Dubai reduces visa processing time from 30 days to five

Dubai’s authorities have implemented significant reductions in the processing time for residency visas and work documents, marking a new era of efficiency in administrative procedures.

Under the new initiative, the onboarding process for new employees has been dramatically shortened from 30 days to a mere five, streamlining the entire documentation process. Moreover, the number of required documents has been substantially decreased from 16 to just five, simplifying the bureaucratic burden placed on employers and employees alike.

The visionary behind this transformative plan is Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, who announced the “Zero Bureaucracy” initiative aimed at enhancing government efficiency and streamlining procedures.

The newly introduced “Employment Package” represents a pioneering endeavor designed to expedite and simplify the processes associated with residency and employment. It encompasses a range of services, including the issuance and renewal of work and residency permits, medical fitness tests for residency visas, cancellation of work permits, and Emirates ID fingerprint scans.

While the platform operates predominantly online, certain procedures such as medical checks and fingerprint scanning still require in-person attendance.

This initiative is part of the broader Invest in Dubai platform, which is poised to cater to over 275,000 companies in its initial phase, offering streamlined services to facilitate business operations across the city.

Sheikh Mohammed emphasized the significant time savings that the new platform would generate, reclaiming an estimated 62 million working days previously devoted to the renewal of residencies and employment contracts within the government framework.

The Employment Package is projected to curtail 25 million procedures annually, resulting in substantial cost savings for both governmental and private sectors.

The platform is slated to expand beyond Dubai, extending its services to companies in other emirates through the dedicated website https://workinuae.ae.

Collaboration among various governmental entities, including Dubai Health, Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Dubai Economy and Tourism, Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA), has been instrumental in the success of this initiative.

Lt Gen Mohammed Al Marri, general director of GDRFA-Dubai, anticipates a 25 per cent increase in service transactions following the launch of the new platform. The streamlined processes, aided by artificial intelligence, have significantly reduced processing times by over 75 per cent, heralding a new era of efficiency and ease in government services.