Obtaining residency

Overview

Dubai Residency: How to Obtain Tax Residency and Benefits

Dubai and the United Arab Emirates are a safe and politically stable country that offers a favorable business environment and financial stability. Access to first-class banking services, including lines of credit, is available, and the Emirates has established itself as a global financial center.

For decades, the country's wealth has not been based solely on oil, as is often assumed. In Dubai, for example, revenues from oil and oil-related activities account for less than 10% of its GDP. It has excellent air connections to literally every part of the world.

Pathways

How to obtain residency in Dubai

The UAE's tax-free policies, highly advanced technology, political stability, and high living standards attract investors to invest and obtain residency in Dubai.

Tax resident status in Dubai can be obtained in three ways.

• By registering a company. Opening a company in the United Arab Emirates is the fastest way to obtain a visa. By incorporating a company, the investor, owner, or shareholder can obtain an investor or work visa.
• Real estate investment. Investing in property is another way to invest in the UAE. Property visas are available for a minimum investment of AED 5 million for a five-year visa. The investment must be doubled to qualify for a 10-year Golden Visa.
• Through an employment contract. A Dubai residence visa can be obtained by working for companies based in the United Arab Emirates. In this case, the company will issue work visas to the employees, and they can become residents.

Documentation

Documents required for tax residency in Dubai

Tax Residence Certificate is the official document issued by the UAE Ministry of Finance to companies that have been in operation for at least 1 year or to individuals with UAE residence visa/permanently residing in UAE for at least a minimum of 180 days.

This official certificate is used to take advantage of double taxation avoidance agreements signed by the United Arab Emirates with over 76 countries worldwide. This certificate is valid for one year from the date of issue.

For individuals, the following documents are required to apply for the Tax Residence Certificate:

• copy of passport;
• copy of the UAE residence visa;
• copy of Emirates ID card;
• a certified copy of the rental agreement;
• last paycheck;
• most recent and validated half-yearly statement;
• a report from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs specifying the number of days of stay in the United Arab Emirates.

The certificate requires approximately 4/5 working days for pre-approval and a further 7 for its release after approval.

The conditions

The minimum conditions to maintain it are to be present in the country at least 1 day every 6 months.

AIRE

Register of Italians Residing Abroad (AIRE)

To complete the process, you must finally notify the Italian Embassy of your new address in Dubai. The procedure is free, and the embassy will notify your previous municipality of residence, or your previous embassy if you were already resident in another country, of your change of address.

By registering with AIRE (the Registry of Italians Resident Abroad), the Embassy offices become the expatriate's point of contact for bureaucratic matters such as issuing a new passport.