Member News

United Arab Emirates

14 March 2025 - Visa-on-Arrival Expanded for Indian Nationals

Indian nationals who hold a valid residence permit from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, or South Korea can now obtain a visa-on-arrival for tourism or business stays of up to 60 days. Individuals travelling for other purposes (including study or work) must continue to obtain a visa prior to arriving in the country.

14 March 2025 – New Grace Period, Relaxed In-Country Residency Rules for UAE Blue Residency Visa Holders and Others

UAE Blue Residency visa holders are now eligible for a 180-day grace period after their visa expires or is cancelled, allowing them to regularize their immigration status or exit the country without penalty. Previously, there was no such provision for Blue Residency visas in the regulations. Separately, Blue Residency visa holders (a visa category introduced in May 2024) and foreign spouses of UAE nationals holding residence permits can now remain outside the United Arab Emirates indefinitely without losing their residency status. Previously, their residency status would be cancelled if they remained outside the United Arab Emirates for a single period of 180 or more consecu-tive days.

11 April 2025 – Dubai Free Zone Companies to be Eligible for Dubai Mainland Activities

Eligible companies registered in one of the Dubai free zones will be able to apply for authorization to perform certain still-to-be-determined activities in the Dubai mainland (the list is expected to be published in September 2025). Companies will need to first obtain authorization from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and approval from their respective free zone authority. Once this policy change is in effect, it will grant eligible employers the flexibility to deploy existing free zone workers toward operations in the Dubai mainland, which should save costs for companies in the free zones seeking to also work in Dubai mainland.

SAUDI ARABIA

08 April 2025 - Visit Visa Entry and Exit Restrictions for Select Nationals

According to visa agents and media reports, nationals of Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Tunisia, or Yemen holding or applying for a Saudi visit visa for business, tourism and family visits cannot enter Saudi Arabia until a temporary entry restriction is over, which could last until the end of June 2025 when Hajj season is expected to end. Additionally, nationals of these countries already present in Saudi Arabia who hold a valid Saudi visit visa must exit the country by April 13, 2025. Those who do not exit by this date could face fines and a future entry ban to Saudi Arabia. To ensure compliance and avoid potential issues with the authorities, impacted individuals currently in Saudi Arabia are encouraged to depart within the specified timeframe, regardless of the exit date stated on their visa. This latest measure follows additional restrictions introduced in February 2025, which limits one-year multiple-entry visas for business, tourism, and family visits for the same group of nationalities. Fragomen is actively monitoring the situation and will provide updates as new information becomes available.

11 April 2025 – Owner Information Rules Restricted

New regulations require all companies registered in Saudi Arabia (with limited exceptions) to disclose their Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO) (individuals exercising control over entities) to the Ministry of Commerce at the time of incorporation; maintain a UBO register within Saudi Arabia; update UBO details annually; and notify authorities of any changes to the UBO within 15 days of the change. Non-compliance with these rules may lead to fines of up to SAR 500,000 (approximately USD 133,000). Previously, UBO information was not centrally available beyond regulated financial sectors, which made it difficult to trace ownership, particularly in complex or offshore structures. This change supports Saudi Arabia’s broader agenda to tackle financial crime and build investor trust through increased transparency and accountability.

11 April 2025 - New Commercial Registration and Trade Name Laws

Saudi Arabia has implemented new commercial registration and trade name laws aimed at simplifying business operations and reducing regulatory burdens. Key changes include a unified national commercial registry, the ability to conduct diverse business activities under one license, annual information confirmations instead of periodic renewals, and more flexible, supportive compliance measures. The updated trade name law allows names in multiple languages, treats trade names as transferable assets, enforces uniqueness, and streamlines the reservation process. A five-year grace period until April 2030 allows companies time to adapt to the new rules without penalties. These reforms are expected to boost private sector growth and attract foreign in-vestment in line with Vision 2030.

QATAR

14 March 2025 - Significant New Step in Residence Permit Cancellation Process

Residence permit cancellation applications for foreign workers in the mainland of Qatar must now first be processed by the Ministry of Labour before being assessed by the Ministry of Interior. Previously, such applications only had to be processed by the Ministry of Interior. This new step – which includes a requirement to provide an employee’s locally registered Qatari mobile number as part of obtaining employee consent to the cancellation application – has increased standard government processing times for such applications to two to four business days (up from the previous one business day). Currently, this change does not apply to companies within the Qatar Financial Centre freezone; and it remains unclear if it will be extended this zone.

KUWAIT

07 April 2025 - New Immigration Law Forthcoming

Kuwait will implement a new immigration law which, among other changes, will extend visitor stay and residency periods, establish guidelines regarding domestic workers, and enforce tougher sanctions for immigration policy violations. We will publish an alert when the related regulations are published in the coming months.

EGYPT

28 March 2025 - Extended Duration for ‘Short-Term Work Authorization Approval’ Status

Egypt has extended the duration of stay under the ‘short-term work authorization approval’ status to 180 days. This status allows foreign nationals to work in Egypt after receiving an approval letter from the Ministry of Manpower. In addition to the extended allowable stay duration, Egypt continues to offer this status for 14, 30, 60, or 90 days. Applications do not need to include a certificate of experience or a legalized employment contract. Interested individuals are advised to contact an immigration professional.

IRAQ

21 March 2025 - Cessation of Visas-on-Arrival at Airports

Iraqi authorities have ceased offering visas-on-arrival at Iraqi airports. Affected nationals are advised to instead obtain a pre-approved visa through the online e-visa portal.

ABOUT FRAGOMEN

Fragomen is a leading firm dedicated to immigration services worldwide. The firm has nearly 5,500 professionals and staff in 62 offices located in the Americas, Asia Pacific and EMEA. Overall, Fragomen offers support in more than 170 countries.

We are structured to support all aspects of global immigration, including strategic plan-ning, efficiency, quality management, compliance, government relations, reporting, and case management and processing. These capabilities allow us to represent a broad range of companies, organizations and individuals, working in partnership with clients to facilitate the transfer of employees worldwide.

Our Middle East and North Africa (MENA) practice also provides corporate services, includ-ing social security assistance, end-to-end corporate setup, corporate secretarial services, corporate amendments, restructuring activities and more. Our corporate services and im-migration professionals have extensive experience working with multinational businesses, conglomerates, local employers, start-ups and individual investors. We have a deep un-derstanding of the MENA region and maintain strong professional relationships with rele-vant authorities.

To learn more about how we can assist you, please visit our website at www.fragomen.com or contact us at [email protected].