Many tourists every year strive to make their dream a reality - visit the United Arab Emirates. And as the season approaches, everyone asks what documents are needed to apply for a visa in the UAE. Perhaps this factor was the only clouding moment until last year. Now, millions of Russian tourists will not postpone their vacation due to the fact that they did not have time to prepare a passport with a visa for the trip, but simply buy a ticket and fly to bask on the beaches of the Persian Gulf.
Let's see what visas are issued by the multifaceted country of the Arabian Peninsula for citizens of the Russian Federation.
Visa regime for Russians from the UAE
Do I need a visa to the Emirates to Russian citizens who want to soak up the sun? Now this question can be firmly answered: yes, it is needed, only the rules for issuing it have changed. From February 1, 2017, a visa is available in free format, you will need to receive it upon arrival, before passport control. True, a big minus will be that a large number of compatriots and those citizens of the world whose country has similar visa rules will create long lines. Therefore, to facilitate contact with hot lands and speedy immersion in warm sea waters, you can fill out a special form in electronic form and get an electronic visa to the Emirates.
One very important rule applies to parents. Since 2016 (according to the law of the UAE immigration service), all children flying into the country with their parents are required to have personal passports, the information in them should only be in print. Otherwise, if the passport is filled in by hand, people will not receive a visa to the Emirates. Moreover, migrant workers will be able to fully deploy tourists and send them back home, refusing entry.
Thanks to a free visa to the United Arab Emirates, for Russians in 2018, it is possible to stay in the UAE for thirty days without providing additional documents. Once such a visa can be extended.
Visa regime changes
To obtain a free visa from the United Arab Emirates, you only need to have a valid passport. According to the UAE Prime Minister, the decree issued should increase the flow of tourists and strengthen the partnership between the two countries.
There is an option to apply for an electronic visa. It is a very interesting fact that a visa for girls who are not thirty years old is issued only if they will be accompanied by male persons. This is done so that the authorities of the Emirates were confident in the exact return of the girls home. There are various cases, it is very common when a girl stays in the country for permanent residence, doing illegal affairs.
The UAE immigration service has the right to request a security deposit for a girl (in the absence of an accompanying man) of one and a half thousand dollars, if the tourist does not leave the country. But if you have a room reservation in expensive hotels that have a star rating of at least four to five, this procedure is canceled.
An electronic visa is not displayed in the tourist's passport in any way; it is issued in printed form in A4 format. Original paper is available exclusively at the airport upon arrival. In the foreign passport, only stamps of departure and arrival are placed.
What types of visas are available for Russians. Some nuances of border control
For Russians, visas to the Emirates for 2018 can be issued for different types, for example, there are:
- Tourist visa, which is now issued free of charge at the arrival airport for thirty days.
- Transit visa, which is suitable if the UAE is a transit zone.
- Cruise visa.
- Official visa.
- Resident Visa
- Guest visa.
- Student visa.
A tourist visa gives the right only to relax, no working moments can be made on it. If in the passport of the Russian citizen the birth place column is filled in by an Arab country, then you will need to bring the original birth certificate with you, and if one of the Middle East countries is indicated in the passport, then (in addition to the certificate) a notarized translation into English will be required either arabic.
If the parent (parents) and the child have different surnames, then at the passport control they will have to present the original birth certificate of the child with an English translation, in this case it is not necessary to notarize the translation. However, without these documents a visa may not be provided.
In that case, when a child flies unaccompanied (or with third parties), then in order to obtain a visa to the Emirates he must have in his hands a document on his birth and an official paper on the consent of the parents to his departure from the Russian Federation. The last document must be certified by a notary public, it must be in English.
It is also important to remember that the requirements for obtaining a visa to the United Arab Emirates also apply to the validity of the passport, which must not have an expiration date within six months before the appointed day of departure.
Tourist Visa Extension
When entering the country with a free visa, tourists have the right to extend it once for the same period - thirty days. So, in the case when a vacationer wants to extend his vacation for another month, he should know: firstly, the old law on compulsory departure after a month's stay in the country has long been repealed and should not worry about it; secondly, you need to take care of the extension in advance; thirdly, a gorgeous offer from the UAE authorities - the extension of a visa to the Emirates for Russians without leaving the ticket office, that is, without leaving the hotel (there are some criteria here).
