Obtaining citizenship of the United Arab Emirates is not as easy as it seems at first glance. It gives access to education, medicine and opening a bank account in the UAE.
What is the main difficulty and how to get UAE citizenship – says the Ukrainian entrepreneur Konstantin Kryvopust.
Who is granted UAE citizenship?
- to the child, if he was born in the territory of the UAE, and the parents are unknown;
- to a person who married a local;
- from naturalization;
- you can get a passport for outstanding merits;
- for investment.
If you think that your child, who was just born in the UAE, will immediately be given citizenship (as in many countries), then it is not so.
The child must have a father or mother with UAE citizenship.
If a child is born in the UAE, and the parents are unknown, then he automatically becomes a citizen of the UAE.
How to get UAE citizenship through marriage
You can become a UAE national if you marry a UAE national (or national). But there are pitfalls here.
If a woman came to the UAE and married a local man, she can get a passport after 3-6 years. It is important that the couple has a child during this time (so the chances of citizenship increase).
If the couple divorces, or the husband dies, and the woman marries a man of another nationality, she will be stripped of her UAE citizenship.
If a man has recently received citizenship, his wife and children can also apply for it.
How to get UAE citizenship through naturalization
- you must not have a criminal record;
- must know Arabic well (the language must be known at the level of a native speaker);
- have a good reputation (you must have normal behavior during all these years of living in the UAE, have never been stopped by the police, etc.);
- must have enough funds to live on (authorities check how much you earn and whether this amount is acceptable for a comfortable life in the UAE);
- you need to live in the UAE for more than 10 years, or up to 7 (for Muslims in some cities: Oman, Qatar, Bahrain).
How else to get UAE citizenship
People who have done something very useful for the state can also get citizenship. For example, you can get citizenship if you:
- investor and has invested a large amount in real estate in the UAE or business;
- inventor (made a discovery that was recognized by the state);
- scientist (discovery, scientific degree, working in this field for 10 years or more);
- an artist or a representative of another creative profession (must have several international awards and recognition in his country).
If you are granted citizenship on one of these grounds, your family members can also apply for it.
How to get UAE citizenship
To obtain citizenship, you need to write a statement that you want UAE citizenship. After that, it is necessary to contact the local administration, the executive power and the government.
The list of documents and actions for acquiring citizenship in the UAE are individual for most.
It is important that those who obtained it in the UAE by naturalization, birth and investment cannot give up their citizenship. But remember that in Ukraine it is forbidden to have more than one citizenship.
“Personally, I received the citizenship of the UAE in a separate order, I probably did a good deed for the UAE, but more on that a little later,” Kostyantyn concludes his story.
