UAE announces citizenship for foreigners in historic move

DUBAI: In a historic move, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has adopted law amendments that allow granting Emirati citizenship to foreign investors, specialised talents and professionals.

The professionals include scientists, doctors, engineers, artists, authors and their families. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced the new law on Saturday.

“The new directives aim to attract talents that contribute to our development journey,” he tweeted. “The law allows receivers of the UAE passport to keep their existing citizenship.”

The UAE cabinet, local courts and executive councils will nominate those eligible for the citizenship “under clear criteria set for each category,” he explained.

The decision to give people with exceptional talents and their families Emirati citizenship aims to ensure the social stability of these people in the country and boost the overall national development process.

We adopted law amendments that allow granting the UAE citizenship to investors, specialized talents & professionals including scientists, doctors, engineers, artists, authors and their families. The new directives aim to attract talents that contribute to our development journey.

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) January 30, 2021

In addition to granting citizenship to the families, spouse and children, the law allows them to also keep their current citizenship, which is a major change to the previous rule that doesn’t allow for dual citizenship.

Meanwhile, the changes also specified the rights of those who are granted the UAE citizenship under the new law, such as the right to establish and own companies in the UAE, buy and own land and real estate property in the country, in addition to any other right extend to them by the federal bodies, with the approval of the cabinet, or by local government bodies.

The decision is the first major change to the UAE law on nationality and represents a milestone in the Arab world, which usually restricts the naturalisation process to very limited cases and mostly bans dual citizenship.

The UAE has taken several steps recently to ensure the social stability of those with long time residency in the country. In 2019, it introduced the permanent residency scheme which allowed for granting 5 and 10 year ‘Golden Visas’ to certain categories of residents.

Thousands of people have been given the Golden Visa in the past two years, including investors, medical professionals, engineers, scientists and specialised talents.