Dubai: If you are an executive working in the UAE and want to apply for the Golden Visa, there are certain requirements that you need to keep in mind before you begin the application process.
Not only do you need to meet the category requirements for the Golden Visa in terms of your salary, but you also need to be able to prove your academic qualifications by getting your degree attested.
Why getting your equivalency certificate is important
“When applying for a Golden Visa under the ‘Chief Executive’ Designation, their bachelor’s degree or master’s degree must be attested by the UAE embassy in their home country and the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also, the equivalency certificate issued by the Ministry of Education must be submitted,” Sirajudeen Ummer, public relations manager at Galaxy Digital Business Services Dubai, told Gulf News.
This is also a popular category for Golden Visa applications, according to Abdulhusen Munpurwala, the business development manager at PRO Deskk Document Clearing Services LLC.
“The demand for the Executive Golden Visa in Dubai has been consistently high and individuals need to get the Ministry of Education (MOE) Equivalency Certificate to ensure their application meets the necessary criteria,” he said.
This is also a step in the application process that you will need to plan out in advance, as the entire equivalency process can take between two to three months, depending on the applicant's university requirements and MOE standards, according to Munpurwala.
The demand for the Executive Golden Visa in Dubai has been consistently high and individuals need to get the Ministry of Education (MOE) Equivalency Certificate to ensure their application meets the necessary criteria.
Once you have the certificate, the Golden Visa application process is a lot quicker, he added.
“If you have the MOE Equalised University degree and satisfy the rest of the requirements for the Golden Visa, it will take approximately five to seven working days to complete the process,” he said.
When applying for a Golden Visa under the ‘Chief Executive’ Designation, their bachelor’s degree or master’s degree must be attested by the UAE embassy in their home country and the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also, the equivalency certificate issued by the Ministry of Education must be submitted.
Golden Visa requirements
According to the website of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai (GDRFAD), business and management specialists can apply for the Golden Visa under the ‘specialised talents’ category, if they are able to provide the following required documents:
1. A copy of the passport.
2. A valid employment contract in UAE.
3. Salary certificate with a monthly salary of no less than Dh30,000.
4. Licence to practise the profession (for professions that require the same).
5. Certificate of academic achievement, not less than a bachelor’s degree (the applicant should provide a report on the recognition of the academic qualifications from the Ministry of Education).
6. Bank statement showing bank salary transfers for the last six months.
How to get the equivalency certificate
The UAE’s Ministry of Education (MOE) provides an online service for the recognition of university certificates issued from outside the UAE.
This certificate issued by the Ministry confirms that your higher education degree earned at an accredited university outside the UAE complies with MOE’s guidelines and international academic standards.
The equivalency certificate process comprises of two main stages:
1. Degree verification from a trusted partner. There are two main verification and equivalency service providers that you can use – QuadraBay and DataFlow. To know more about how you can complete this process, read our detailed guide here.
Once your verification document is issued from one of these trusted partners, you will also receive a reference number to apply for the Certificate of Recognition service on the MOE.
2. Certificate of recognition from MOE. The second step is to apply for the equivalency certificate from MOE.
MOE recognition
To get the Certificate of recognition from MOE, follow these steps:
• Visit the web page - https://www.moe.gov.ae/En/EServices/ServiceCard/pages/universiycertificateequilization.aspx# and click on ‘complete application’
• Log in using your UAE Pass account.
• Enter the reference number you received from QuadraBay or DataFlow in the previous step and your date of birth.
• Your personal and education information will be automatically populated.
• Confirm your details.
• Pay for your application.
• You will receive the Certificate with a Recognition decision (Recognised/Not Recognised) via email. You will also be able to download your result directly from your account on the MOE website.
How much does it cost?
• Bachelor’s degree equivalency – Dh100
• Master’s degree equivalency – Dh150
• PhD degree equivalency – Dh200
