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Two pieces of important news for Dubai residents and vistors.

Is this an atempt to generate more revenues?

I know Western visitors have to cough out AED 620, just to renew their visit visa for another 30 days. Instead, most used to avoid this payment by running over to Oman (via Hatta), to turn around at the border post and get another UAE 30-day visa for free. No more???

1- http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/visa/ ... s-1.725290

2- http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/visa/ ... a-1.725285

No changes in freehold residency visas, right?

The article doesnt mention that, im curious about this too

What utter non sense. The need of the day was for permanent residency and extended visas up to 5 or 10 years specialy for invenstors and bussiness man, instead they go and make it even shorter. With every new rule, six month freehold visa, emirates ID, no bankruptcy laws, a 19th Egyptian based legal system. More and more people are put off from this place. People who are here will leave, Other than poor unskilled south east asians no one will show up on their door step anymore.

Reminds of what one of the founding fathers of this country the late great Shk Rashid once said. I rode a donkey, now I drive a mercedes, my son will ride a mercedes, but his son will ride a donkey again

Spiraling even faster towards the bottom now.

Apparently this classifies Canadians in the same category as Nigerians!

Will the last person to leave the country, please switch off the light...



Knight

Hopefully I won't be the last one, stuck with locking the door on my way out

Flying Dutchman wrote:No changes in freehold residency visas, right?

There is no freehold residency visas,

Now their is some fandangled kind of visa for six months only and you have to be out of the country for a number of months before you can come back etc etc. Not sure exactly how it works but pretty much useless and expensive.

When Emaratis visit the UK or the US, they can stay up to 6 months per visit. If they want to stay longer for pressing reasons, such as medical reasons, they can get a free extension. Or they can leave to any neighboring country, return back on the same day, and get another 6 months stay.

But when the Britons and Americans visit Dubai, they can stay only up to 30 days per visit, and they have to leave. And cannot return back for 30 days.

The irony is UAE visitors to the UK or the US constitute a very tiny fraction of their overall number of visitors. As such, the UK or US could care less if UAE visitors stopped coming to their shores. However, the Brits, for example, come in droves to Dubai every year, and the local economy depends on the Brits visitors to a large degree.

So, you would think the UAE, esp. in these hard times, would want to entice more visitors to come, and stay as long as possible, in order to help the local economy -- instead of the other way around.

Oh and now another new one, residency will not be renewed for people who have a case against them for financial obligations - er so how are they expected to work pay back the money. Didn't really think that one through.

Well, according to Gulf News which must be competing for the number 1 position of "rag", these new rules are going to bring huge savings to companies and will allow people more freedom to move around in the job market - errrr, the ban???? I guess they didn't think people would figure out that rather than paying for visas/work permits every 2 years rather than 3 would be revenue for the government???

Today's paper announced that there will be a 15% increase in water and electricity beginning January 2011. Dubai is going a very good job driving people out rather than making it attractive enough to bring people in!!! I hope this doesn't create a financial harship to the locals having to pay an additional 5 fils every month.

But maybe, just maybe, driving expats out of Dubai is just a "master plan". All the infrasture, buildings and malls are here already so that the Emiratis can enjoy!


TJ, I thought the max stay without extension in US was 90 days.

And today they say fuel prices may increase another 60 fils to 1 dirhams, i.e. from ~1.7 to 2.3 or 2.6 per litre !!!

I'm so tired of all these increases, new rules etc and all to make money. Why don't they just be upfront about it ad make a tax. Everyone knows it's all BS.

Chocoholic wrote:I'm so tired of all these increases, new rules etc and all to make money. Why don't they just be upfront about it ad make a tax. Everyone knows it's all BS.

they will and STILL raise prices!

I might be mistaken but I think that the Hatta run is still fine as those are classed as tourist visa's. The visit visa where you have to spend 1 month out of the country before coming back is for the ones that need to be applied for before coming to the UAE - ie for pakistan, phillipines, etc. The tourist visa that gets stamped for 30 days automatically at the airport if you are a UK or other national citizen can still be extended for another 30 days without you having to be out for 1 month. Thats what I think it says at the bottom of the article.

Could this be another one of those instances where a new regulation is announced and then never enforced?

Ambassador wrote:But maybe, just maybe, driving expats out of Dubai is just a "master plan". All the infrasture, buildings and malls are here already so that the Emiratis can enjoy!


TJ, I thought the max stay without extension in US was 90 days.

Maybe for people from the countries on the Visa Waiver Program, like the Europeans.

But, people with prior visit visas (B1, B2 - for business or pleasure) can be given up 6 months stay at the port of entry. It's not given automatically, but upon request.

Another thing, UAE citizens are now entitled to receive a 10-yr visit visa to the US, from the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

UAE citizens have been getting 10 year multiple entry Visas since the 90's, dunno maybe if they stopped that after 911 though.