The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai (GDRFA) has launched a new platform to simplify residency services for government, semi-government, and free zone entities. The platform, available at bundle.gdrfad.gov.ae, aims to make the process faster and more efficient for businesses and employees in these sectors.

The service consolidates key processes like issuing entry permits, changing visa status, renewing residency visas, applying for Emirates IDs, and arranging medical fitness tests. To access the platform, companies must register with an ‘establishment’ account at GDRFA and hold a valid establishment card, which serves as their official identification for immigration-related matters.

For private sector businesses, the Work Bundle initiative launched in 2024 complements this platform. It integrates various services into one solution, significantly cutting down processing time and paperwork for employee residency and work permit applications.

The Work Bundle, available through the Invest in Dubai platform for Dubai-based businesses and the ICP smart services portal for other emirates, offers key features like:

– Issuing work permits and residency visas

– Renewing employment contracts and Emirates IDs

– Conducting medical examinations

– Cancelling work permits and visas

The benefits are substantial. Processing time has been reduced from 30 days to just five, required documents have dropped from 16 to five, and the number of government visits has decreased from seven to two. This initiative, supported by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), is designed to ease administrative tasks and support businesses across the UAE.