UAE introduces multiple entry tourist visa for all nationalities
The UAE introduced a multiple entry tourist visa for all nationalities and approved a new remote work visa that enables employees from all over the world to live and work remotely from the UAE even if their companies are based in another country, Sheikh Mohammed said on Sunday via Twitter.
Following a lockdown that began last March to slow the spread of coronavirus, the UAE was one of the first nations to fling its doors open to international tourists and remote workers, promising a safe travel destination for work and leisure.
The legislative updates come following a cabinet meeting, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE's Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said: “We are working with clear objectives to boost our economic status globally and provide the best quality of life to our citizens and residents. Our journey of development endures.”
The remote working visa was first introduced in mid-October, allowing remote workers who met certain requirements to remain in the emirate for one year.
Dubai’s population fell by 8.4 percent last year as expatriate workers left the country during the Covid-19 pandemic. The emirate suffered the worst population decrease in the Gulf.
Residency permits in the country are usually tied to employment and many expatriates have to leave if they lose their jobs. But with the new visa, remote workers can work for a company that is based outside the UAE.
A number of other countries, including Barbados, Estonia, Bermuda and Georgia have introduced similar remote working programs.
Other announcements from the cabinet meeting include: adopting legislative amendments regarding the use of digital technologies in judicial procedures and transactions, approving a national system for hydrogen fuel-powered vehicles and a national water and energy demand management programme, and announcing that the UAE has joined the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the New Development Bank.