There is a new requirement for foreign workers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) who wish to renew their residence visas or bring their family members there. Residence visa applicants in the emirate of Abu Dhabi now need to present tenancy contracts and other documents.

On the other hand, visit visa applicants will be required to submit a rent contract along with a Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) bill.

The rent contract must be "attested by the Land Department if you are staying in Dubai or from the respective municipality if you are staying in any other emirate, as stated by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (DNRD) of Dubai.

The DNRD said that they are concerned not with the apartment size, but with the contract itself. A report from Arabian Business, a weekly business magazine in the Middle East said that the new tenancy contract requirement in Abu Dhabi is said to further complicate the issue of residence visa requirements in the UAE.
 

The said magazine interviewed the assistant undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for Naturalization, Residency and Ports Affairs for the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Major General Nasser Al Awadhi Al Menhali.

The UAE official said in the interview that the new document is now required because some expatriates in the UAE provide inaccurate addresses.

He said, "The decision is not targeting any party or property group but it will serve those departments seeking accurate data about foreigners' residences. This measure is not exclusive for the UAE as it is enforced in all advanced countries."