Mohanlal latest Indian celebrity to get UAE’s golden visa. What's the criteria?

The UAE has granted ‘golden visa’ to Malayalam superstars Mammootty and Mohanlal.

In a tweet earlier this week, Mammootty thanked Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi, a member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, for “bestowing” the visa on him, and an Indian-born UAE billionaire, MA Yusuff Ali, for facilitating the process.

 

My sincere gratitude to H E Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi for my UAE Golden Visa ! Many thanks to my brother @Yusuffali_MA for helping make this happen.@AbuDhabiDED pic.twitter.com/ft8pbsjtyS

— Mammootty (@mammukka) August 23, 2021

What Is the Golden Visa?

The UAE introduced the golden visa in 2019, which offers long-term residence rights to certain people. It allows foreigners to live, work and study in the Gulf state without the need of a national sponsor and with 100 per cent ownership of their business on the UAE mainland.

The visa, which is valid for five or 10 years and is renewed automatically, can be extended to include spouse, children, parents and dependent siblings.

Who Is Eligible?

Investors, entrepreneurs, people with specialised talents and researchers in various fields of science and knowledge and students with promising scientific capabilities are all eligible for the 10-year visa.

Investors with a property in the UAE worth not less than 5 million dirhams, entrepreneurs with an existing project with a minimum capital of 500,000 dirhams and students can apply for the five-year visa.

The government has widened the scope of the visa to include bright students and 1,00,000 coders under the National Programme for Coders.

How to Apply

Interested individuals can apply by visiting the website of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship or contact them at the toll-free number 600522222.

Alternatively, they can also contact the UAE’s embassies and consulates.

Indians with Golden Visas

In July, tennis player Sania Mirza and her husband Shoaib Malik, a Pakistani cricketer, got the 10-year visa.

“Both Sania and Shoaib are excited to spend time in the UAE with their son and explore the country. They are keen on launching their own entrepreneurial venture in the sports industry starting with Dubai,” the couple had said in a statement.

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Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt also have golden visas.

Dutt received the visa in May. “Honoured to have received a golden visa for the UAE in the presence of Major General Mohammed Al Marri, Director General of @gdrfadubai. Thanking him along with the @uaegov for the honour. Also grateful to Mr Hamad Obaidalla, COO of @flydubai for his support,” Dutt said on Instagram.