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Thnx Ramesh for your post for new Visa fee
I am here to post if you miss this info

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UAE new visa rules and list of visa, duration and cost

People of all nationalities can now enter the UAE on a tourist visa under new rules that come into effect from next week, a senior official from the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
Earlier, nationals from 79 countries in the subcontinent, Middle East and elsewhere were not eligible for tourist visas and could come to the UAE only on a visit visa. "The new rules will encourage the tourism sector in the country," said Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, Director General of Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD).
Al Merri announced the new rules after a meeting with hotel and tourist agency representatives yesterday. He said travel agencies will no longer be allowed to apply for visit visas. "Now these companies will only be allowed to apply for tourist visas," he said. "This will regulate the business and make the process of people travelling to the UAE easier and smooth, as tourism is a high priority for us."
Al Merri reiterated that people should apply only through licensed tourism agencies and hotels. Individuals cannot apply for the tourist visas, he added.
Short trips to the Iranian island of Kish, Oman and other neighbouring countries to change visit visas has also been stopped. "People wanting to apply for a new visit visa after the expiry of their visa, must go back to their home countries or distant countries," he said. However, Al Merri did not elaborate which countries would be considered distant.
"Nobody can now go on these visa runs. We don't want people to get stuck [on these trips]," said Al Merri. A visit visa will also not be converted to a work visa, he said. "Applicants will have to go back to their home country and wait for the work visa, which will be authorised by the Ministry of Labour," he said.
No free entry
The new visa rules will come into force from July 29 and all typing centres will get the software for the new online forms and fee payments by July 28, the official said. He added that those who apply before July 29 will be dealt with on the old system.
People applying for any visa will have to pay a refundable deposit of Dh1,000. Separate visas will be issued for various purposes such as medical treatment or studies. "We will know why each person is coming here for and the sponsor will be responsible for the visitor. This will address the issue of illegal overstayers," Al Merri said.
As per the new rules, 34 nationalities who earlier got a free visit visa for 60 days upon arrival in the UAE will now have to pay Dh100 for a 30-day visa.
Rules
--Tourist visas can only be applied for by a licensed hotel or a tourism agency.
--Residents can apply for a visa for their spouse or blood relative.
--Expatriates will no longer be allowed to sponsor friends, and all visitors should have a health insurance cover.
--Medical treatment visas can only be applied through licensed hospitals and clinics.
--Education visas can only be applied by a licensed educational institution.
--Exhibition and conference visas can only be applied for by the organisers.

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Those working on visit visa face Dh50,000 penalty



Dubai: People caught working on a visit visa will be fined more than Dh50,000 and banned from entering the UAE and those employing them will face harsh penalties, a senior interior ministry official said on Wednesday.

He said companies can hire such people temporarily on a contract from the Ministry of Labour. Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, Director-General of Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) announced the new visa changes which will be implemented on July 29 at a meeting with representatives of hotels and tourist agencies.
Under the new rules each visa applicant will have to pay a Dh1,000 refundable deposit, Mohammad Ahmad Al Hammadi, Director of the Department of Entry Permits at the DNRD, said.

"Now everybody will need health insurance when they enter the country. People could be involved in a traffic accident or get a health problem," he said.

He said the new visa rules will have a positive impact on the tourism sector and the labour market as they will curb illegal overstaying.
Al Hammadi said the 34 nationalities who earlier got a free visit visa for 60 days upon arrival will now have to pay.

These nationals can now get a visa on arrival for 30 days for a fee of Dh100. This visa can be extended for another 30 days for a fee of Dh600.
"These nationals are exempt from health insurance and from paying the Dh1,000 deposit," he added.

The Dh100 fee will affect citizens from the UK, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Finland, Malta, Spain, Monaco, Vatican, Iceland, Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong and citizens of GCC states.

Resident expatriates who bring their spouses on a visit visa can change it to a residence visa, but they cannot work, he said. Each application will be studied carefully before issuing it and the application should be logical.
Individuals and companies can apply for visit visas, he said. Tourist visas can only be applied for by licensed travel agencies and hotels. They cannot be submitted by individuals. The official said there would be no visa runs to nearby countries.

