Residence Visa and Emirates ID After Company Formation: The Steps in Order

Once your free zone company exists, the residence visa and the Emirates ID follow in a fixed order. The order below comes from Meydan Free Zone's published guides and from the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). Other free zones can differ in detail and timing, so confirm with your own licensing authority before you book flights or medical appointments.

The steps in order

1. Company registration. Meydan describes this as applying for a licence and receiving "your trade license, MOA, and establishment card". Ask your zone whether the establishment card must be issued before it accepts a visa application.
2. Visa application. You submit the application with your passport copy and a photo. Meydan's guide says the entrepreneur or investor visa is submitted online.
3. Entry permit. If you are applying from abroad, "you will receive an entry permit valid for 60 days." The permit is what lets you travel in to finish the process.
4. Medical test and biometrics. You complete blood tests, a chest X ray and fingerprinting at a registered health centre, which Meydan lists as the medical test and biometric scan step.
5. Emirates ID and visa stamp. "Once approved, your Emirates ID will be issued, and your visa will be stamped on your passport."

The Emirates ID itself

The Emirates ID is applied for through the ICP website or an accredited typing centre. ICP's service page adds a requirement that matters for planning: "Individuals who have completed 15 years of age are required to complete the fingerprint and signature procedures through the Authority's service centers." Plan to be physically in the UAE for that appointment.

Check your passport expiry date before you start. A renewal at your home embassy can take longer than the UAE process, and an application filed on a passport that is about to expire only creates rework. Keep the passport, the entry permit and the licence documents together, since you will be asked for them at several stages.

How long it takes

Published timings vary because they describe different parts of the process. Meydan states that "processing times generally vary from two to four weeks" for the entrepreneur visa, and a second Meydan guide says "Most investor visa applications are completed within three to seven working days". We read the shorter figure as the application stage and the longer one as the whole process including medical and biometrics, but that is our reading, not a statement from Meydan. Plan on the longer figure.

Visa validity

Meydan says "The standard entrepreneur (or investor) visa issued through Meydan Free Zone is valid for 2 years and is renewable." Validity is set by the free zone and the visa type, so another zone may issue a different term.

Deadlines and late fees after you hold the card

The UAE government portal sets out time limits that catch people out:

• Renewal is possible "as early as six months before its expiry".
• If a card is renewed more than one month after expiry, "AED 20 per day will be charged, up to a maximum of AED 1,000".
• A change in personal details must be reported to ICP "within one month".
• A lost card must be reported "within 7 days from the date of loss".

Put the expiry date of both the visa and the card in your calendar the day you receive them.

What to do before you land

1. Confirm with your free zone how many visas your package includes and whether the entry permit is issued before or after you arrive.
2. Check your passport has at least three months of validity left, and more if you plan to renew the visa.
3. Book the medical test and the biometrics appointment as soon as the entry permit is issued.
4. Keep digital copies of the licence, the establishment card and the entry permit for every appointment.

What we have not verified

We have not verified government fees for the visa stage, the cost of the medical test or the fee for each Emirates ID validity period, so we do not quote them. Ask your free zone for a written fee schedule for your visa type.

Where DBC fits

DBC packages start from USD 1,948 (AED 7,150) with no visa, and a package with one visa starts from USD 4,605 (AED 16,900). See /pricing or /pricing/calculator for your zone.

Plan your visa timeline with us

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