UAE residency 183 days - what's reality?

[Jocus]

>I arrived exactly on the 180th day

You guys like to gamble huh.

I will for sure leave a week or more of extra time. Things can easily go wrong when traveling. Flight gets canceled, you get sick etc who knows...

I'll admit - it was too close for comfort.

Fortunately, I were in close contact with @Fred and the DLS crew about the whole deal, and they correctly assured me that I was fine regardless.

 

[rb91134]

Personal experience: I went to Dubai end of last year for the purpose of "visit requirement every 6 months". I arrived exactly on the 180th day. Smartgates at DXB didn't allow me to enter, referred me to the manual Immigration desk. Went there. The immigration officer pointed me to the immigration police (?). Went there. Was told that I was one (1) day late, and that I have to visit, at the latest, 179 days after last visit. Was told that if this happened before COVID19, my VISA would have been revoked and cancelled then and there. But: because of the strict travel requirements during COVID19, this practice was abandoned, and they now accept entrance even if you are later than 179 days (but they didn't say by how much). I was granted entrance, and upon checking online, my VISA is still active

Do you have a residency visa or an investor visa? I have an investor visa and while my visa stamp does say that my visa is invalid after an absence of 6 months, I had been repeatedly told by my agent in the Ajman Free Zone that people with investor visas can be absent for up to 12 months regardless of what the visa stamp says. I had asked this question to a DXB immigration officer a few years earlier and he had told me the same thing as well.

I entered DXB through the smart gates last week after having been absent for more than 10 months. No problems whatsoever.

Also, check out this article: 11 exceptions allow UAE residents to stay outside the country for over 6 months without cancelling residency visa

 

[Fred]

Do you have a residency visa or an investor visa? I have an investor visa and while my visa stamp does say that my visa is invalid after an absence of 6 months, I had been repeatedly told by my agent in the Ajman Free Zone that people with investor visas can be absent for up to 12 months regardless of what the visa stamp says. I had asked this question to a DXB immigration officer a few years earlier and he had told me the same thing as well.

I entered DXB through the smart gates last week after having been absent for more than 10 months. No problems whatsoever.

Also, check out this article: 11 exceptions allow UAE residents to stay outside the country for over 6 months without cancelling residency visa

@Jocus is a client of DLS Dubai and has Employment Visa.

It doesn't matter if Investor or Employment - you are getting just told misleading stuff from unserious agents - all Residence Visa have mentioned the 6 months rule unless you did invest at least 4m AED in UAE Real Estate.

 

[rb91134]

@Jocus is a client of DLS Dubai and has Employment Visa.

It doesn't matter if Investor or Employment - you are getting just told misleading stuff from unserious agents - all Residence Visa have mentioned the 6 months rule unless you did invest at least 4m AED in UAE Real Estate.

Fred - I haven't invested 4m AED in UAE real estate. My investor visa is on the basis of my having formed a freezone company. My agent told me that I can stay out of the UAE for up to 12 months even though my visa stamp says that I can only stay out of the UAE for up to 6 months. And this was correct based on my visit to Dubai last week when I entered Dubai after being absent for more than 10 months. So can you help me understand what specific statement my agent made that was misleading?

 

[USDT]

Personal experience: I went to Dubai end of last year for the purpose of "visit requirement every 6 months". I arrived exactly on the 180th day. Smartgates at DXB didn't allow me to enter, referred me to the manual Immigration desk. Went there. The immigration officer pointed me to the immigration police (?). Went there. Was told that I was one (1) day late, and that I have to visit, at the latest, 179 days after last visit. Was told that if this happened before COVID19, my VISA would have been revoked and cancelled then and there. But: because of the strict travel requirements during COVID19, this practice was abandoned, and they now accept entrance even if you are later than 179 days (but they didn't say by how much). I was granted entrance, and upon checking online, my VISA is still active

does your country of citizenship have an agreement on visa-free entry to the UAE (or visa on arrival)? I mean would you be able to get through the smart gate just using your passport if you didn't have any visa at all?

 

[Fred]

Fred - I haven't invested 4m AED in UAE real estate. My investor visa is on the basis of my having formed a freezone company. My agent told me that I can stay out of the UAE for up to 12 months even though my visa stamp says that I can only stay out of the UAE for up to 6 months. And this was correct based on my visit to Dubai last week when I entered Dubai after being absent for more than 10 months. So can you help me understand what specific statement my agent made that was misleading?

Your agent tells you bulls**t - sorry.

Most clients from us get an Employment Visa because we recommend them to do so for Bank reason.

Same like you they stay more then 6 months outside the UAE - nothing happens.

So your current agent does frame you things in an absolutely wrong way - what lets you assume you are on the side of the law but you are not - it's just lack of enforcement on the UAE Immigration side - like for everyone else.

 

[rb91134]

Your agent tells you bulls**t - sorry.

Most clients from us get an Employment Visa because we recommend them to do so for Bank reason.

Same like you they stay more then 6 months outside the UAE - nothing happens.

