Ajman: Expatriates residing in Ajman are being asked to provide a sworn affidavit from Ajman Sharia Court if they wish to sponsor their wives for a visit to the emirate or to obtain residence permits for them, Gulf News has learnt.
An official from the General Directorate for Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Ajman told Gulf News yesterday that expatriates must approach the Sharia court with two Muslim witnesses to establish that they have a legal relationship with the woman they wish to sponsor. The witnesses must be Muslims, irrespective of the religion of the sponsor and those sponsored.
The General Directorate for Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Ajman has been urging expatriates seeking to sponsor their wives for residence visas to comply with the new requirements. The two witnesses must swear on the Quran in front of the judge that the woman for whom the visa is sought is the wife of the person sponsoring her.
The official said those who wish to sponsor one of their wives must attest their marriage certificate at Ajman Sharia court in addition to getting it attested at the foreign ministry in their home country and also from the UAE embassy in their country.
The official said a person wishing to sponsor his wife must obtain a sworn affidavit from the Sharia court that the woman concerned is his wife.
A typed application, which costs Dh350, is required for the purpose.
“I was asked by the residency department to get a sworn affidavit from Ajman court to prove that the sponsored is my wife,” said Satish, an Indian national employed with a bank. “I have an attested and approved marriage certificate and we have children and all our documents authorised from my consulate that this woman is my wife,” he said.
Satish said he was still asked by the General Directorate for Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Ajman to get the letter signed by the court besides obtaining a sworn affidavit from the court and bringing in two Muslims as witnesses.
“I went with an Indian Muslim friend who works with me and another Arab Muslim friend who is also a workmate to bear witness that this woman is my wife but the court said that they should be of my own nationality,” he said, adding that the court later accepted his Arab colleague as a witness.
While residency departments in other emirates require the submission of attested marriage certificates to issue visas for spouses of expatriates, Ajman alone requires applicants to attest the letter and obtain a sworn affidavit.
According to the residency law, expatriates can sponsor their wives and children if they satisfy requirements of the residency law regarding their salary and profession.
Expatriates in Ajman will likewise require a sworn affidavit from Ajman Court if they wish to sponsor their parents for a visit to the emirate or to obtain residency permits for them.
“Those who wish to sponsor one of their parents or both must show the court a letter from his or her consulate,” said the official. The letter should be produced before the Ajman Residency Department, which will ask the sponsor to attest the letter from Ajman Court and to obtain a sworn affidavit.
Expatriates also need to bring two Muslim witnesses to Ajman Court to vouch for the sponsored individuals. The witnesses must be Muslims, irrespective of the religion of the sponsor and those sponsored.