"People who go there from the UAE after the expiry of their visa will not be issued a new visa. It is best for them to go back to their country and wait for their visa to enter the UAE again," he said.

He said a visit visa holder will be allowed to enter the UAE once within two months from the date of issue of the visa.

Residents can apply for a visa for their spouse or blood relative. Expatriates will not be allowed to sponsor friends. And sponsoring other blood relatives will require approval of an undersecretary of the Interior Ministry or their representative.

Details on the web soon

Brochures and booklets will be distributed to tourist companies describing the new rules.

All the new information will be available on the DNRD website from Saturday onwards. Typing centres will get new forms and new fees online from July 28 midnight.

Those who apply before July 29, will go through the old system and the fees and the way of applying will not change for them, Al Hammadi said.

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Dh1,000 deposit for issuing UAE visa could be waived for certain nationalities



Concerning visit visas for friends, Brigadier Al Minhali said residents will not be allowed to bring in friends on visit visas. Only Emiratis will be allowed to sponsor friends on visit visa, which is also conditional, said the official.

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International health insurance can cover visitors
By Asma Hamid, Ahmed Abdul Aziz & Mary Nammour KHALEEJ TIMES 28 July 2008

ABU DHABI - Visitors entering the country on visit visas from tomorrow can be covered by international health insurance policies, according to Brigadier Nassir Al Awadi Al Minhali, Acting Director-General of the Federal Naturalisation and Residency Department (FNRD) in the Ministry of Interior (MoI).

He explained that if this health insurance policy is internationally certified and covers the UAE, it would be approved for all types of visit visas.

Meanwhile, Major Mohammad Al Hammadi, Director of the Entry Permit Department at the Department of Naturalisation and Residency in Dubai (DNRD) announced that from next week, special counters of health insurance companies will be set up on its premises to provide medical insurance covers for visa-seekers.

“We will be signing agreements with some health insurance companies soon to ensure the insurance service is made available to applicants at the DNRD. He, however did not disclose the fees and service costs.

Al Hammadi clarified that sponsors could also seek medical insurance cover for the visa-seeker through any renowned health insurance company in the emirate, or in the UAE.

“Private companies applying for visas for their workers should provide them with medical insurance. The same applies to the tourism companies. In case the tourism companies already have the insurance cover in their packages offered to the tourists, we will not be asking for that condition.”

According to Major Al Hammadi, the international medical insurance policies will be valid in the UAE. “The insurance should be valid as long as the visa-holder is going to stay in the UAE.”

The local insurance companies are making all preparations to meet the new demand. Speaking to Khaleej Times, Wesam Ibrahim, head of the Department of Life and Medical Insurance at Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC), said the company already has a plan that can accommodate visitors in accordance with the new visit visa requirements.

“We will find out the exact details of the new visit visa requirements by the end of this month. At this point of time, we have no plans to develop a new plan,” he said.

Ibrahim explained that AWNIC’s existing visitor plan only covers inpatient emergency cases, and covers healthcare services of up to Dh100,000. Clients can be insured for either a month or three months, but the company has no insurance policy for visitors staying for less than a month. The cost of the plan ranges from Dh130 to Dh150 per month. “We do not think that much will change for our company after the new visit visa law is enforced,” he added.

A reliable source at the National Health Insurance Company (Daman) said the health insurance will cover the categories that would be defined by the Naturalisation and Residency Department in the Ministry of Interior.

According to the current rules in Daman, the health insurance for mission visas (six months) costs Dh420 for those above 51 years of age, and Dh 240 for those between 16 and 50 years.

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Visit visas to be issued in 10-15 minutes
By Ahmed Abdul Aziz & Mary Nammour 28 July 2008 KHALEEJ TIMES

ABU DHABI - From tomorrow, applicants approaching the naturalisation and residency departments countrywide with the required documents could get visit visas within 10 to 15 minutes without any extra fees, according to a senior official at the Ministry of Interior (MoI).

Brigadier Nasir Al Awadi Al Minhali, Acting Director-General of the Federal Naturalisation and Residency Department (FNRD) in the MoI, told reporters in the capital yesterday that the documents required include passport copies, photographs of the visitor and the data of the visitor including his/her address in his/her home country.

