What gives UAE citizenship, and why would many people like to move to this country permanently? The answer is simple: a warm sea all year round, a high standard of living, medicine, education, security, flexible tax policy, and ease of business registration. Visa-free travel with most countries allows you to travel freely around the world.
However, obtaining citizenship is not so easy, if not practically impossible. Almost 90% of the principality’s population are expats who have been living, studying and working in the UAE for years, but have not received citizenship. They use a residency, i.e. a residence permit, which is granted depending on the purpose of their stay in the country for 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 years. The residency is easily extended, and you can live in the Emirates for the rest of your life. However, in order to obtain citizenship, one must meet one of several very strict requirements.
Advantages of UAE citizenship
- High salary level. With the same positions, the salary of a UAE citizen will always be 2-3 times higher than the salary of an expat.
- Free education and medical care. Young citizens have the right to study at any educational institution for free, including universities.
- The right to work in government agencies.
- If you have 20 years of experience, you can retire at the age of 49.
- Benefits for marriage between two citizens and the birth of children in their family. The newlyweds receive large cash payments. The amount depends on the emirate, but on average it is about 70,000 AED. In Abu Dhabi, newlyweds can also apply to the government for help in paying off a loan and receive up to 100 000 AED. In other emirates, young families are helped by providing a plot of land for construction or ready-made houses. At the birth of a child, the family receives 3500 AED per month.
- Exemption from utility bills. If a person meets the limit, they do not need to pay, if they exceed it, then they only need to pay for the excess.
- Exemption from income taxes, as well as taxes on profits, dividends, housing, donations and inheritance.
- The possibility of visa-free visits to 175 countries. You can travel to China and Japan for 30 days, and to the UK for 180 days.
- Business ownership in both SEZ and Mainland.
Ways to obtain citizenship
Investing
Starting in 2021, the acquisition of real estate opens the right to obtain citizenship. Nowhere is it specified exactly what its minimum cost should be. However, citizenship has already been granted to investors who have bought residential or non-residential premises in the amount of 10 million dirhams or more.
Previously, investments could only be used to obtain a residence permit for various periods of time. For example, when buying property for 275,000 dirhams, the investor was given a 2-year visa. If the cost of the premises was equal to or exceeded 2 million dirhams, then this was a reason to provide a Golden Visa for 10 years.
People of retirement age can get a 5-year visa when buying real estate for 1 million AED.
Investors also receive a number of benefits for their family members, but not the right to citizenship.
Naturalization
This method follows from the previous one. According to UAE law, if an expat has lived in the principality for 30 years on a Golden Visa (i.e. he has extended it three times), he gets the right to apply for citizenship of the Emirates. But there are additional conditions. The applicant must:
- be proficient in Arabic;
- do not have «dark spots» in the track record, for example, criminal records;
- have a higher education;
- confirm the legitimate source of income.
For people from Arab countries, the period of mandatory stay in the UAE has been reduced. For example, if the applicant’s ancestors are citizens of Bahrain, Oman or Qatar, then 3 years of residence is enough for them, if they come from other Arab countries, then they must live in the principality for at least 7 years.
For special merits
This is a category of people distinguished by special merits or talents. Since 2021, outstanding scientists, doctors, engineers, athletes, and people of creative professions can take advantage of the benefits of obtaining a UAE passport. But there is a list of requirements for each category.
Doctors and engineers must have at least 10 years of professional experience and be innovators, i.e. the authors of breakthrough ideas and techniques in their field, recognized in the professional community and patented. Awards are also taken into account, especially at the international level.
Scientists (representatives of any scientific field) must also have at least ten years of professional experience, contribute to science in their specialty, and their results must be recognized by the scientific community of the emirates, for example, the National Research Foundation under the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the UAE. The applicant must have a letter of recommendation from such an organization.
Inventors must have at least one development patented in the UAE or in an international agency and, on this basis, receive a letter of recommendation from the relevant government agency.
Representatives of creative professions (writers, artists, designers, musicians), as well as athletes must prove the uniqueness of their achievements. This can be done by providing certificates of winners of contests, certificates of prize winners, and other awards. The same applies to athletes: their proof is medals at international competitions, Olympic Games, as well as certificates of setting world records.
Pavel Durov, the Russian founder of the Telegram messenger, and Michel Salgado, a former Real Madrid player, can be cited as examples of people who have received citizenship for special services.
Persons who have received citizenship for special services are allowed to keep their passport of their native country.
Through marriage
This option is available only to women. They can apply for a passport if they have been married to an Emirati for at least 7 years and have a child together, or 10 years if there are no children.
At the same time, a woman does not need to have a higher education, but she will have to renounce her first citizenship. The death of a spouse does not lead to the annulment of citizenship, a woman can lose it if she remarries a foreigner or becomes a citizen of another country (i.e. dual citizenship is not allowed).
