Skip to main content

icnlive

Menu

Salma Al-Tamimi

Writer,

icn.live

Follow

Salma Al-Tamimi graduated with a degree in Journalism and Communication and has reported for ICN.live since 2025. Coverage focusing on Tech, Artificial Intelligence infrastructure, and cybersecurity in the Arab region. Her work bridges technical insight with public education.
UAE Visa on Arrival
  • Policy

Visa on arrival for six new countries now reshapes how eligible travellers reach the UAE. The United Arab Emirates expanded its programme to welcome nationals from six additional nations. Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya, and South Africa now join the approved list. Ordinary passport holders from these nations qualify under the new residence permit eligibility terms. You gain entry only when you hold a valid permit from an approved country. Approved permits come from the United States, the United Kingdom, and European Union member states. Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada also issue qualifying residence permits.

How the UAE visa on arrival now works

The UAE visa on arrival comes in two clear options for every qualified visitor today. Travellers receive a 14-day or 60-day visa choice based on their planned trip length. Holders of the 14-day visa can extend their stay once while inside the country. The 60-day visa permits only a single stay and offers no extension at any point. Once your visa expires, you must leave the UAE before any overstay penalty applies. Anyone who stays beyond the limit pays a fine of fifty dirhams each day. The 14-day visa carries a total issuance fee set at one hundred dirhams now. Travellers choosing the longer option pay two hundred fifty dirhams for the 60-day visa.

Why the visa-on-arrival for six new countries matters to you

Visa on arrival for six new countries gives eligible residents a smoother path to Dubai. The change supports the broader visa-on-arrival programme already running across the seven Emirates today. Families travelling together also benefit because accompanying members gain the same clear entry rights. From my standpoint, this move clearly rewards mobile professionals who live and work abroad. You save time at the airport because the process now feels simple and direct.

The ICP UAE visa rules align the country with global best practice in mobility. Officials want easier travel for tourists, investors, entrepreneurs, and the most skilled global talent. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the step strengthens bilateral ties with friendly nations. According to the ministry, the policy also builds closer economic and cultural people ties. Visa on arrival for six new countries forms part of this wider national strategy. The new decision strengthens cooperation with partner countries across travel, tourism, and resident mobility.

How to plan your trip under the new rules

Your travel timing matters because the official notice sets the start from late July. Check your residence permit before booking, so you can confirm full residence permit eligibility first. Keep your passport valid and carry proof of your approved residence at the airport. Choose between the 14-day and 60-day visa option based on your real trip needs. Visa on arrival for six new countries opens a faster route for global residents. Plan early, confirm your documents, and your UAE arrival will stay smooth and clear.

What this means for UAE tourism and business

The Emirates wants higher visitor numbers across hotels, airlines, retail, and wider tourism services. Easier entry helps the UAE compete as a leading hub between Asia, Europe, and Africa. Business travellers from the six nations now reach Dubai with far less paperwork stress. You join a clearer system because the UAE visa on arrival keeps entry rules simple. The wider visa-on-arrival programme reflects steady reform across the whole country’s mobility framework today. Plan your visit now, and you gain from one of the region’s smartest entry systems.

  • 3 min read
Dubizzle Group invests in Tern
  • Investments

Dubizzle Group has announced a new investment in Tern, a UAE rental rewards platform. The deal lets tenants pay rent by credit card and collect useful reward points. Tern points work across a broad network of retail, travel and lifestyle merchant partners. You gain more flexibility on one of your largest recurring household expenses each month. This new partnership puts Tern exclusively inside both Bayut and dubizzle across the country. Renters face no hidden charge or premium when paying rent with a credit card. Tern rewards turn a routine bill into a real source of monthly added value. Most households spend the largest share of their income on housing every single year.

How the Tern rent payment model works

The Tern rent payment system adds no extra fee when you use a credit card. Landlords still receive the full rent amount directly into their own registered bank accounts. Tern launched in May 2025 after its two founders built the company during 2024. Said Al Sayyed and Mohamad Shaitou created the platform to modernise how renters pay. More than 150 million dirhams in yearly rent volume now flows through the Tern platform. Many renters in the UAE still pay through cheques, transfers or fragmented manual systems. A digital model gives you a faster, clearer record of each monthly rent payment. You keep your existing card while earning points on a payment you already make.

