No Objection Certificate or abbreviated NOC in Dubai is a special type of permit document that is required when registering real estate, extending a work permit, obtaining a resident visa and in some other cases.
Who can act as an issuer?
The issuer is an individual or an organization (commercial, non–profit, non-governmental). He draws up a letter in which he confirms his agreement with the intentions of the person for whom the letter is written. For example, if a person wants to buy an apartment, then the developer is legally obliged to give his written consent.
If an organization writes a letter, then it must use an official letterhead. The NOC is always compiled in two languages – English and Arabic.
Despite the fact that the document is short and simply confirms the consent of the issuer, it must include some mandatory information:
- issuer’s contact details and address;
- full names of everyone who signed the permission;
- the information required by the person who requested the NOC (its content depends on what the permit is for);
- date of the paper.
When is a NOC required in the UAE?
This certificate is required quite often:
- when buying a property or a car;
- for registration of a driver’s license;
- for any business-related actions: expansion, the appearance of a new partner, the opening of a branch, license renewal, change of place of employment;
- to lift work restrictions;
- in order to get a second job;
- to gain access to services after processing immigration documents.
This list is constantly being updated, therefore, when making out a particular package, it is always necessary to check whether a new item has been added to it.
An NOC will also be required if we are talking about children whose mother wants to sponsor in the Emirates. If the father is a resident and is able to sponsor children, then the mother will not be able to take over sponsorship by law. If the father is not a resident, then he must give written consent that he is not against the sponsorship of children by his wife. Such consent is also called No Objection Letter and it is a kind of No Objection Certificate.
Buying real estate
To make a transaction with residential or non-residential real estate, it is necessary to issue a Certificate of absence of objections. Without it, any such transaction in the country is illegal.
Who draws up the NOC and what information it should contain
In real estate transactions, the role of the issuer is played by the developer, who is also the manager of the object. In response to the seller’s request, the issuer is obliged to write a letter on the official letterhead of the company, in which to indicate information about the absence of any kind of debts for:
- utilities;
- parking;
- use of playgrounds;
- operation of sports facilities;
- other services available in this residential complex.
A separate letter is written in which the issuer confirms its consent to the sale of the object.
How to get it and how much it costs
You can make a request by visiting the office in person or via the Internet. The permit can also be paper or electronic: both are considered valid. Dubai has a mobile application of the Real Estate Market Regulation Agency – Dubai Rest. You can apply through it.
Each developer has its own tariff. On average, the service costs from 1000 to 5000 AED.
Terms of registration
It also depends on the developer and the accompanying circumstances. If there are no problems with accounting or unpaid fines, then the NOC is issued within 2-7 working days. However, if it turns out that the customer has unpaid fines, debts, or there is a problem with accounting, the resolution of which will require an independent audit, then the delivery time will be delayed.
Expiration date
Very short – only 5 days. If the transaction is not completed by this time, the NOC will have to be processed again. Usually this document is taken at the very last moment, when the whole package is ready and the deadline for signing the transaction is set.
NOC for residency registration
When applying for residency, the NOC will be required only if the applicant simultaneously buys real estate with a mortgage. The seller must issue a certificate of no objection to obtaining residency, as well as provide a bank statement on opening a deposit in his name. Both papers are issued through the bank that issued the loan. For foreign buyers, one of the conditions for granting a mortgage is the need to pay a down payment in the amount of half the cost of the object. Therefore, the bank will issue all the required documents only after the amount has been deposited.
You can apply in person or through the Dubai Rest app.
NOC for lifting the ban on employment
No Objection Certificate is an important document when it comes to lifting the ban on employment, which the immigration authorities can impose on a person for the following reasons:
- The term of the employment contract has expired, but the employer has not taken any action regarding the extension of the right to employment.
- Termination of an indefinite employment contract before the end of one year of service.
- Termination of a fixed-term employment contract before its expiration.
An employee may receive a work ban for 6 months or a year, depending on the type of contract, the availability of consent to dismissal and other reasons.
However, it is possible to remove work restrictions or prevent them with the help of a NOC received from your employer.
How to prevent getting a work ban
There are two ways to prevent getting banned:
- Contact the employer in advance so that he extends the work permit before the expiration of the contract.
- Transfer sponsorship to another employer.
When transferring sponsorship, an NOC will be required. The current sponsor must issue a no objection certificate so that the employee can hand over his work card. This can be done after the completion of the employment contract or some time before it ends.
How to lift the work ban?
The rules in the UAE are constantly changing. The latest updates concerning the conditions of employment state that in order to lift the prohibitive sanctions on employment, an employee must receive an NOC from the current employer.
In addition, the new employer is obliged to offer a minimum wage in the amount of:
- 5000 dirhams for an employee who has only a high school diploma;
- 7000 dirhams for a certified employee;
- 12,000 dirhams for bachelor’s degree holders.
To remove the ban, you need to:
- Get a NOC in Dubai in Arabic from your current employer.
- Receive an offer letter from a new employer.
- Compose a personal letter of request.
- Submit the package to the Ministry of Labor.
- Wait for approval.
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