For children
A child can become a citizen of the Emirates:
- if born to an Emirati father;
- according to the mother, if she has citizenship, but the father does not have or is not known.;
- for naturalized parents upon reaching the age of 18;
- if the parents of the child located on the territory of the principality have not been identified.
Being born in Dubai or another emirate from non-citizens does not automatically qualify for citizenship.
The procedure for obtaining the status
Stages of the procedure
- Each candidate’s application is reviewed by an Advisory Board appointed by the Federal Office for Identity and Citizenship. At the same stage, the identity of the applicant is checked by the security service for reliability. This is a necessary measure to maintain order in the principality.
- At the second stage, the submitted documents are checked, as well as candidates are selected based on criteria for different categories of applicants. This stage is called pre-approval.
- If all the requirements are met and the checks are completed successfully, then the candidate must be approved by another Federal Advisory Council. It consists of one representative from each emirate.
- If the Council has made a positive decision, the applicant must take an oath to the state, commit himself to comply with the laws of the emirates, and notify government agencies of the presence of another citizenship or renunciation.
- After successful completion of all stages, the data of the new citizen is entered into the Register of Nationalities. Starting in 2021, it is required to renounce existing citizenship.
Meeting all the requirements is not a guarantee of obtaining citizenship status.
Required documents
- A completed application form.
- Current passport.
- Identification card (available for each resident);
- Photo for a new passport.
- A family book. This is a type of document in which a man enters members of his family. If a man obtains citizenship, then the persons listed in his book also receive the right to status. At the same time, if the wife is a foreigner, then the minimum period of stay in marriage must be observed for her, which is considered not from the moment of marriage, but from the moment of registration of the family book. If the child is not included in this document, he does not have the right to receive the status.
- Receipt of payment of the fee.
Terms and possible costs
You can apply for a passport online. The procedure takes no more than 15 minutes. The cost of the service varies from one emirate to another, but according to federal law it cannot exceed 50 dirhams.
The main differences between the statuses of a citizen and a resident
Citizens of the United Arab Emirates have much more rights and opportunities than residents. They can:
- own a business in the Free zones, as well as the Mainland;
- get higher salaries;
- hold public office;
- enjoy government benefits;
- travel freely and stay outside the principality for any period of time.
However, it is difficult to obtain citizenship. It is much easier to apply for a residency, which can be easily extended. It allows you to live, study, and work in the UAE in conditions of high comfort and complete personal security. And having lived in the principality as a resident for more than 30 years, you can try to get the status of a citizen.
Risks and limitations
UAE citizenship offers great advantages, but it also imposes responsibilities, as well as many risks and limitations. Even the slightest non-compliance with the rules will lead to the revocation of citizenship. So, you can lose citizenship in the case of:
- voluntary naturalization in another State;
- living outside the Principality for more than 4 years without a valid reason;
- violations of the law;
- fraud with documents submitted for naturalization;
- service in the army of another state without the permission of the principality authorities;
- criminal record for terrorist acts or other actions threatening the security of the principality;
- cooperation with government agencies of a country with which the UAE is at war, or work for the benefit of a hostile state;
- continuing to use the first passport.
There are other limitations as well:
- High cost of housing, transportation, and household services. For a comfortable family life, her monthly income should be at least 3,000-4,000 dollars, depending on the emirate. Dubai is the most expensive of them: There, the utilities alone cost about $1,000 per person.
- Climate. The sea remains warm all year round due to the air temperature, which for most of the year exceeds +35 ° C, and in the hottest summer months it can reach up to 45 ° C.
- Cultural features. All spheres of life are regulated by Muslim rules, for violation of which you can get a fine and even get sued. For example:
- Women should wear clothes that cover their bodies.;
- There are special cars in the subway for women with children, where men are not allowed to enter.;
- It is forbidden to eat or drink in public places.;
- a serious violation of the order is considered to be the manifestation of feelings between a man and a woman, even if they are married (such manifestations include even just touching);
- Visitors should respect all traditions, especially religious ones, i.e. publicly observe them:
- Women should wear clothes that cover their bodies.;
- There are special cars in the subway for women with children, where men are not allowed to enter;
- It is forbidden to eat or drink in public places.;
- a serious violation of the order is considered to be the manifestation of feelings between a man and a woman, even if they are married (such manifestations include even just touching);
- Visitors should respect all traditions, especially religious ones, i.e. publicly observe them.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that UAE citizenship provides enormous privileges, it is worth trying to obtain it only in exceptional cases, since the conditions for granting it remain extremely strict. At the same time, the Government of the principality provides expats with many opportunities to live, work, and develop business in the country in the form of residency. Visas can be obtained for one, two, three, five years. After their validity period expires, the residence permit is easily extended. And the restrictions it imposes on their owner are not that strict.
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