There are many benefits to being a citizen of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), such as getting access to education and health services, as well as housing and food subsidies. However, becoming an Emirati citizen is not easy, unless you have a relationship with someone who is already a citizen. Although the UAE has a naturalization process, it is very difficult and time consuming, especially if you are not an Arab.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Becoming a Citizen Through Marriage
Step 1. Know that the rules for men and women are different
Women do not have the same citizenship rights as men in the UAE. If you are a woman and married to an Emirati citizen, you will not automatically become an Emirati citizen.
- As a woman, you can acquire Emirati citizenship as a dependent of your husband, if he is an Emirati. Women in the UAE are considered dependents of either their husbands or fathers, regardless of whether she works or lives independently.
- Women cannot provide Emirati citizenship. If you are a man and marry a woman of Emirati nationality, you will not be able to obtain Emirati citizenship by marrying her, no matter how old the marriage is.
Step 2. Express your intention to become a citizen to the UAE Ministry of Home Affairs
Once married to an Emirati citizen, you generally have the right to live in the UAE with your spouse. However, you will not have the benefits that a citizen gets.
- After marriage, go to the UAE General Directorate of Residence and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA) office. Bring your marriage certificate and identity card. Tell them that you want to become a citizen, and they will give you a form to fill out.
- If you are a man and married to an Emirati woman, the children born to your wife will not be Emirati citizens. They have to wait until they are 18 years old to apply for citizenship, and in the meantime, you will have to pay for the education and health services for the child which Emiratis can get free of charge.
Step 3. Wait until the marriage is 3 years old
If you marry an Emirati citizen, you will not immediately be eligible to become an Emirati citizen until you have been married for 3 years from the date of your application to become a citizen.
Keep in mind that this rule only applies to women married to Emirati men. A man who marries an Emirati woman will not be eligible to become a citizen under the marriage
Step 4. Revoke your original citizenship
The UAE does not recognize dual citizenship. If you wish to become an Emirati citizen by marriage, you must be willing to give up your current citizenship.
Contact the embassy or consulate of your home country to find out what to do to revoke your citizenship
Step 5. Ask your husband to fill out a Citizenship Application for a Wife with a Foreign Nationality
To apply for citizenship, your husband must fill out and submit documents to the GDRFA that prove your identity and indicate your desire to become a citizen of the UAE.
You have to pay a certain amount of money for the request to be processed. You must be present with your husband when he submits the forms and documents
Method 2 of 3: Becoming a Citizen Through Descendants or Family Lines
Step 1. Show the Arab lineage
UAE citizens follow the rules of UAE citizenship law. You will be considered a UAE citizen automatically if you can prove that you are a direct descendant of an Arab citizen who lived in the Emirates in 1925, and continued to live there past 1972 when the citizenship law came into effect.
- All Arabs living in the UAE in 1972 since 1925 are considered Emirati citizens automatically. Children of Emirati nationals also automatically become Emirati citizens.
- You can also acquire Emirati citizenship if you are an Arab male from Oman, Qatar or Bahrain and have lived in the UAE for 3 years with a clean criminal record and good conduct.
Step 2. Provide proof that your father is an Emirati
If your father is an Emirati citizen, you are automatically considered an Emirati citizen under UAE law. This applies regardless of whether you were born in that country or abroad.
Your father can file documents to prove his citizenship. If all the documents are complete, you will be added to the Family Card
Step 3. Apply for citizenship if your mother is an Emirati
The UAE has different rules that apply if your mother is an Emirati citizen but your father is not. In general, you are only considered an Emirati citizen if your father's identity is unknown, or your father's nationality is unknown.
- Visit the office of the General Directorate of Residence and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA) and tell them that your mother is an Emirati citizen and you want to apply for Emirati citizenship. They will provide a form for you to fill out.
- If your father is not an Emirati citizen, you will not automatically be considered an Emirati citizen. However, you are entitled to apply for citizenship after turning 18.
Method 3 of 3: Becoming a Citizen Through Naturalization
Step 1. Find sponsors
To live in the UAE, you must have a sponsor who is an Emirati citizen. Usually the sponsor is a family member or boss. Your sponsor will be responsible for you during your stay in the UAE.
Step 2. Complete the entry permit registration
Your sponsor will need to apply for an entry permit for you with the General Directorate of Residence and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA). Requirements for registration vary depending on whether your sponsor is an employer or a family member.
Once the entry permit is issued, the permit will be valid for two months. After arriving in the UAE, apply for a residence visa as soon as possible, as the visa must be issued within 30 days of your arrival
Step 3. Obtain a residence visa once you arrive
When you arrive in the UAE, ask your sponsor to come to the GDRFA and complete the process to obtain a residence visa for yourself. After the residence visa is issued, the visa will be valid for 2 years.
- During your stay in the UAE on a residence visa, you can open a bank account and rent an apartment or other place of residence. However you are not allowed to own property.
- If you violate the law, or if your sponsor withdraws his sponsorship, you may be asked to leave the country.
- As long as you obey the law and demonstrate good behavior, you will generally have no problem extending your residence visa every 2 years.
Step 4. Live in the UAE consecutively for 30 years
To be eligible to apply for citizenship in the UAE as a foreign citizen, you must have lived there legally for at least 30 years. If you leave the UAE and return, the stay period can start all over again.
- During your 30 years (or more) living in the UAE, don't break the law or get into trouble. You will not be able to qualify for citizenship if you have a criminal record.
- You should also have ongoing work, usually in an Emirati company.
Step 5. Demonstrate good behavior and reputation
The UAE will not grant citizenship to anyone who does not behave respectfully. Talk to friends or coworkers, and make a list of 2 or 3 male Emirati citizens who are willing to prove your behavior.
When applying for citizenship, the GDRFA will ask for references of people who can attest to your honor and morality. This reference can be given in the form of writing or direct testimony
Step 6. Learn to read or speak Arabic
You cannot be a UAE citizen unless you can communicate well in Arabic. While citizenship law does not require specific language fluency, it is best to consider it a requirement.
Step 7. Give up other citizenships
Since the UAE does not recognize dual citizenship, if you wish to become an Emirati citizen, you must first demonstrate that you have renounced or revoked any citizenship you previously held.
