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Major New Rules for UAE Work Visas! One Extra Document + Additional Attestation Required, Indirect Cost Hikes Imminent – Submit Applications Promptly!

The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (ICP) of the UAE has officially released new visa compliance regulations. Starting 16 June 2026, the policy will be rolled out in three phases, imposing mandatory additional document scrutiny for visa applicants from 45 designated nationalities worldwide.
Moving forward, all foreign applicants applying for UAE work visas and residence visas must submit an official Police Clearance Certificate issued by their home country. This document is required to complete two levels of formal procedures: notarisation, attestation by the UAE Embassy/Consulate in China, and final authentication via the Dubai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). Any work visa application with incomplete documentation or unfinished attestation procedures will be outright rejected and refused acceptance.

Implementation Timeline & Covered Nationalities

Phase 1: Effective 16 June 2026

Cameroon, Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Cuba, Bhutan, Bulgaria, Mexico, Afghanistan, Nepal, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Mozambique, Ghana, Lebanon, Somalia, The Gambia, Lithuania, Tonga, Senegal, Syria, Morocco.

(Currently, Pakistani nationals face the highest processing difficulty for UAE work visas)

Applicants of the above nationalities applying for UAE work visas must complete attestation of their Police Clearance Certificate at designated UAE embassies/consulates, followed by final attestation through Dubai MOFA.

Phase 2: Effective 15 August 2026

Bangladesh, Colombia, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Cyprus, Albania, Mauritius, Fiji, Philippines.

Phase 3: Effective 15 November 2026 (Including Chinese Nationals)

Mauritania, Rwanda, South Africa, Iran, Serbia, Belarus, Georgia, Nicaragua, Slovenia, Seychelles, China.
Starting from this date, a Police Clearance Certificate with complete consular attestation will become a mandatory requirement for applicants based in China submitting applications for work visas and long-term residence visas across Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Waiver applications will no longer be accepted.
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Why Gonex?

Experienced Management Team: each member in the team has 10+ years experiences in Overseas Human Resources Management, composed of seasoned HR professionals.

Powerful connection: Gonex has established over 10 entities worldwide, along with more than 30 stable partners, together offering the most comprehensive overseas human resource services to our clients.

Strict compliance with laws and regulations: At every step in our service process, Gonex strictly adheres to local laws and regulations, ensuring our clients completely avoid any legal disputes.

Competitive price: Gonex’s services are 20% more affordable compared to other companies in the industry, allowing our clients to allocate more resources to their core business.

 

What Gonex offer?

Employment of Record: This service helps clients legally hire employees in countries or regions where they do not have a legal entity established.

Payroll BPO service: This includes payroll project implementation plan development, project deployment, payroll calculation, payment of funds, administration of statutory and supplementary benefits, customized reporting, and other comprehensive payroll services.

Global Mobility: Based on the company’s internationalization strategy, the company assigns employees to overseas branches/subsidiaries and handles visa and tax matters in accordance with local policies, while assisting in the compliance management of employees throughout their international assignment life cycle.

 

GONEX One-Stop Solution: Your strategic partner

Compliance and Legal Adherence: GONEX’s Employer of Record (EOR) service ensures legal compliance in employing local staff.

Cross-Border Payroll and Tax Management: Streamlined payroll services simplify cross-border management.

Flexible Employment Solutions: Adaptable employment services cater to changing business needs.

International Talent Dispatch: Support services facilitate the dispatch of key talent to overseas.

Digital HR Management Platform: Technology-driven solutions enhance management efficiency and cultural integration.

 

Who do we serve?

Gonex served 70+ clients to expand overseas. The incomes of our clients like Mengniu, Kuaishou and CHINT are up to 192.4 billion.

 

Let Gonex assist you and your company with handling such complex overseas hiring processes! To access more information on corporate international expansion cases, global employment guidelines, worldwide compensation management, regulations for various regional countries, and factory establishment manuals in different nations, you are welcome to visit the GONEX official website at www.letsgonex.com to download these resources or view our company’s business introduction in PDF format (https://letsgonex.com/in.pdf).

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