So your current agent does frame you things in an absolutely wrong way - what lets you assume you are on the side of the law but you are not - it's just lack of enforcement on the UAE Immigration side - like for everyone else.

Same like you they stay more then 6 months outside the UAE - nothing happens.

OK, a few follow-up questions:

1. How do you account for what Jocus went through when they tried to enter using the smart gates? I understand that their visa is still valid, but why would they not have been allowed through the smart gates given that I was last week?

2. Is the gulftoday article I linked to in my earlier post (which specifically says that it is now an official policy of the government that investor visa holders can stay outside for longer than 6 months) also bulls**t?

 

[Fred]

OK, a few follow-up questions:

1. How do you account for what Jocus went through when they tried to enter using the smart gates? I understand that their visa is still valid, but why would they not have been allowed through the smart gates given that I was last week?

2. Is the gulftoday article I linked to in my earlier post (which specifically says that it is now an official policy of the government that investor visa holders can stay outside for longer than 6 months) also bulls**t?

1. @Jocus seems to had a bad day - sounds stupid but what happened - nothing - can imagine that it was just an issue on the Smart Gate side what happens daily and that's why he had to go through normal immigration counter.

2. Again - the article is refering to a Realestate Investor Visa - not an Investor Visa through Company Formation you have received - again the wording on your Residence Visa with 6 months rule is self explaining.

 

[darkred]

Tip on the smart gates: Just try again if rejected the first time. Nothing to do with the days out of the UAE, they just don't work the first time always

 

[rb91134]

1. @Jocus seems to had a bad day - sounds stupid but what happened - nothing - can imagine that it was just an issue on the Smart Gate side what happens daily and that's why he had to go through normal immigration counter.

2. Again - the article is refering to a Realestate Investor Visa - not an Investor Visa through Company Formation you have received - again the wording on your Residence Visa with 6 months rule is self explaining.

2. The article refers to investor visas in general - it doesn't say that the exception regarding investor visas is only applicable to real estate investors. Can you point me to any official government communication that you have read that says that this new exception that the gulftoday article refers to regarding investor visas only applies to real estate investors?

 

[JackAlabama]

>I arrived exactly on the 180th day

You guys like to gamble huh.

I will for sure leave a week or more of extra time. Things can easily go wrong when traveling. Flight gets canceled, you get sick etc who knows...

In worst case scenario, you can just do it again. At least that part of the process is relatively simple anyway.
Also its not like that its valid forever, its now only 2 years and you get like a fresh 2 years one Id assume.

 

[Fred]

2. The article refers to investor visas in general - it doesn't say that the exception regarding investor visas is only applicable to real estate investors. Can you point me to any official government communication that you have read that says that this new exception that the gulftoday article refers to regarding investor visas only applies to real estate investors?

I can point you only to the reality in which I have seen 10 years Golden Visa through min 4m AED in Real Estate the 180 days rule wasn't there while we have sometimes clients from the Phillipines who really require "Investor" as designation on the Residence Visa to be able to leave the Phillipines without any issues.

Nowadays the Residence Visa is not even anylonger stamped - I have nothing seen lately.

Again my point is you can with almost every Dubai Freezone nowadays process Employment Visa or Investor but the 180 days wording is on both the same - there is literally no upside but downside with an investor visa through company formation which is the fact that investor visa is considered high risk by the banks and requires enhanced due dilligence.

 

[turtle]

@Jocus all Residence Visa have mentioned the 6 months rule unless you did invest at least 4m AED in UAE Real Estate.

10yr golden visa via real estate threshold is 2M AED.

 

[Fred]

10yr golden visa via real estate threshold is 2M AED.

Yes like said - it's chaning frequently - I just mentioned the circumstances back then from the only guy I have ever seen different spelling on the Residence Visa in terms of days staying outside the UAE.

Back then it was 4M AED for Golden and 2M AED for Green Visa while I nowadays see from "trustworthy" real estate stands in a mall quoting 750.000 AED or so.

Be careful - lately I was told more and more Real Estate Agents even promoting Citizenship after 10 years having Golden Visa and such bulls**t.

 

[turtle]

Yes like said - it's chaning frequently - I just mentioned the circumstances back then from the only guy I have ever seen different spelling on the Residence Visa in terms of days staying outside the UAE.

Back then it was 4M AED for Golden and 2M AED for Green Visa while I nowadays see from "trustworthy" real estate stands in a mall quoting 750.000 AED or so.

Be careful - lately I was told more and more Real Estate Agents even promoting Citizenship after 10 years having Golden Visa and such bulls**t.

There are 2 thresholds right now. 10yr golden visa for 2M and 2yr standard visa for 750K AED real estate investment. They lowered the threshold 2 times in the last 2-3 years. I believe it will not go lower than 2M and I expect citizenship by investment soon like for 5M AED investment.