The health insurance certificate of the visitor will have to be submitted after the approval of the application.

“The cabinet resolution has created 16 types of visas, including visas for medical treatment and education, with the aim of stamping out illegal residency,” Brig Al Minhali said.

He predicted that by next December, the UAE will be free of illegal residents.

According to Brigadier Obeid bin Suroor, Deputy Director of the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Departmen (DNRD), the new visa rule aims at streamlining the process. "The rule aims to provide better service to people rather than imposing a burden on them. It was the outcome of a thorough study by the authorities concerned.”

The NRDs across the country will distribute the application forms for the new visas to the typing offices during the coming hours.

There will be no change in the procedures. However, the sponsors and public relation officers (PROs) of firms have to provide the home country addresses of the persons who will enter the country.

Applying online for visas is currently a service provided to only companies and typing offices. However, the MoI is examining the viability of extending the service to the public.

“We are studying the ways by which our applicants across the country could enjoy more facilities and save their time and efforts. We have contracted a leading IT company for preparing online applications for individuals as well,” said Brig Al Minhali.

Under the new visas rule, the applicant must provide the health insurance certificate to the NRD as a major document for all types of visas, including tourist visas.

Colonel Rashid Sultan Al Khider, Director of the Legal Department in the MoI, said that the applicants have to pay a refundable guarantee of Dh1,000. This guarantee should be paid to cover all types of visit visas, including tourist visas.

Brig Al Minhali said the MoI is surveying the nationalities and communities and more nationalities could be included in the list of 34 countries, whose citizens do not need to pay the guarantee deposit of Dh1,000, in case their communities comply with the NRD instructions. "The change is possible", said Brig Al Minhali.

Orientation for typing staff

Typists who were briefed by NRD officials in various emirates yesterday said they now understand their tasks and are ready to implement the new visa rule

Representatives of over 200 typing offices from Dubai attended the gathering held at the DNRD headquarters in Jaffliya. They were briefed on the guidelines to follow under the new visa rule once it comes into effect.

Habib from Shad Typing Office said he was not worried about the new system. “It will not be that different. They have only changed the fees and introduced new types of visas. We will get used to it with time,” he said.

Abdulghaffar from Al Musalla Star Typing Office in Dubai said that he was not yet sure what kind of problems they might be facing with the inception of the new system.

Sameh from Eden Star for Documents Clearance in Dubai underscored the need for typists to be very careful when typing the information of the applicants. “The new rule will have zero tolerance regarding any misleading information, however, irrelevant it may look like. So we have to be very vigilant,” he said.

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Office rents rise 14pc in Abu Dhabi


By Haseeb Haider KHALEEJ TIMES 28 July 2008

ABU DHABI - Demand for office space in the capital continues to be high as rents have increased by 14 per cent in the second quarter of the year, a report said.
According to property management company Asteco, villas and residential compounds are being converted to offices to absorb some of the demand, most notably in the Khalidiyah area. Under the circumstances, businesses have no other option but to set up their offices in Al Ain or in the outskirts of Dubai.
"Over the last three months, office rental rates have increased across the board by nearly 14 per cent," the company said.
Asteco said Defence Street witnessed the highest increase of 31 per cent with rents between Dh1,200 and Dh3,000 per square metre. This area, previously a military zone, is currently being re-developed with residential villas, offices and supporting retail.
Khalidiyah is also showing an increase of 28 per cent from last quarter. Rental rates in this area start from Dh1,500 reaching Dh3,500 per square metre, depending on the quality of the building and its facilities. However, similar to the residential market, landlords are pushing prices up to take advantage of the lack of supply regardless of the standard of the offices, the report said.
"The Khalidiyah area is likely to see rents continue to rise due to new commercial buildings being developed," it added. One particular example is an inverted pyramid building with 7,900 square metres of office space, which will offer quality offices and facilities.
Meanwhile, another property management company said present trend of tight office space is likely to continue for another two to three years.
Rebekah Savage, manager at Foundation Property Management Company, told Khaleej Times that present scenario of squeezing availability of office space is likely to persist in coming days.
According to estimates of Abu Dhabi Commercial Properties (ADCP), Ms Savage said that there are 250 buildings in and around Abu Dhabi City Centre are due to be knocked down. She further said 750 buildings to be built in and around Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, however, there are no estimates for the creation of more commercial space in the capital.

