During luncheon with American Business Council members

Dubai, March 11, 2009: Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of Dubai Naturalisation and Residence (DNRD) announced today that Dubai remains a favourable place to live for many. Speaking at a luncheon organised by the American Business Council at Crown Plaza hotel today, Al Marri confirmed that Dubai continues to grow at a steady pace despite reports to the contrary. He said that over 66,000 new residency visas were issued during the first two months of 2009 while 44,000 were cancelled.

Major General Al Marri reiterated the visit visa regulations for citizens of the USA, one of 33 countries that receive entry permits to the UAE upon arrival at Dubai International Airport. The visit visa for Americans is valid for 30 days free of charge upon arrival to Dubai and can be extended for another 30 days at a specified fee. He said there are 19,150 Americans residing in Dubai on employment and residence visas, and in 2008, more than 198,000 Americans visited Dubai.         

"We are delighted to have Major General Mohammad Al Marri at our luncheon, and I want to praise his ongoing dedication and hard work that led to great achievements across the department," said Charles Laubach, VP, legal department, ABC. "He shared with us some good net positive figures and gave us an informative overview of the DNRD new services. And we agree with him that with such a great leadership Dubai will be able to turn the current economic challenge into an opportunity."

The Director of DNRD presented to the audience the various e-services that are currently offered by the department to individuals and establishments including the recently launched Mobile Visa and 'Amer' web chat. He said the department aims to turn 90% of its services to online by end of year to ensure 24/7 access to the information and speedy processing of the various types of transactions. Customers may also process their transactions at the DNRD headquarters in Jaffiliya and the various external centres (19 in total) spread across Dubai in the key industrial and business areas, and open from 8am to 8pm.

Today's luncheon with the American Business Council members is one in a series of strategic meetings organized by the DNRD regularly with representatives of the various private sector businesses. They aim at clarifying the visa regulations and discussing issues pertaining to their businesses to create suitable solutions.

-Ends- 

About the American Business Council of Dubai and the Northern Emirates:
The American Business Council of Dubai and the Northern Emirates is a non-profit voluntary association of individuals and companies promoting the development of commerce between the United States and the UAE.  The ABC is a chapter of the US Chamber of Commerce and  our vision is to be the organization in Dubai and the Northern Emirates that American business and individual members trust and rely on to provide support, services and affiliations that help develop their businesses.. The ABC works closely with the UAE community on matters of mutual awareness and works to heighten Dubai's commercial position in the Middle East among the American business community.

For more information please contact
American Business Council
P.O. Box 37068
Dubai, UAE
Tel:  04 - 3407566
Fax:  04- 3407565
www.abcdubai.com 

For media requests, please contact:
Phone +971 (4)  337 2824
Email  TEAM@tcf-me.com
P.O. Box 29764
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Fax +971 (4) 337 2825

For more information about the DNRD, please visit www.dnrd.ae or contact the media centre at the Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department,
Phone: 04-7074549,
Fax: 04-3981113,
E-mail: media@dnrd.ae

Noha Habib and Shawki Alameh at Weber Shandwick Mena,
Phone: 04-3210077,
Fax: 04-3211711,
e-mail : shawki.alameh@ws-mena.com

© Press Release 2009