Arrival in the U.A.E.

At The Airport

Once you disembark from the aircraft, you will be met by a greeting service: “Marhaba Service” in Dubai, and “Golden Class” in Abu Dhabi. Marhaba Service representatives are typically dressed in yellow suit jackets, and Golden Class are typically dressed in dark blue suit jackets. They will be holding up a sign with your name on it or your name will appear on an electronic board. Please identify yourself to these representatives. The greeting service representatives will escort you through Immigration, Baggage Reclaim, Customs and to the Arrivals Hall. Do not hesitate to ask the greeting service representatives any questions if you are not sure what is happening or if you seem to be waiting.

The greeting service representatives will collect your passport from you and from your family members, and complete immigration procedures on your behalf. They will have your original Employment Visa and any accompanying dependents’ Visit Visas. If you are a family member arriving after your spouse, the greeting service representatives will have the family member’s original Residence Visa. Please ensure that the original visas are returned to you after immigration procedures are completed. We need these original visa documents to process the residence visas.

If you wish to stop at the Duty-Free shop, please inform the greeting service representative who will direct you. In Dubai, the Duty-Free shop is right after Immigration and before the Baggage Reclaim. In Abu Dhabi there is a small Duty-Free shop before Immigration.

Once all procedures are completed, the greeting service representatives will direct you to the Arrivals Hall where either a Zayed University representative or a hotel representative will be waiting for you. Either your name or “Zayed University” will be printed on a sign. You will then be taken to the hotel or to your furnished accommodation. Please note that Zayed University does not pay for airport porters.

The date of the U.A.E. Immigration entry stamp in your passport will be considered as your first day of employment. Your salary will be paid from that date.

Hotel

Employees on three year contracts and their families will usually be housed in an hotel for the first six nights in the U.A.E. Zayed University will incur the expense for you and your family (spouse and up to three dependent children who will be residing with you in the U.A.E.). If you bring dependents with you who will not be taking up residence in the U.A.E., you may be responsible for their hotel accommodation. After the sixth night, you will move into your new accommodation.

If you are on a Term Contract, you might be housed in an hotel for up to six nights but only during the January and August Orientations. Otherwise, you will go straight into your furnished accommodation.

Allowances

If you are housed in an hotel, you will receive a meal allowance for yourself, your spouse, and up to three dependent children if they are taking up residence in the U.A.E. The meal allowance is Dhs 175 per adult per day and Dhs 87.50 per child per day. It will be given to you in cash (U.A.E. Dirhams) upon your arrival at the hotel.

If you qualify for a furniture allowance, it will be provided in the form of a check soon after your arrival in the U.A.E. You will be taken to the Union National Bank (UNB) within the first few days to cash your furniture allowance check. You are not required to open a bank account to cash this check.