# Employment Visa



## themash (Jun 15, 2011)

Does anyone know if to change your visa from a tourist visa to an employment visa you have to leave the country by plane? or is it possible to take the employment visa paperwork with you and go a run to Hatta and have it done there?

Has anyone done this before? (I am a UK passport holder)


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## teuchter (Dec 12, 2011)

themash said:


> Does anyone know if to change your visa from a tourist visa to an employment visa you have to leave the country by plane? or is it possible to take the employment visa paperwork with you and go a run to Hatta and have it done there?
> 
> Has anyone done this before? (I am a UK passport holder)


There doesn't seem to be any consistency in this one: over the past five years, I've hired a number of candidates, and the UK/EU ones usually do not need to leave the country at all. (There was one exception to this, where the guy went to Qatar and back the same day.) I also know of a UK passport holder and a Swiss one who both did it at Hatta.

All of the Asian passport holders I hired (with the exception of a Singaporean) had to leave the country, whereas none of the Arabs (Lebanese, Jordanian, Syrian) had to.

I suggest you check with your HR manager/PRO: they should be able to advise.

teuchter


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## wandabug (Apr 22, 2010)

UK passport - you do not have to leave the country any more for a visa change.


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## themash (Jun 15, 2011)

thats great, thanks for the advice! we are a new company so unfortunately I sort of am my own PRO & HR and learning as I go.


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## katiepotato (Apr 29, 2008)

Not sure if you are in a freezone or onshore, but speak to the person on the desk/at the typing centre when you're submitting the residence visa application and tell them you need to do an in-country transfer to amend your status from visitor to resident. There is an extra charge - about AED800.

If you are really struggling I know a "freelance" PRO who might be able to help you - PM me for details if needed.


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## fcjb1970 (Apr 30, 2010)

I just started a new job a little over a month ago, was on a 30 day visit visa at the time and did not have to leave the country. They just processed and got me the Employment Entry visa (the pink piece of paper), no problem. Sure the process for a Britt is the same as for a Yank.


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## katiepotato (Apr 29, 2008)

It's the same process for passport holders from any of the 33 "visa on arrival" countries. You do specifically have to request an in-country transfer/local amendment when submitting the application though.


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## shezza321 (Mar 14, 2012)

Ok maybe a dumb question, apologies if it is. Where do you have to go to submit this application?


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

shezza321 said:


> Ok maybe a dumb question, apologies if it is. Where do you have to go to submit this application?


DNRD office. The one i know is opposite al jaffiliya metro station


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## LAgirl (Apr 15, 2012)

So what about people with passports from the other countries that do not qualify for the "visa on arrival". If someone from like the philipines, west africa or wherever?


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## 153580 (Feb 1, 2012)

teuchter said:


> There doesn't seem to be any consistency in this one: over the past five years, I've hired a number of candidates, and the UK/EU ones usually do not need to leave the country at all. (There was one exception to this, where the guy went to Qatar and back the same day.) I also know of a UK passport holder and a Swiss one who both did it at Hatta.
> 
> All of the Asian passport holders I hired (with the exception of a Singaporean) had to leave the country, whereas none of the Arabs (Lebanese, Jordanian, Syrian) had to.
> 
> ...


Are you sure about the " all of the Asian passport" holders? As a south Korean passport holder I didn't need to leave the country when changing visa on arrival to employment visa . Just letting you know cuz you say that as if you know about all Asian passport holders


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## katiepotato (Apr 29, 2008)

In theory it should be possible to do an in-country amendment from visit visa to residence visa for any nationality. However, as with many things in the UAE there is a lack of consistency - how the process is handled can depend on who you deal with at DNRD or MOL and their interpretation of the system, or how much wasta your PRO has.


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## teuchter (Dec 12, 2011)

hiitsjudy said:


> Are you sure about the " all of the Asian passport" holders? As a south Korean passport holder I didn't need to leave the country when changing visa on arrival to employment visa . Just letting you know cuz you say that as if you know about all Asian passport holders


I think you misunderstand what I wrote: I said "all of the Asian passport holders *I hired**" and NOT "all Asian passport holders".

(* these included Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan passport holders.)

According to my PRO, passport holders of more 'developed' Asian countries (eg Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea) do not need to leave the country to change their visa - as you indeed found out 

teuchter


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## teuchter (Dec 12, 2011)

katiepotato said:


> In theory it should be possible to do an in-country amendment from visit visa to residence visa for any nationality. However, as with many things in the UAE there is a lack of consistency - how the process is handled can depend on who you deal with at DNRD or MOL and their interpretation of the system, or how much wasta your PRO has.


Very true - especially the PRO wasta part! 

teuchter


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

Well, I hold an Indian passport, and I didn't need to leave the country. My wife entered the country on a tourist visa, and she didn't need to leave the country either.
I am not sure if any wasta was used for my visa processing, but for sure none was used for my wife's visa.


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## katiepotato (Apr 29, 2008)

I did not say that wasta is always necessary. I also said that it should be possible to amend all tourist visas in-country - that's why the option exists. Where wasta comes in handy is if you are dealing with a nationality/passport/process that the government offices don't see every day, and are therefore not sure how to handle - so are more likely to accomodate someone who they know and trust. 

The fact remains that despite what the rules say, our individual experiences show us that the same request (in this case in-country amendment of visa status) can be treated differently based on a whole range of variables - nationality and relationships being just two of those.


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## teuchter (Dec 12, 2011)

katiepotato said:


> The fact remains that despite what the rules say, our individual experiences show us that the same request (in this case in-country amendment of visa status) can be treated differently based on a whole range of variables - nationality and relationships being just two of those.


Indeed - not to mention conversance/familiarity of government officials with the prevailing law/amendment to same 

teuchter


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## shezza321 (Mar 14, 2012)

Sorry for all my questions..

If I'm getting an airline ticket only will this automatically give me a visits visa or do I have to obtain this another way? 

Thanks x


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## LAgirl (Apr 15, 2012)

shezza321 said:


> Sorry for all my questions..
> 
> If I'm getting an airline ticket only will this automatically give me a visits visa or do I have to obtain this another way?
> 
> Thanks x


It depends on what country you are from. Here's a link:
UAE Travel: Tourist: Visa information - UAEinteract

Pretty much if you're a Gulf citizen you dont need one, if ur from most European/Western coutries you get one on arrival, but if youre from neither you have to get a visa before you arrive.


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## shezza321 (Mar 14, 2012)

Thank u, I'm from the UK so it looks like I van get one on arrival. What I was a little confused about though, is that it says that it is for people who are staying for more than 14 days and will need to be sponsored by a resident or hotel..

I will be staying with my friend what will she need to do to sponsor me?


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## katiepotato (Apr 29, 2008)

If you are travelling on a UK passport you will get a 30-day visit visa on arrival. Your friend does not need to sponsor you. 

When entering the country you may be asked where you are staying so make sure you have your friend's address to hand.


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## shezza321 (Mar 14, 2012)

Thank u... one more question I promise.. if I was to get an open return ticket or one that has a return date in 3 months time would that raise any issues or problems?


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