The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) has updated the requirements for the Retire in Dubai visa, for all new applications and those in process.

General updates:

1. All applications must contain a passport-sized photo of the applicant and their dependents.

2. Retirees may sponsor their children, with no restrictions on age, gender or marital status.

3. Sponsorship of domestic help is subject to compliance with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) regulations and is independent from the Retirement Visa.

4. Retirees are currently not permitted to work without a temporary work permit. At this stage, such permits are issued only for short term engagements/advisory work for the Government of Dubai.

Specific updates per application route:

A. Income route (AED 20,000 monthly)

• A letter must be provided indicating that they are retired. This can be in the form of an end of service letter from their last employer, or a retirement letter from their social services indicating that the applicant is retired.

• GDRFA is currently prioritising income from pension schemes or social services.

• Other sources of income will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis; with justification and evidence of source of income to support continuity of future income.

B. Savings route (AED 1 million)

• A letter must be provided indicating that they are retired. This can be in the form of an end of service letter from their last employer, or a retirement letter from their social services indicating that the applicant is retired.

• The AED 1 million savings must be deposited in a 3 year fixed deposit in a UAE-based bank. Applicants must submit a letter from the bank (in Arabic), addressed to GDRFA, stating that AED 1 million has been deposited in a 3 year fixed deposit.

• International applicants must provide an attested and translated certificate or statement showing at least AED 1 million (or equivalent in another currency) in their international bank account. Upon approval of residency and arrival of the applicant, the AED 1 million must be deposited in a fixed deposit for 3 years in a local bank within 30 days of residency issuance.

C. Property route (AED 2 million)

• If your property is mortgaged, the net equity value must be above AED 2 million and such applications will be evaluated for validity.

• If the property is owned by a company and/or SPV, the company must be wholly owned by the applicant.

All applications will be reviewed and processed by DTCM’s official processing partner, Al Rais Travel Agencies LLC under the supervision of DTCM. All applications submitted from 1 December 2020 will incur a US$ 25 processing fee, payable to Al Rais directly. Please note that the payment of processing fee does not guarantee approval of the application and is non-refundable.

If you have already submitted your application without an update on its status, please resubmit your application with the additional documentation requested.

For more details on requirements that will ensure a complete application, please check the Retire in Dubai website.