Attention, travelers! If you’re considering a move or employment in Dubai, there’s excellent news. The United Arab Emirates authorities have implemented measures to significantly reduce processing times and the required documents for residency visas and work permits.
Previously, the onboarding of new employees took 30 days, but under the new instructions, this process has been streamlined to just five days, with only five documents needed instead of the previous 16.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, unveiled the “Zero Bureaucracy” plan as part of a broader efficiency drive. The newly launched “Employment Package” is designed to expedite and simplify residency and employment processes.
The services offered under the new plan include “issuing work and residency permits for new employees, renewing a residency permit, medical fitness tests for a residency visa, cancellation of work permits, and Emirates ID fingerprint scans.”
Operated entirely online, the platform still requires in-person procedures for medical checks and fingerprint scanning. The initiative is part of the Invest in Dubai platform, catering to over 275,000 companies in Dubai.
Sheikh Mohammed highlighted that the plan aims to “reclaim 62 million working days” previously spent on the process, expecting to reduce 25 million procedures annually and generate substantial savings for both the public and private sectors.
This platform will soon be extended to companies in other emirates. Collaborating entities include Dubai Health, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Dubai Economy and Tourism, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA).
Lieutenant General Mohammed Al Marri, the general director of GDRFA-Dubai, anticipates a 25% increase in service transactions this year with the launch of the new platform.
