This is issued for a non-renewable 14 days for a fee of Dh100. Commonly known as a transit visa, it is collected by the visitor upon arrival. It is issued to businessmen and tourists sponsored by a company or commercial establishment or a hotel licensed to operate in the UAE.

Mission Visa: The newly added type of visa, it is issued for the purpose of temporary work in the country. It is issued for a maximum of 180 days. It costs Dh200.
It has been introduced to facilitate Labour Ministry's Temporary Work Permit. An applicant must obtain the permit from the Labour Ministry first to get the visa.

Transit Visa: It is issued to travellers transiting through UAE airports. It issued for 96 hours and must be sponsored by an airline operating in the UAE. The visitor must have a valid ticket for onward flight. There is a charge of Dh100.

Multiple Entry Visa: It is an option for businessmen who are frequent visitors to the UAE and who have a relationship with a reputable company here.
This multiple visa is valid for six months from the date of issue and costs Dh1,000. However, each visit must not exceed 30 days. The visitor must enter the UAE on a visit visa and obtain the multiple entry visa while he is here.

Residence Visa: A residence visa is required for those who intend to enter the UAE to live indefinitely with a person who is already a resident. It is issued to the immediate kin of a resident for three years for a fee of Dh300.
The residence permit becomes invalid if the resident remains more than six months at a time out of the country.
Parents of residents are issued residence visas after special approval with a renewable validity of one year for a fee of Dh100 for each year. A refundable deposit of Dh5,000 has to be paid for each parent.

Investor Visa: It is issued to an expatriate investor in partnership with a local. The foreign investor must hold a minimum stake of Dh70,000 in the share capital. Like the residence visa, it is issued for three years for a fee of Dh300.

Employment Visa: Employment Visa or Permit is issued by the Immigration Department to a foreign national who wishes to work for a company in the UAE upon the approval of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
It allows the holder to enter the UAE once for a period of 30 days and is valid for two months from the date of issue.
When the employee has entered the country on the basis of the employment visa, the sponsoring company will arrange to complete the formalities of stamping his residence.

Visit visa for medical purposes: Those wishing to undergo treatment must take visit visa for treatment purpose that costs Dh1,000 for 90 day duration. This can be renewed for a similar period at Dh500.

Visit visa for events: Those visiting to attend conferences or exhibitions can obtain a visa for this purpose at Dh100.
A Dh1,000 refundable deposit and proof of health insurance will be mandatory for all visas. Documents required include passport copies, photographs of the visitor and the data of the visitor, including address in home country.

Quick list: Types of visas and fees
Short Entry (visit) Visa: 500 (1 month) Long Entry (visit) Visa: 1,000 (3 months) Multiple Entry Visa: 2,000 Entry Visa for Study: 1,000 Renewal of Study Visa: 500 Entry Visa for Medical Treatment: 1,000 Renewal of Medical Treatment Visa: 500 Entry Visa for Expos and Conferences: 100 Tourism Entry Visa: 100 Renewal of Tourism Visa: 500 Entry Visa for GCC State Residents: 100 Renewal of GCC State Resident's Visa: 500 Entry Visa for GCC State Resident's Companions: 100 Renewal of GCC State Residents Companions'Visa: 200 Mission Entry Visa: 200 Transit Entry Visa: 100

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Dubai Etiquettes

It is always a good idea to find out about the accepted or recognized rules of etiquette in a foreign country which you are considering traveling to. Having a basic knowledge of the social etiquette in the country you are visiting is important in establishing relations, whether business or personal. If the country you are considering traveling to is known to have a very different culture from your own, this practice would be invaluable.

When traveling to Dubai the following tips on etiquette would come in very handy. The following is very important to bear in mind. Understand that in many households there are separate living areas, so when visiting a home, you would not socialize with women. Males should definitely not talk in public to professional UAE National women, unless it is business related. Do not shake hands with a UAE National female, unless prompted to. Do not flirt, touch or hug females. Do not stare at women or maintain eye contact. Do not ask an Arab about his wife or female members of his family.

Other important things to remember would include not crossing your legs in front of someone of high importance. This is considered disrespectful and should not be done. Shaking hands is the normal greeting with a male. Having your hand held for longer than usual is a sign of brotherly bonding, not that of homosexual tendencies. Your hand may even be held for longer than usual, while walking down the corridor. The right hand is considered clean so when accepting food or drink, do it with your right hand.

When offered something to drink, always say yes. Saying no would mean rejecting someone's hospitality. Drink more than one small cup (tea, Arabic coffee) but never more than anyone else. Be very careful when expressing admiration for the possession of an Arab. You may find that he or she offers the object to you. And then declining becomes a problem, followed by offering something back at a later date.