 

[zzzzzz]

Personal experience: I went to Dubai end of last year for the purpose of "visit requirement every 6 months". I arrived exactly on the 180th day. Smartgates at DXB didn't allow me to enter, referred me to the manual Immigration desk. Went there. The immigration officer pointed me to the immigration police (?). Went there. Was told that I was one (1) day late, and that I have to visit, at the latest, 179 days after last visit. Was told that if this happened before COVID19, my VISA would have been revoked and cancelled then and there. But: because of the strict travel requirements during COVID19, this practice was abandoned, and they now accept entrance even if you are later than 179 days (but they didn't say by how much). I was granted entrance, and upon checking online, my VISA is still active

UAE 180 days calculator:
https://www.smashplus.com/uae-residence-visa-180-days-calculator

 

[rb91134]

I can point you only to the reality in which I have seen 10 years Golden Visa through min 4m AED in Real Estate the 180 days rule wasn't there while we have sometimes clients from the Phillipines who really require "Investor" as designation on the Residence Visa to be able to leave the Phillipines without any issues.

Nowadays the Residence Visa is not even anylonger stamped - I have nothing seen lately.

Again my point is you can with almost every Dubai Freezone nowadays process Employment Visa or Investor but the 180 days wording is on both the same - there is literally no upside but downside with an investor visa through company formation which is the fact that investor visa is considered high risk by the banks and requires enhanced due dilligence.

Since you aren't able to provide any official government communication, it seems to me that this is a case of my agent's word against yours. I am not saying that you are incorrect - it's certainly possible that you are correct and my agent is wrong.

However, as a neutral observer, I can only go by the evidence that is presented to me. On your side, there is no evidence. On my agent's side, there is 1 piece of evidence - that gulftoday article. You've claimed that the exception mentioned in the gulftoday article only applies to real estate investors. That is possible, but you've provided no evidence to support that claim.

Like I said, it's still possible that you are correct, but the evidence presented so far is on my agent's side, not yours. Thanks for your time.

 

[Fred]

Since you aren't able to provide any official government communication, it seems to me that this is a case of my agent's word against yours. I am not saying that you are incorrect - it's certainly possible that you are correct and my agent is wrong.

However, as a neutral observer, I can only go by the evidence that is presented to me. On your side, there is no evidence. On my agent's side, there is 1 piece of evidence - that gulftoday article. You've claimed that the exception mentioned in the gulftoday article only applies to real estate investors. That is possible, but you've provided no evidence to support that claim.

Like I said, it's still possible that you are correct, but the evidence presented so far is on my agent's side, not yours. Thanks for your time.

Wrong - it's your agents word against what is mentioned on your Residence Visa.

What's written there? 180 days.

If they want to enforce - they can enforce it and the useless word of a Corporate Service Provider not telling you the truth helps you nothing.

 

[rb91134]

Wrong - it's your agents word against what is mentioned on your Residence Visa.

What's written there? 180 days.

If they want to enforce - they can enforce it and the useless word of a Corporate Service Provider not telling you the truth helps you nothing.

We seem to be going around in circles here, so this is going to my last message to you on this topic. There were already several officially declared exceptions to the 180 day rule (foreigner wife of an Emirati citizen, domestic helpers accompanying Emiratis having a scholarship for study abroad, etc.). These were exceptions which the UAE government had officially declared would apply EVEN IF those individuals' visa stamps had the 180 day rule written on it.

The UAE government, according to the gulftoday article, recently announced 5 additional official exceptions, one of which is the investor visa exception.

Therefore, IF the gulftoday article is correct, then it's no longer a case of non-enforcement of a rule - it's a situation where the rule itself has officially changed for investor visas EVEN IF their visas have the 180 day rule written on it.

So IS the gulftoday article correct? You claim that it isn't entirely correct but you've provided no evidence for your claim.

 

[Fred]

We seem to be going around in circles here, so this is going to my last message to you on this topic. There were already several officially declared exceptions to the 180 day rule (foreigner wife of an Emirati citizen, domestic helpers accompanying Emiratis having a scholarship for study abroad, etc.). These were exceptions which the UAE government had officially declared would apply EVEN IF those individuals' visa stamps had the 180 day rule written on it.

The UAE government, according to the gulftoday article, recently announced 5 additional official exceptions, one of which is the investor visa exception.

Therefore, IF the gulftoday article is correct, then it's no longer a case of non-enforcement of a rule - it's a situation where the rule itself has officially changed for investor visas EVEN IF their visas have the 180 day rule written on it.

So IS the gulftoday article correct? You claim that it isn't entirely correct but you've provided no evidence for your claim.

Again the evidence is on your Residence Visa - 180 days
.
As there is no enforcement - what evidence are you looking for ? An Article from Gulf News stating something like "Expat banned from UAE because of returning 181 days after his last visit to the UAE" - come on.

You just have no enforement of it fact - recently spoke with a client with EU passport - he returned after 14 months and had no issues with an Employment Visa.

I feel sorry for people with having additional headach with banks just because they thought there is any difference with an Investor Residence Visa.