Good Conduct Certificate now Mandatory for Expats working in UAE

According to the new rules, obtaining a good conduct certificate is mandatory for expats seeking work in UAE.

How to get a Good Conduct Certificate for working in UAE?

Expats who apply for work visa in the UAE must first obtain a certificate of good conduct — issued by either their home country or the country where they lived for the last five years.

The certificate must then be attested by UAE diplomatic missions, or oversees Customer Happiness Centres at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

The security vetting is a means of judging a job candidate’s past mistakes, character, and fitness, and to identify potential hiring risks for safety and security reasons and to ensure the safety and security of the employees as well as their public and private employers.

The criminal history checks will be applicable to all job candidates including domestic workers.

The security screening is only mandatory for job candidates but not their dependents or family members.

The good conduct certificate is not required for tourists, students and people who come to the UAE on medical or mission visas, issued for the purpose of temporary work in the country for three months and can be renewed for a similar period.

How to apply for a Good Conduct Certificate

Apply Online: Expats can apply online through Dubai Police website [link here] or using Dubai Police Smart Apps.

Applying in person: Applicants can visit any Police Station or the General Department of Criminal Investigation (CID) offices between 7.30am to 2.30pm from Sunday to Thursday and apply for the good conduct certificate.

Applying from outside of the UAE: Applicants residing in a different country should visit their local police station to get fingerprints scanned and send them to the UAE Embassy in that country.

Cost of Good Conduct Certificate:

Certificate cost for UAE nationals: Dh100
Certificate cost for UAE residents: Dh200
Certificate cost for people outside the country Dh300
Knowledge Fee Dh10
Innovation Fee Dh10

Documents required for Good Conduct Certificate:

Valid Emirates ID.
Active Email Address.

In case the applicant does not have a valid Emirates Id because the person is between jobs, they can still show the ID to prove they have one.

The good conduct certificate is valid for three months.

Update: Good conduct certificate is not a mandatory document for those who want to transfer their residency visa inside the UAE.

As reported here, a new circular issued to Amer and Tasheel centers in Dubai, a good conduct certificate is not required for transferring sponsorship visa for foreign workers inside the UAE.

The new circular, issued by immigration departments in the UAE on the instruction of the Interior Ministry, exempt workers transferring visa inside the country.

The domestic workers from Philippines and Indonesia can obtain a work visa without the good conduct document too.

Workers from other countries who want to work in the UAE still need to obtain the good conduct certificate from their home countries.

How Filipinos can get a good conduct certificate

The good conduct certificate’s counterpart in the Philippines is the “No Criminal Record” issued by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), popularly known as NBI Clearance.

Applicants may visit www.dubaipcg.dfa.gov.ph and book an appointment at the NBI Clearance Fingerprinting Portal. This means applicants no longer need to visit a police station to give their rolled impressions as it can now be done at the consulate.

The other option is to do it by securing an NBI Form 5 and going to the nearest police station to get the rolled impressions. Once done, the applicant may return to the consulate to complete the process.

To book an appointment for an NBI Clearance: http://dubaipcg.dfa.gov.ph/nbi-clearance-appointment-system

The process

Book an appointment
Visit the Notarials Section of the consulate on the date and time of appointment
Complete the NBI Form 5 and the Special Power of Attorney authorising your representative in the Philippines to submit your requirements to the NBI, the DFA, and the UAE Embassy in Manila
The consulate processor will take the fingerprints of the applicant
Pay the corresponding fees: Notarisation of SPA — Dh100; notarisation of NBI Clearance — Dh100
Come back on the date and time of release indicated in the receipt

Documents needed

Accomplished Special Power of Attorney (SPA), which may be downloaded from the consulate’s website
Original and photocopy of accomplished NBI application form
One 2×2 ID photo with white background to be attached in NBI Form 5
Four copies of applicant’s passport identification page

How Pakistanis can get Good Conduct Certificate for UAE?

The Embassy of Pakistan in UAE issued steps on how Pakistanis can get the good character certificate.

Step 1: Obtain police clearance certificate from local/designated police station/office

Step 2: Attest police clearance certificate from ministry of foreign affairs of Pakistan or from its camp offices in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar or Quetta.

Step 3: If the individual is in Pakistan and wants to proceed to the UAE on employment or work visa:

Attest the certificate from embassy/consulate of UAE in Pakistan through its designated service providers, i.e.,

a. Gerry’s http://visadropbox.com/uae

b. Sasha International http://sasha.pk

Step 3: If the individual is in UAE on tourist/visit visa and wants to obtain an employment visa

a. Attest police clearance certificate from Pakistan embassy in Abu Dhabi, or Pakistan consulate general in Dubai

b. Get the certificate attested from the UAE ministry of foreign affairs

Update: The UAE has temporarily suspended the requirement of a good conduct certificate for employment visas across the country until further notice. [Reported here]

Image source: Gulf News