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Solar eclipse on Friday

ABU DHABI - UAE Astronomy Society has announced that the UAE, Gulf residents and other countries in the region will view partial solar eclipse on Friday. The eclipse will cover Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, eastern parts of Saudi Arabia and northern parts of Jordan and Palestine.

Mohammed Shokat Awda, Chairman of the Islamic project for moon sighting, said the eclipse will take place in the UAE from 2.45pm- 4.10pm. Viewers must use proper observation equipment to protect their eyes. In Dubai, the eclipse will reach it's maximum around 1127 GMT and will cover about 15 per cent of the sun. The best place to see the eclipse is near. Nadym in central Russia, where the eclipse will be almost total. The total phase of an eclipse looks like the onset of a rapidly darkening sky whose appearance resembles evening twilight about half an hour after sunset. Go to khaleejtimes.com to see an interactive Google map of the eclipse. This map allows the user to sellect any portion of the path and to zoom in using either map data or Earth satellite data. You will also find a link with tips on how to photograph the eclipse.ABU DHABI - UAE Astronomy Society has announced that the UAE, Gulf residents and other countries in the region will view partial solar eclipse on Friday. The eclipse will cover Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, eastern parts of Saudi Arabia and northern parts of Jordan and Palestine.

Mohammed Shokat Awda, Chairman of the Islamic project for moon sighting, said the eclipse will take place in the UAE from 2.45pm- 4.10pm. Viewers must use proper observation equipment to protect their eyes. In Dubai, the eclipse will reach it's maximum around 1127 GMT and will cover about 15 per cent of the sun. The best place to see the eclipse is near. Nadym in central Russia, where the eclipse will be almost total. The total phase of an eclipse looks like the onset of a rapidly darkening sky whose appearance resembles evening twilight about half an hour after sunset. Go to khaleejtimes.com to see an interactive Google map of the eclipse. This map allows the user to sellect any portion of the path and to zoom in using either map data or Earth satellite data. You will also find a link with tips on how to photograph the eclipse.

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Visit your e-Home for TQM & Positive Thinking: www.team1dubai.blogspot.com
*~*Team 1 Dubai – Committed to Continuous Improvement *~*
Music is magic, Music is Divine. Enjoy it whenever you can, Wherever you are. Listen to soothing music while you are online by visiting www.q4music.blogspot.com

Good effort Mr Ramesh
U get time to update all these in ur busy schedule
keep doing well ......... :-)

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Ex-Google workers launch 'Cuil' search engine
Agencies Published: July 29, 2008, 10:29

San Francisco: A group of former Google engineers have launched a rival Internet search engine Cuil this week, calling it an improved version of the world's most popular web-scouring tool.

Cuil's founders include former Google staffer Anna Patterson. Patterson intends to upstage Google, which she quit in 2006 to develop a more comprehensive and efficient way to scour the Internet.

The end result is Cuil, pronounced "cool." Backed by $33 million in venture capital, the search engine began processing requests for the first time on Monday.

Cuil had kept a low profile while Patterson, her husband, Tom Costello, and two other former Google engineers — Russell Power and Louis Monier — searched for better ways to search.

Cuil's search index spans 120 billion Web pages. Patterson believes that's at least three times the size of Google's index, although there is no way to know for certain. Google stopped publicly quantifying its index's breadth nearly three years ago when the catalog spanned 8.2 billion Web pages.

Cuil won't divulge the formula it has developed to cover a wider swath of the Web with far fewer computers than Google. And Google isn't ceding the point: Spokeswoman Katie Watson said her company still believes its index is the largest.

After getting inquiries about Cuil, Google asserted on its blog Friday that it regularly scans through 1 trillion unique Web links. But Google said it doesn't index them all because they either point to similar content or would diminish the quality of its search results in some other way. The posting didn't quantify the size of Google's index.

A search index's scope is important because information, pictures and content can't be found unless they're stored in a database. But Cuil believes it will outshine Google in several other ways, including its method for identifying and displaying pertinent results.

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