The UAE has temporarily suspended the requirement of a good conduct certificate for employment visas across the country until further notice. An official circular confirming the decision was shared with Khaleej Times.

On March 29, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFA) sent out a letter to embassies and consulates across the UAE confirming the news of the postponement.

Under the reference: ‘The UAE suspends requesting certificates of good conduct from foreign employees’, the letter stated that the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation – following a “cabinet decision” – will now be suspending the issuing of certificates of good conduct for persons whom arrive in the UAE for work purposes.

It added that starting on April 1, 2018, all embassies and consulates need not request the certificate for work applicants.

In a tweet from its official Twitter handle on Sunday, the Consulate General of India in Dubai also confirmed the news.

“It is confirmed that we have received communication from Government of UAE, that good conduct certificate for employment visas is temporarily suspended.”

Initial announcement

On February 4, the government announced that newcomers to the country would need to provide a good conduct certificate or police clearance certificate before seeking a job in the UAE.

When the decision was announced, the committee in charge of implementing the Cabinet resolution said the action fell under the framework of the efforts of the UAE government to create “a safer and more sustainable society”.

However, this new decision has been very much welcomed by consulates and embassies here.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Navdeep Singh Suri, Ambassador of India to the UAE, said it was a “great development”.

“(It) will remove the uncertainties that had emerged since the requirement for a Good Conduct Certificate was introduced in February. We continue to work closely with our friends in the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation to ensure a streamlined and orderly process for recruitment of Indian workers and professionals into UAE.”

Philippine consul-general to Dubai, Paul Raymund Cortes, reiterated the same.

“We welcome the new instruction. The Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, however, will continue providing services for Filipinos in securing an NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) clearance (the Philippine equivalent of police clearance certificate) from the Philippines to be submitted to employers who require a certificate of good conduct,” he said.

No more confusion

Last week, there was some confusion as to whether the certificate was still mandatory or not following rumours that the certificate was no longer a requirement for job seekers from nine countries: India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Kenya, Bangladesh, Egypt, Tunisia, Senegal and Nigeria.

Taking to Twitter in response to one person’s tweet on the subject, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation refuted the claims, saying: “There are no updates on the PCC (police clearance certificate) till now. It is required for Indian applicants. If there are any updates they will be shared on the official channels,” the department said.

However, this new official clarification from the MoFA has now laid all confusion to rest.

reporters@khaleejtimes.com