Tuesday 19 March 2024 (UAE)

UAE immigration departments

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List of UAE immigration and residency departments

General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs in UAE (naturalisation and residency offices)

Each emirate in the UAE has their own General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs (previously called Department of Naturalization and Residency) to take care of immigration, visa, and entry permit related issues; search for and apprehend overstayers and illegal immigrants; and issue and renew UAE passports for UAE nationals. Most residents of the UAE are not immigrants in the normal sense of the word (meaning those wishing to move to a country, settle there, and obtain citizenship of that country), but resident expatriates with a UAE residence visa (or permit) that allows them to live in the UAE for a period of time (usually 2 or 3 years between renewals, sometimes 1 year). For all issues to do with permission to visit and/or live in the UAE, contact the relevant immigration office in the emirate in which you live or plan to live. If visiting the UAE, contact the immigration office of the emirate in which you expect to arrive. Note that Al Ain is not an emirate, it is a city in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Note also that although immigration rules are federal, they are not applied consistently in each emirate. Sharjah especially, seems to do their own thing.

Immigration Departments are UAE government offices so that means they will be staffed predominantly by UAE nationals. Being able to speak Arabic is therefore a bonus but most or all officials who deal with the public will also speak some English. For most expatriates coming to work in the UAE, their company PRO will be dealing with all the paperwork anyway, and will sort out the residence visa without you needing to visit the immigration department.

Toll-free hotline number in UAE
NRD name change
NRD working hours and contact details

Working hours are from 7am or 8am until 1pm or later depending on the emirate which the immigration office is in. Working days are Sunday to Thursday with offices occasionally open during holiday periods (with shorter hours). Don't count on it though, and contact the office or check the UAE press for holiday opening times (if any).

Immigration Department Telephone Hours Location
Abu Dhabi Naturalization & Residence Directorate (ADNRD) +971-2-4462244 0700-2100 Al Saada Rd
Ajman Immigration Department +971-6-7422255   Near Ajman University
Al Ain (ADNRD) +971-3-7625555   Opposite Carrefour
Department of Naturalisation and Residency Dubai (DNRD) +971-4-3980000 0730-2000 Trade Center Rd
Department of Naturalization and Residency Fujairah (DNRF) +971-9-2222727 0730-1430 Al Sharq Rd
Federal Naturalisation and Residency Department (FNRD)      
Ras Al Khaimah Immigration Department +971-7-2273333   Mamourah, behind post office
Sharjah Naturalisation and Residency Department (SNRD) +971-6-5726777   Opposite Sharjah Mega Mall
Umm Al Quwain Immigration Department +971-6-7666419    
Ministry of the Interior, Abu Dhabi +971-2-4414666    
US immigration preclearance in the UAE
UAE immigration offices holiday opening hours

See also

UAE immigration e-services

Many immigration services are available online. See the NRD websites.

Differences in residence and immigration laws between different emirates

The UAE as a country has rules and regulations governing who is eligible to become a UAE national (for example children born in the UAE are not entitled to UAE citizenship unless the father is an Emirati national), who is allowed to visit the UAE and how long they are permitted to stay, conditions of residence for expatriates, and so on. Each emirate then implements those rules and issues visas, permits, passports, in accordance with their own unique interpretations of the law, or they might make up a few different rules. There may be some differences in implementation, sometimes because the individual immigration officer at your point of entry, or the bureaucrat behind the counter at the Naturalisation & Residency Department has a different idea of the rules from what you think, or different from the person at the next counter, or different from what the boss thinks, and so on.

Visa and residency rules often change, and during times of change, it can take a while before everyone figures out what the correct new procedure is. Local media try and clarify new rules but are hampered by what seem to be conflicting and/or changing statements they obtain from various immigration officials. Sometimes the conflicts reflect the different interpretations in different emirates. Other confusion arises when rules change, and then change back again. For example:

Since 2003 when foreign ownership of property was allowed in the UAE - first in Dubai, and then some of the other emirates, it was possible to obtain a residence visa on the basis of property ownership. Each emirate has its own property ownership rules for foreigners, and also its own (changing) residence visa rules. In 2008 the ability to obtain a residence visa from property ownership was curtailed significantly with most, if not all, property unable to obtain new residence visas, and in some cases unable to renew them.

Be careful when obtaining visa information - travel agents, embassies, real estate agents don't always get it right (and it's almost impossible for them to be accurate when they are provided with conflicting information). The nearest UAE embassy or consulate should have up to date information, or the nearest Naturalization and Immigration Department in the UAE. If you have an unusual set of circumstances, try and get information from at least two different official sources, or try to speak to someone in authority that may be able to help you if the rules don't quite fit. The local press may be helpful also when rules change, but don't rely on just one source - they don't always agree or get it right either.

How to deal with visa and document processing problems

If you find yourself in a conflict or with a problem at the immigration department, the same guidelines apply to dealing with bureaucrats in the UAE as they do anywhere. Don't lose your cool, be polite, and depending on the situation, you have to decide whether to be persistent vs giving up vs trying to find someone else to deal with. Wasta (sort of means connections and power) can help with awkward situations - many rules in the UAE have a certain element of "flexibility" - but don't count on it. Go away and try again another day is sometimes a solution to a problem. Attractive young blonde-haired women seem to have fewer difficulties and speedier document processing than other people, for some inexplicable reason. If you have a friend who fits that description, send her along to do the job for you.

Last update Tuesday 23-Dec-2014
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www.dubaifaqs.com/immigration-uae.php (PDF and print version).

Abu Dhabi AUH ABD ADB, Ajman AJM, Al Ain AAN, Dubai DXB, Fujairah FUJ, Ras Al Khaimah RAK, Sharjah SHJ, Umm Al Quwain UAQ

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