New Dubai Five Year Tourist Visa Is A Hit With Expat Professionals

’s new five year tourist visa will make life easier for expat professionals with families wishing to visit on a regular basis.

Whilst many other countries worldwide are now making life far tougher for their expat communities, Dubai is taking the opposite tack with its newly announced five year, multi-entry tourist visas. The innovative visa will help families of expats visit more often, cut the costs of getting regular tourist visas and prove convenient for job-seekers.

Dubai’s ruler announced the innovation last Monday, with expats in general more than pleased by the new visa option. Given that the UAE currently hosts over 21 million tourists on an annual basis, the introduction of the five year visa is expected to raise the emirate’s position as a global visitor hub by a good few points as well as reassuring long-stay expat professionals of their value to the country by encouraging more regular and longer family visits.

For job-seekers and employers looking for expat workers, the news is even more important, as the previous norm was a three-month visa, giving applicants too little time to find a position and settle in. The multi-entry visa is the first of its kind to be offered in the Gulf States, and is also expected to encourage expat professionals with loved ones in the home country to choose a position in Dubai rather than in other Gulf States. Dubai business leader are also happy about the development, as it will make hiring easier and benefit their businesses.