Abu Dhabi mandates tenancy contract, utility bill, for visa renewal

Now, an attested tenancy contract along with utility bill or other documents is a must for expatriates seeking to renew their residence visa, or when applying for a new one, the Abu Dhabi immigration authority confirmed.

The Abu Dhabi immigration authorities have finally ended a moratorium about this decision, which was due to be enforced prior to fasting month of Ramadan.

The new rules have already triggered competition among landlords seeking customers for their property. They have begun announcements in local newspapers that new tenants would be given attested rent contracts.

The immigration authorities had earlier mentioned that the new regulations are meant to verify the addresses of all expatriates living in the country, and that such rules have already been enforced in majority of other nations.

The Assistant Undersecretary for Naturalization and Residence at Interior Ministry, Maj. Gen. Nassir Al Minhali, said that the decision is mainly aimed at verifying residences of all expats living in the UAE for security, administrative and service purposes.

The decision does not target any party or property group, but, will serve those departments seeking accurate data about expatriate residences. This measure is enforced in all advanced countries, he pointed out.

Posted on 9/8/2012

Recent Articles