Residence permits endorsed electronically at the Dubai International Financial Center

The Emirati government has begun issuing electronic residence permits at the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC).

Key Points:

• As of June 13, the DIFC issues electronic residence permits instead of collecting and stamping foreign nationals’ passports.
• The DIFC joins Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) as the two regions within the emirate of Dubai to issue electronic residence stamps.
• Employees must now wait to receive their physical Emirates ID card to travel internationally.

Additional Information: Authorities combined the residence and identity card applications under one application; foreign nationals will only need to submit one application for the issuance or renewal of residence and identity card services. More information regarding the cancelation of residency visa stamps is available here.

BAL Analysis: The DIFC will issue electronic residence permits within intent to streamline the residency renewal process and mitigate unnecessary delays in the application process.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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