Know entry visas inside out

Know entry visas inside out By Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: February 16, 2008, 00:32

Dubai: Anyone wanting to visit or to live in the UAE, whether alone or accompanied by their families must follow the rules and procedures set by the authorities regarding issuing visas, entry permits, work permits or any other kind of legal way to enter the country.

Visitors must know the differences and the definitions between entry visas, entry permits, work permits and other types of permit set by Labour Ministry and the Ministry of Interior.

Anyone wanting to apply for entry visa should know what the process entails, and understand the difference between an entry visa and an entry permit.

An entry visa is described as an approval, to be made in the visitors passport or travel document, allowing him or her to enter the country. This visa can be issued by a UAE embassy or consulate in the country of the person who is applying for the entry visa and it can also be issued by the Naturalisation and Residency department here.

An entry permit is a special document issued for the expatriates in order to allow them to enter the country and it can be issued only by the Naturalisation and Residency Department here.

An entry permit or entry visa will not be granted unless the applicant has a valid passport which allow him or her to enter the UAE and to return to their home country or the country which issued their passport.

Also in order to be able to enter the UAE, the visa or the entry permit must be approved by the authorities in accordance with the purpose for the visit.

In order to be able to enter the UAE, one needs a sponsor, which can be a company, an Emirati or an expatriate who has a residence visa.

You will not be allowed into the country if you have been banned or deported the UAE in the past, either for one year or permanently.

It you are banned for one year, do not attempt to come here before the end of the year.

Expatriates wishing to enter the country must submit an application for an entry visa to the UAE embassy or consulate in their own country. The UAE embassy or consulate will obtain an approval for the applicant from the Naturalisation and Residency Department here.

If you are sponsoring an expatriate who wishes to enter the country, you must abide by the information stated in the application. You will be responsible if the person you sponsored is deported, and will have to accompany him or her if necessary to avoid facing a penalty.

According to UAE labour and residency laws there are certain categories of expatriates, holding a residence visa, who are not allowed to sponsor or to recruit an expatriate even if they comply with salary requirements. These categories include domestic workers and labourers.