Now, residing in the UAE without a job offer is easy. If Dubai is on your wish list, and moving to Dubai is your plan, it is now easy for you no matter if you do not have a job offer from there. If you are employed by a company outside the UAE (from anywhere in the world), you can now live in Dubai provided that your company allows you to work remotely. All you have to do is apply and get a Dubai virtual work visa. Let’s dip into the details of the same.
Dubai Virtual Work Visa – An Overview
In 2020, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DFT) launched the virtual working program. Dubai virtual work visa is issued by Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA).
This one-year duration visa is offered to professionals. The visa allows them to live in the United Arab Emirates and work remotely for companies situated across the world. Business owners and entrepreneurs, whose businesses or companies are based outside the UAE, are also eligible to obtain this virtual work visa.
The visa can be applied through the website of Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA).
Eligibility Criteria for Virtual Work Visa
- You need to have a passport with a minimum of 6 months validity.
- Health insurance.
- For employees – you need to provide employment proof from your present employer with a one-year contract.
- For employees, you need to provide proof of a minimum salary of US$3500 per month (or its equivalent amount in other currencies). The previous month’s pay slip and bank statements for the three preceding months are also required to be provided with your application.
- For business owners or those who have a start-up, they need to provide proof of ownership of their company for one year or more (subject to extension). They also need to provide proof of their average monthly income of US$3500 or its equivalent in other currencies plus bank statements for the three preceding months.
Terms and Conditions
- The virtual work visa will have a one-year extendable period of residence from the issuance date.
- For this same period, the family (dependents) can be sponsored by the visa holder.
How to Apply for Dubai Virtual Work Visa
If you are interested in applying for the virtual work visa, you may do so on the GDRFA portal. You need to register an online account with GDRFA and apply for the service of a virtual work visa.
Note: The information can be changed and updated by the UAE authorities anytime, thus you are advised to check the updated information first on the official sources before submitting the application.
Whenever you plan to do anything, you must check out the updates before submitting or applying for the opportunity. This is because that the information or the procedure often or might change. The same can be the case with Dubai Virtual Work Visa. The authorities in the UAE could add or remove or change the information or the procedure.
Dubai is undoubtedly a place filled with tremendous opportunities of all kinds such as work, business, travel and shopping, etc. It drags a horde of tourists from all parts of the world all the time. It is surely a central attraction for the visitors and the ones who would like to make their careers or setup their businesses there.
The UAE Government in particular the Dubai Government keeps offering new opportunities for businesses and skilled persons. Moving to Dubai or settling there certainly allure as the city is filled with abundance of attractions. If the same is the case with you, you may go for this latest opportunity and apply for the same.