The employees of the company are considered the greatest assets of a company. Investing in your employees serving your business is great because they will serve the company and play an important role in its stability and standing position in the market.
Starting a business in the Free Zones of the UAE can become overwhelming because you need to understand the DMCC visa process properly. Other than the visa process, eligibility for a visa, expenses in obtaining a visa, and legal regulations should also be kept in mind.
With all the information mismatching with each other it has become confusing, however, with proper guidance and hiring new people, it has become very easy to find out what is the actual DMCC visa process.
Types of DMCC Visas
There are a total of 4 types of DMCC visas.
- Employment Visa.
- Dependent Resident Visa.
- Investor Visa.
- Student Visit Visa.
DMCC visa application is simple. The visas for free zones do not deal with the UAE Ministry of Labor. Every authority in the free zone has its employment laws but the terms that are mentioned in the employment contract follow UAE labor law. The Free zone visas do not allow anyone to work outside of the free zone as they do not hold a UAE labor contract.
Employment Visa
The employees working for a DMCC-licensed company must be authorized to work in a free zone if he has an Employment Residence Visa, Identity Card, or Access Approval. Access approval and identity cards are alternative methods for a company to authorize without directly being sponsored.
Employment Residence Visa
This is the most common visa type by any free zone business through an employment contract. A free zone authority sponsors the free zone visa employee’s visa instead of the employer. An appointment letter is required by the company to the employee before he begins his application to work in the free zone. This visa type is for different time frames mostly one, two, or three years.
Identity Card
A free zone company can hire an employee having his father as a sponsor through an Identity Card. This is valid for one year.
Access Approval
Access Approval is mostly used to allow someone who is not an employee of your company to come to your office for temporary work. This mostly applies to consultants, contractors, and employees of a sister or parent company who want to work on-site in DMCC temporarily. An ace’s approval is valid for up to a period of 1, 3, or 12 months.
Dependents Resident Visa
There are special conditions and circumstances where a Dependents Resident Visa is applied.
- A person who receives a salary of a minimum of AED 4000 monthly and lives in a minimum accommodation of one bedroom is eligible to sponsor their wife and children.
- A person who receives a minimum salary of AED 20,000 with proper accommodation can sponsor his parents or parents-in-law.
- A proper health insurance for dependents.
- If a person holds a designation like a clerk, assistant, admin, etc., then that person needs to submit a bank statement for three months.
- The sponsor’s job must not be equivalent to a housemaid’s job if he wants to be eligible for sponsorships.
Investors Visa
If you have multiple stakeholders having a minimum share of AED 50,000 in your DMCC-licensed company, then you can obtain a Partner Visa for them.
Student Visa
This visa requires a minimum passport validity of at least six months and an application letter from your university or relevant educational institute.
Steps to Apply for a DMCC Visa or DMCC Visa Process
- Complete the application form to apply for a visa on the DMCC portal.
- Upload documents which include a photo, passport copy, education certificate, establishment card, and signed offer letter.
- You will receive a confirmation message from DMCC.
- In case of approval, an electronic copy of the entry permit will be uploaded by DMCC on the DMCC portal and the same can be forwarded to the applicant to download and print.
- The HR signatory of the company will e-sign the employment documents.
- Arrival intimation is to be updated on the company DMCC portal as soon as the employee enters UAE.
- Apply for the applicant’s health insurance through an approved local health insurance inside the UAE.
- Apply for Emirates ID in any approved typing center or through the DMCC portal.
- Apply for the medical test in any government-approved hospital, clinic, or center.
- After all this upload documents of medical fitness and a copy of health insurance.
DMCC Visa Cost
The DMCC visa cost depends on multiple factors and varies according to need. Every visa type has a different cost. It is always good to get an opinion from an expert who can guide you through all of this process.
DMCC Visa Cancellation
In the case of DMCC visa cancellation, the licensed company must start the process of cancellation of employment residence visa as soon as the employee has resigned or has been terminated. It can be easily processed by applying through the DMCC company portal. There are two sets of steps for the process of employment visa cancelation.
- If the employee is being paid a salary of AED 5000 or less, then the employee and the authorized representative of the company will visit the DMCC counter so that the employee can sign his end-of-service entitlement document in the presence of authorized counter staff. If an employee has dependents who they have sponsored they have to cancel those sponsorships before signing the end-of-service document.
- If the employee is outside the UAE visa cancellation is possible only if the employee spends six months out of the UAE, if the DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Center) visa expires while the employee is outside the country, or if the employee is outside the country for six months but has sent his original passport to the company.
Conclusion
The Dubai Multi Commodities Center (DMCC) member portal facilitates a wide range of services. This includes making business changes, getting NOC, and most importantly the DMCC visa process. The portal allows you to manage all your business tasks from one place and focus on the growth of your company.
