When I first stepped foot in the sands of Abu Dhabi, it was 12 midnight. My heart was racing so fast and I can hardly breathe. I was a bag of complicated emotions – anxious, excited and terribly terrified, plus had a tearful flight. Before I left the Philippines, my home country, I was basically bawling my guts out for leaving my family and joining my husband. For a 30 year old professional woman like me, it was quite a sight. It would seem that I am way past the age when I am supposed to leave my parents and be on my own. But let’s just say I’m a late bloomer, I started the whole dating and getting married thing at a later part of my life. I did a lot of things before I jumped into the marital wagon. So, while I was pushing my baggage cart, I was confused with the airport signs and information. What to do? What to do? When all else fail, nothing can get you lost if you go straight. That’s what I did, luckily I ended up at the immigration center. It was my first time to have eye scan for identification. It was so like a Tom Cruise movie. So far, my fear of not passing the immigration officer’s scrutiny is ebbing despite the fact that I’m holding legal papers and I don’t have any legal issues from any country I’ve been to. Still, I can’t shake the feeling of being terrified. At last, I passed all queries with flying colors. I rushed towards the exit sign where hopefully my husband would be waiting for me.
I came in this country with a husband sponsored visa. This visa was sent to me via airmail and is basically temporary and a permanent visa shall be stamped on your passport once you are already in Abu Dhabi. The processing of this visa would entail another set of requirements to be complied within the 90-day period since you have arrived in UAE. For the permanent residence visa stamp on your passport, you will need the following requirements:
a. Residence visa paper stamped by the immigration officer when you arrived in the country
b. A medical certificate obtained from SEHA
c. Wife’s Insurance policy under the husband’s company.
When you arrive in the country your 90-day allowable period will start ticking. So first things first, your insurance. Under the UAE New Health Insurance Law, medical coverage for all expatriates working and residing in the emirates and visitors staying for more than 2 months should be provided. And effective January 1, 2007, it is mandatory for all expatriates residing and working in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to have health insurance provided by their employer or sponsor. As for my case, my health insurance is covered by my husband’s company. Again, to quote from the UAE insurance law, “All employers and sponsors are responsible for the procurement of health insurance coverage and possession of valid health insurance at all times for their employees and their families ( 1 spouse and 3 children under 18), inclusive of registration fees, as well as the cost of the policy and for the cost of all health care services that are provided to persons on his sponsorship.” My husband took care of this through their office.
Next in the list is to have a medical examination from SEHA or the Abu Dhabi Health Service center. My husband accompanied me there. When we entered the building, we went straight to the information counter have the officers checked our documents. You will need a photocopy of your passport, of your residence visa paper and your insurance identification card. We were told to go upstairs for women examination area. I took a queue card and waited for my number to be called. My husband was not allowed to go inside so he stayed at the husband’s waiting area still on the second floor of the building. When my number was called, I went to the counter and submitted my documents. My picture was taken and was ask to pay 250 AED for the examination however for women who are over the age of 35 and has already a kid will be vaccinated and the total cost will be 350 AED. Then I had my eye scanned and was queued for medical consultation, blood extraction and x-ray exam. The whole process took me an hour and 30 minutes. Medical results will be available within four (4) working days.
When all required documents are ready, couples can go to the Immigration Office to have the visa stamped on the passport. Upon arriving, go straight to the typing center at the left side of the immigration building. Typing offices lined the area you can choose from among the offices with less people queuing for faster transaction. Submit your documents as well as your passport to the typist and tell him/her that it is urgent. Payment will vary for the visa stamping process. 350 AED is the regular rate and will take 3 days. As for my case, since it was urgent, we paid 450 AED. After payment we went inside the immigration building and 2nd floor of the right section. We took a queue number and waited for our turn. When our number was called, my husband submitted all required documents. My passport was handed back to him with my visa stamped on it after 20 minutes. I am now officially an expat living in Abu Dhabi. My adventure in discovering this culture rich country has officially started.