The first method: a tourist goes to the nearest tipping center to draw up an application and pays a fee for the work of the immigration visa extension service (about 800 dirhams) and 50 for the tipping center to process the application itself. The tourist will be asked to make copies of the pages of the passport (all), prepare a photograph of a certain sample and fill out a questionnaire (application). Before the applicant goes to fill out his request, he must visit the office of the Immigration Service to obtain a personal immigration number, he is required to submit an application.
The second way: ask for help in renewing a hotel that supports this service. True, there are some “buts”: a tourist must stay at this hotel or check in on the day of the reservation request. Not all hotels are engaged in such a matter, but usually five-star hotels provide an opportunity to extend a visa for Russians. Since 2014, a law has been in force in the Emirates that imposes an additional tax on tourist accommodation in a hotel. Therefore, when calculating the financial component of the rest (in addition to the extension), you need to be prepared for an additional price from the total cost of the room. Indeed, if a tourist submits documents for a visa, but does not check in, then the request or a finished visa will be canceled.
To speed up the process, you can download the questionnaire on the official resource of the representative office of the UAE, the hotel will need to put a signature in the papers on consent to the processing of personal data of the applicant. All duties are levied according to the established rules, it is necessary to specify the amount directly at the hotel which is chosen for accommodation. Sometimes you may be required to present a return ticket.
Transit visa
Do I need a visa to the Emirates for a transit flight? Yes, definitely needed and issued for ninety-six hours. Such a visa is issued in case of waiting for a transfer to the next flight for more than twenty-four hours; when a tourist wants to leave the transit flight waiting area, if the waiting time is less than a day, and in the case when the tourist wants to see the Emirates in four days, and then go on a different route. It is not allowed to be in the transit waiting zone without this visa. Applying for it yourself by contacting the embassy will fail, as the UAE diplomatic mission in Russia serves citizens with service passports.
The cost of a transit visa to the Emirates is much less than a tourist visa, and four days will be enough for visiting the main attractions and a short acquaintance with the country. The airport of the capital is an excellent hub for transfers in different directions: Bali, Thailand, Australia and so on.
To draw up a document, you must contact the offices of Emirates or Etihad. According to tourists, in such moments often can be disruptions associated with technical issues. Then the tourist can apply in advance through the travel agency in advance of departure, but only after purchasing any tour from her. If a tourist does not want to go on a package tour, then there is another way - the Merhab Service Center (the cost will be about five thousand rubles, but prices may vary). A transit visa to the United Arab Emirates for Russians can be issued at the airport of arrival. In this case, contact the Hala service desk.
And do not forget the main innovation that from February 1, 2017 for citizens of the Russian Federation a tourist visa in the UAE is free for 30 days.
Cruise Visa
This type of visa is opened if a tourist travels on a cruise ship through the Gulf countries and the route runs with a stop in the cities of the United Arab Emirates. Its design is usually dealt with by the company that sells package tours for holidays on liners. Among other documents, an invitation from a cruise company is included in the folder, where there is a detailed painted travel route in English.
Guest Visa
What is a guest visa and what does it eat with? Do Russians need a visa to the United Arab Emirates if they are going to stay with their relatives who have a permanent residence in the UAE? Yes and no.
Registration is carried out by the receiving party, and the visa is limited to 60 days, but with a condition of staying in the country no more than twenty-nine days. There is an extension right. So, if the tourist does not plan to stay away for more than a month, then it will be easier to take advantage of the free offer of affixing a visa at the arrival airport. Therefore, do I need a visa to the Emirates (this applies to guest registration)? This issue has to be decided by the tourist.
student visa
What kind of visa does a student need in the UAE? That's right - student. Registration begins immediately after signing the Offer Reply Slip, payment of tuition and all other organizational fees. The student is obliged to accept and agree to any requirements from the educational institution (if any).
Usually, the entire preparation for moving to training takes from fifteen to twenty days. Indeed, in addition to collecting documents, all candidates undergo security checks by government agencies in the United Arab Emirates: Russians need a visa and the presence of “cleanliness” in criminal matters.
Step-by-step algorithm of the design procedure:
- Before arriving in the UAE, the student must send the following documents to the address of the university where he plans to study: a scan in the color of the first page of a foreign passport; scan in the color of the photo (like a passport); confirmation letter of enrollment; receipt of payment of visa fees and security audit fees. The data processing term is up to seven days.
