600 typing centres offer UAE Vision system services

Dubai: Over 600 typing centres in Dubai and a few others in other emirates are providing the new UAE Vision system, after being approved by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA).

The new system allows residents to carry out all visa and residency transactions, including applying for a visa, renewing residency, applying for new residency, visa cancellation, in addition to any other related services at approved typing centres.

While some centres have been carrying out the services for several weeks on a trial basis, the others are waiting to integrate their systems.

A customer service agent from the On Time Business Services — Tas’heel, at the Oud Metha branch told Gulf News the centre’s branches have not yet acquired the new UAE Vision system and are in the process of upgrading. “We were told it will take around four months for our systems and databases to be updated,” he said.

Many residents have also not used the new system, but said on social media that they were thrilled to find out that they are no longer required to stand in the busy lines at the immigration headquarters when dealing with visa transactions.

“I have personally not used it yet, but my visa renewal is coming up, and I am happy to know that I can get the whole process done by visiting one place,” said Saeed Ahmad, from Egypt.

Another resident Mohamad A. from India, said the new system has made the process of requesting a visit visa for family members much simpler. “Receiving the visit visa through email is very convenient and will save me a lot of time,” he said.

Upload your documents

Gulf News spoke to the GDRFA’s customer service to find out more about the steps needed to complete visa and residency transactions using the new UAE Vision system.

In cases of requesting a visit visa for family members, regular documents used in the previous manual system are required, and they will be uploaded online at the typing centre, explained the customer service agent.

Documents include visitor’s application form, passport copies of both the sponsor and visitor, an attested copy of the sponsor’s labour contract along with their bank account IBAN numbers, sponsor’s visa copy, tenancy contract, and latest DEWA bill, a photograph of the visitor, and proof of relationship.

Once all documents are submitted and uploaded at the typing centre, the user is notified through email and is sent an e-visa once the application is approved.

Charges and visa fees remain the same. Fees for a visit visa is Dh400, along with Dh1,000 deposit by the sponsor, and Dh220 as file opening charge.

In the cases of visa renewal and cancellation also, the required documents could be uploaded at the typing centre, and users are notified through SMSes once their applications are approved.

Residents can then use the Zajel courier service to complete the final step. The service will pick up the passport from any given destination, and deliver it to the immigration in order to issue the visa and stamp the passport before delivering it back to the user on the same given address.

Provide accurate information

Colonel Hussain Ebrahim, Assistant of the Director-General for administrative support at GDRFA, urged residents to provide accurate information to the typing centre such as valid phone numbers, addresses and email addresses in order to allow communication with them.

The new UAE Vision system does not apply to companies which carry out visa and residency transactions online.

Documents for visit visa:

Application form

Passport copies of both the sponsor and visitor

Attested copy of the sponsor’s labour contract along with their bank account IBAN numbers

Sponsor’s visa copy

Tenancy contract

Latest DEWA bill

Photograph of the visitor

Proof of relationship