Abu Dhabi tenancy contract must for residency visa in the emirate

A tenancy contract from Abu Dhabi is now a must when applying or renewing residency visas in the emirate.

In response to a resident’s query, who wished not to be named, on whether the residency visa of his family could be renewed with a tenancy contract issued from Dubai, the Abu Dhabi Government Contact Centre said: “Be informed that you can’t apply for the visa with tenancy contract issued from Dubai.”

When contacted, the call centre executive, reiterated: “You cannot apply for a residency visa or any visa with a tenancy contract issued from any other emirate except Abu Dhabi. You also need to get it attested by the Abu Dhabi Municipality.”

Last year, it was made mandatory across the UAE that expatriates applying for or renewing residence visa were required to produce a valid tenancy contract in the emirate they resided. Moreover, attested contracts from any other emirate were accepted in Abu Dhabi for residency visa renewal.

In September, the Secretariat General of the Executive Council had said that Abu Dhabi government employees would be required to live inside the capital within a year. The decision was made to ensure the safety of employees commuting long distances, often in bad weather conditions, the council said.

This website had reported in May that Abu Dhabi government owned companies were sending reminders to their staff, asking them to relocate to the capital before September or lose out on their housing allowance.

One company circular, which was seen by Emirates24|7, states: “Staff currently living outside the emirate of Abu Dhabi will have a one-year grace period from September 2012 to relocate to the emirate in order to be eligible for housing allowance after September 2013. Those who wish to remain resident outside Abu Dhabi beyond September, 2013 will not be entitled to any housing allowance.”

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