Dubizzle Group has announced a new investment to widen its reach

Dubizzle Group has announced a new investment through its venture arm, Dubizzle Group Ventures. Its venture arm backs early-stage technology startups located across the wider GCC region today. You should see this move as part of a much broader property ecosystem strategy. Bayut and dubizzle already sit at the centre of the UAE property listings market. Adding a rent payment layer pushes the group into valuable post-listing rental services now. The group connects tenants, buyers, landlords, sellers, brokers and agencies on its single platforms. Elevated rents across the UAE make payment convenience and loyalty far more important now.

What renters, landlords and agents gain

Haider Ali Khan, chief executive officer of Dubizzle Group UAE, explained the wider goal. “In Tern, we found the most compelling solution,” Khan said about the new deal. Surya Raviganesh, who leads the group’s investments, looks for scalable and truly innovative founders. Half the UAE population uses one group platform every single month, he later noted. Landlords and agents gain a digital collection process with stronger tenant retention over time. Tenants now earn loyalty points redeemable for flights, electronics and everyday lifestyle purchases too. Property professionals can market rental homes as more flexible and rewarding to potential tenants.

As I see it, the rent payment credit card UAE market needed this flexibility. Dubizzle Group has announced a new investment at a moment of high rental demand. The group platforms draw about 58 million monthly visits across the wider Gulf region. Around 20 million users open these platforms every month to find or rent homes. The Tern integration further strengthens the position of Bayut and dubizzle in rental markets. Dubizzle Group has announced a new investment with clear plans for renter loyalty growth.

  • 3 min read
Emirati Goldsmiths Platform
  • jewellery industry

Emirati Goldsmiths Platform launched the first locally sourced national gemstone at a major Sharjah jewellery exhibition. The stone debuted during the 57th Watch and Jewellery Middle East Show in Sharjah. Expo Centre Sharjah hosted the event with support from the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Designers named the new stone the Spirit of the Emirates gemstone for its national meaning. You can trace its source to red jasper from the Al Siji region of Fujairah. The Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation worked with local designers to supply this raw material. Officials see the first Emirati gemstone as a milestone for the national jewellery industry.

This launch gives Emirati designers a unique stone they can fully call their own. Twenty designers from across the UAE joined the platform at this year’s main show. Seven of them were women showing their work at the event for the first time. You can see how the platform now opens real doors for local female talent.

A local stone with global ambition

The Spirit of the Emirates gemstone carries deep meaning tied to the UAE land and heritage. Designer Fatima Al Muhairi created two signature pieces to mark the new stone’s debut. She now ranks as the first internationally accredited young Emirati specialist in gemology today. Her first design traces the gemstone journey from mountain rock to finished luxury jewellery. The piece shows a palm tree, a mountain, and details inspired by Al Muwaiji Fort. A single natural pearl links the old pearl-diving era with this new gemstone era.

Emirati Goldsmiths Platform builds a full supply chain

Her second piece, named Erth, takes the shape of a small camel’s head brooch. This brooch joins a Ras Al Khaimah pearl with jasper from the Fujairah mountains. Together, the two pieces blend old natural treasures with the country’s new local resources. The Emirati Goldsmiths Platform now reaches beyond design work into gemstone sourcing and supply. One member became the first Emirati gemstone supplier for local jewellery designers this year. Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, the SCCI chairman, praised the platform and its local designers. “This launch shows our designers can lead the full jewellery chain,” Al Owais said.

What the new gemstone means for you

You should note why this matters for the wider UAE luxury jewellery market today. A local gemstone keeps more value inside the country and within its supply chain. Buyers also gain access to authentic stones with a clear and proud national story. The jasper rates 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale for strong everyday hardness. Its deep red color and waxy shine suit fine jewellery and high market demand. The red jasper from Fujairah gives this stone a warm and bold red tone. As I see it, this gemstone gives the UAE jewellery sector a stronger local identity. Mona Al Suwaidi leads the platform and views it as a full innovation ecosystem.

She points to designers from the people of determination community and their strong creativity. The Emirati Goldsmiths Platform has grown from a talent incubator into a market builder. You will likely see more local stones reach regional and global jewellery markets soon. Strong early demand for the first Emirati gemstone shows real promise for local makers. The Emirati Goldsmiths Platform plans to support designers, suppliers, and buyers across the chain. You can expect this national stone to shape UAE luxury jewellery for years ahead.

  • 3 min read
Load More ICN Red News