Certificate of Good Conduct Required for New Jobs in UAE

New Job seekers looking to obtain a work visa in the United Arab Emirates will now have to produce a “certificate of good conduct.” The new rule will come into effect from Feb. 4 this year.

“This service allows customers to obtain a Criminal Record Verification ‘Certificate of Good Conduct’ for the purpose of work, study, immigration, naturalization, marriage, permission or license, rehabilitation, changing of name,” said a statement from the government.

A high-level committee took this decision, which was approved on Jan. 8. The certificates have to be issued by the person’s country of origin, provided that the person has been living in the country for the past five years, the committee added, Khaleej Times reported. The certificate then has to be approved by the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the country’s mission.

“In order to get a police clearance certificate from any Emirate of UAE, the candidate has to get his or her fingerprints attested by the local police station of his city, then by the Ministry of Home of his state and then by the Ministry of External Affairs of India,” said a statement from the embassy of UAE in New Delhi.

The embassy also directs the applicants to send the attested fingerprints along with other documents to the appropriate agency in the UAE. It further suggests sending the documents to a friend in the UAE “so that your friend can obtain the certificate from the Police Department on your behalf,” said the statement.

The decision has been taken by the government in a bid to make the UAE one of the safest countries in the world. The committee that took the decision included representatives from multiple government agencies.

“The security screening of job candidates means that they will have to produce good conduct certificates from their home countries, or the country, or countries, of their residence for work, or study, for the past five years,” an official source said, reported Gulf News.

Indian citizens seeking the certificate can apply on the online portal of the Ministry of External Affairs’ (MEA) Consular, Passport and Visa division. They can go to the police authorities of the state they live in to receive the certificate. Online payment has to be made to get a prior appointment. “Only emergency or medical cases and preapproved categories may visit Passport Seva Kendra without appointment,” said a statement from Consular, Passport and Visa division of the MEA.