The national dress for men is the dishdasha or khandura, an ankle length robe, usually white. Dishdashas are usually worn with a white or red-checkered headcloth (gutra) and a twisted black rope-like coil (agal) which holds the gutra in place; under the headdress is a skull cap (gafia).

In public, women wear a black abaya, a long loose black robe that covers their normal clothes, plus a head scarf, called a shayla. Some women also wear a thin black veil covering their face, while some older women wear a small mask made of fabric known as a burkha, which covers the nose, brow and cheekbones.
You could wear anything from full-sleeved to half-sleeved to mega-sleeved to sleeveless tops (but please keep your tops on) and nobody could care less. While trousers, long skirts, knee-length skirts, minis, micro-minis, micro-micros and shorts are all the done wear, restrict the bikinis to the beaches, or you could land yourself in some trouble

UAE population touches 6m

The population of the UAE currently stands at six million. This comprises both Emiratis and expatriates, senior government officials told Gulf News.
The figure is the result of two major studies carried out on visa registration and the number of people employed in the country.
These figures reveal that the expatriate population is rapidly increasing. The largest group of expatriates hails from India, with 1.75 million currently residing in the UAE. The second largest group is from Pakistan, with about 1.25 million. Roughly 500,000 Bangladeshis stay in the UAE.
Members of other Asian communities, including China, the Philippines, Thailand, Korea, Afghanistan and Iran make up approximately one million of the total population.
Western expatriates, from Europe, Australia, Northern Africa, Africa and Latin America make up 500,000 of the overall population.
Results from the 2005 census showed that the population was 4,104,695, of which 20.1 per cent were Emiratis.
The next population review will be in six months, in April, when the Census 2010 reconvenes. The population and building census will cost Dh65 million. About 10,000 experts and analysts, including no less than 8,000 statistics officials, will take part in the activity

Monday, November 9, 2009

Dubai History

Some 800 members of the Bani Yas tribe, led by the Maktoum Family, settled at the mouth of the creek in 1833. The creek was a natural harbour and Dubai soon became a center for the fishing, pearling and sea trade.

By the turn of the 20th century Dubai was a successful port. The souk (Arabic for market) on the Deira side of the creek was the largest on the coast with 350 shops and a steady throng of visitors and businessmen. By the 1930s Dubai's population was nearly 20,000, a quarter of whom were expatriates.

In the 1950s the creek began to silt, a result perhaps of the increasing number of ships that used it. The late Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, decided to have the waterway dredged. It was an ambitious, costly, and visionary project. The move resulted in increased volumes of cargo handling in Dubai. Ultimately it strengthened Dubai's position as a major trading and re-export hub.

When oil was discovered in 1966, Sheikh Rashid utilized the oil revenues to spur infrastructure development in Dubai. Schools, hospitals, roads, a modern telecommunications network … the pace of development was frenetic. A new port and terminal building were built at Dubai International Airport. A runway extension that could accommodate any type of aircraft was implemented. The largest man-made harbor in the world was constructed at Jebel Ali, and a free zone was created around the port.

Dubai's formula for development was becoming evident to everyone – visionary leadership, high-quality infrastructure, an expatriate-friendly environment, zero tax on personal and corporate income and low import duties. The result was that Dubai quickly became a business and tourism hub for a region that stretches from Egypt to the Indian sub-continent and from South Africa to what are now called the CIS countries.

Since the 1960s, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, then ruler of Abu Dhabi, and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum had dreamed of creating a federation of the Emirates in the region. Their dreams were realized in 1971 when Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and (in 1972) Ras Al Khaimah, joined to create the United Arab Emirates.

Under the late Sheikh Zayed, the first President of UAE, the UAE has developed into one of the richest countries in the world with a per capita GDP in excess of US$17,000 per annum.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, Dubai took a strategic decision to emerge as a major international-quality tourism destination. Investments in tourism infrastructure have paid off handsomely over the years.

Dubai is now a city that boasts unmatchable hotels, remarkable architecture and world-class entertainment and sporting events. The beautiful Burj Al Arab hotel presiding over the coastline of Jumeira beach is the world's only hotel with a seven star rating. The Emirates Towers are one of the many structures that remind us of the commercial confidence in a city that expands at a remarkable rate. Standing 350 meters high, the office tower is the tallest building in the Middle East and Europe.

Dubai also hosts major international sporting events. The Dubai Desert Classic is a major stop on the Professional Golf Association tour. The Dubai Open, an ATP tennis tournament, and the Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horse race, draw thousands every year.