- When the institution has accepted the above documents, it redirects them, including a statement from the student himself, to the immigration authorities of the Emirates, attaching: a certificate of registration of the institution; immigration form; cash contribution; application for a visa at the airport of arrival. The term for consideration of documents is from fourteen to twenty one days.
- Upon arrival in the United Arab Emirates, a student must undergo a full medical examination (if he is over 18 years old). The issued results of a medical examination, together with the original application for a request for a local ID, are sent to the appropriate authorities (Emirates ID). The institution promotes and helps the student understand what is what. When a student receives a resident student’s passport, he needs to reappear at the above office for fingerprints. All procedures take a maximum of three days.
- At the finish line, the institution itself sends an application to Emirates ID and all documents in the original, including a passport, to the immigration service. Employees of the educational institution receive the student's passport back and issue it in his hands. Such procedures can be extended up to ten days.
Student financial expenses for obtaining a visa in the first year - 1300 US dollars, in subsequent years - 475 dollars. The student pays a deposit of $ 545, which is returned to him at the end of the course. It is also necessary to arrange annual insurance, the cost is $ 400.
Official visa
A visa for Russians to the Emirates is also needed if a person is not going to cool off day after day at local beaches (although this is possible), but to work. Being already in the country with a tourist visa, the individual can not draw up a worker. To be more precise, the employer is involved in the request. The company in which the foreigner is employed must be legally registered in the UAE.
A foreigner himself has the right to a workplace only in the firm or company that issued him a work visa. All documents are collected and transmitted to the consulate, which is engaged in obtaining a visa to the United Arab Emirates for Russians. Do I need an official qualification confirmation paper? Yes, it must be provided along with the rest of the documents, certified using the consular legalization procedure. Such an action takes place in Russia.
How this happens: first a document is certified by a notary, then a translation into English or Arabic is done (made in a special bureau at the visa center or consulate), after the document is verified for authenticity at the Ministry of Justice, the end point is the document’s certification directly from the UAE consul.
When an employee arrives in the UAE, he must immediately submit a request for residence. It also happens that a person, while on vacation in the Emirates, accidentally finds his dream job, in this case, in order to comply with the visa regime, he needs to leave the country and take all the necessary steps to get an official visa. If a tourist gets a job without her, then he and the company will face heavy fines, and an illegal employee will face deportation.
Resident visa
Do you need a visa for Russians in the Emirates if you are just going to reside in the country? Yes, and this visa is called resident. It allows a foreigner to live in the UAE, having many equal rights with citizens of the state. A resident visa is issued for three years, but it is not limited in extension. With it, you can conduct your own business and rent a house (someone acquires it here, which is also possible). But such people can only travel outside the country for six months in total. Otherwise, the visa is canceled, and getting a new one is to fork out again.
Ways to obtain resident status:
- To open and register a company, it must be one hundred percent owned by a foreigner, but have a local professional license agent. You can still buy part of the shares of an Arab company and become a partner of local businessmen.
- Get a job in one of the many local companies.
- Be the owner of real estate.
- Become a student at one of the local universities.
- A visa can be issued with a sponsor (for example, a husband or wife).
The cost of a resident visa starts at one and a half thousand US dollars, it is pasted into the passport to confirm legal stay in the country. Plus, the resident receives a special card identifying the identity of a foreigner.
Obtaining this type of visa will be impossible for those who violate the current legislation of the UAE, criminals who are on the international wanted list. Difficulties may also arise in girls under the age of thirty who want to live in the country without a man (be it father or husband).
But a man who has an official job or expensive real estate in the UAE can freely obtain a resident visa, as well as apply for it to his wife and children. This is the most common way of moving to a permanent place of residence. In such cases, you will need to provide the following documents:
- Passports of the wife and children.
- A copy of your personal visa.
- Marriage certificate in translation into English or Arabic, officially certified.
- For a child - his birth certificate, also translated into English or Arabic, certified by a notary.
- Lease agreement and utility bills.
- Investors provide an account statement.
- Certificate of income (in case of obtaining a resident visa due to employment).
- Photos in color format of the wife and child.
Sometimes the deadlines may take up to a month.