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You can type, and you can learn a form. But nobody has explained what the job actually involves, so you can't tell whether you'd be ready on day one. This visa typist job description covers it: the duties portal by portal, a normal working day, and what the typing test checks.
Every residence visa, work permit and Emirates ID in the UAE starts as an online application that someone has to fill in correctly. For many Dubai residents and small businesses, that someone is the visa typist at the counter.
The typing is the easy part. The hard part is knowing which system a file belongs to, which documents it needs, and which small error will send it back. Show an employer you already know that, and the "2 years" line in the ad matters much less.
A visa typist prepares and submits government applications for customers: visas, residency, work permits, Emirates ID and medicals. You enter data from passports and supporting documents into the right portal, upload scans, pay the government fee and track the file until it's approved.
The job title says "typist", but you spend more of the day checking than typing. Here are the duties, grouped by system.
The General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA Dubai) runs residency for Dubai. Its public counters are the Amer centres, where typists submit:
The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) handles visa, residency and Emirates ID services through its Smart Services platform. According to the UAE government portal, you can apply for a new Emirates ID through ICP's website or an accredited typing centre, and renewals can also be done in ICP's UAEICP app.
In practice, you type new Emirates ID applications, renewals and replacements. You also tell each customer they may need to visit an ICP service centre to give their biometrics (fingerprints and a signature).
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) issues work permits for private-sector companies registered with it, which in practice means mainland employers. Free zone companies get their staff permits through their own free zone authority instead. MOHRE publishes a list of approved service centres and a directory of its services.
Your share is the paperwork: new and renewed work permits, labour contract submissions, and cancellations when an employee leaves. For which counter does what, read our guide to Amer vs Tasheel in Dubai.
In Dubai, residence visa applicants aged 18 and over need a medical fitness test before the visa can be issued. The typist opens the application so the customer reaches the test centre with the right reference.
It's a short transaction, but the residence visa can't be issued without it. Our article on medical typing in Dubai covers it from the customer's side.
You'll also scan and crop documents, keep a register of open files, and chase customers for missing pages. For company clients, you'll watch expiry dates so staff visas don't lapse.
Morning. You check yesterday's submissions. Some are approved and need printing. One or two have come back asking for a change, and those come first.
Late morning. Walk-ins arrive: a renewal, an Emirates ID replacement, a family visa missing an attested document. For each one, you decide on the spot whether the file is complete or the customer has to come back.
Afternoon. A company client emails six work permit renewals at once. You check each passport against its old permit, type, upload and pay, then log every transaction number.
End of day. You update customers whose files moved and flag next month's expiries. Tomorrow starts with a list, not a surprise.
Government portals don't guess what you meant. A misspelled name, a wrong passport number, the wrong nationality or a swapped date of birth can make the application fail to match the passport it's attached to.
At best, the file comes back to you for correction. You fix it and resubmit, and the customer loses a few days. If it isn't fixed in time, or keeps coming back, it can be rejected outright.
A rejection can mean a new application while the customer's status deadline gets closer. And the customer doesn't blame the portal. They blame the counter.
That's why experienced typists check more than they type. Before you submit, match the name against the passport's machine-readable zone and make sure every scan is sharp and uncropped.
Job ads keep asking for the same things: fast, accurate typing in English and Arabic, plus working knowledge of the government portals. Before any typing test, check yourself against this list:
Employers want proof you won't learn on their customers' files. If you can show you understand how the systems fit together, at the interview or with a certificate on your CV, the experience line becomes easier to argue with.
You can pick that up slowly, one returned file at a time, or learn the filings properly first. Sarmat has handled UAE government services from Deira for 12+ years at our typing centre in Dubai, and the mistakes above are the ones we see most often.
Our KHDA-certified PRO Officer Program walks you through GDRFA and Amer visa files, Emirates ID applications, and MOHRE work permits and labour contract submissions, with hands-on practice on real-world scenarios. It runs Monday to Wednesday, 10:00 to 15:00, every week. You can join in our Al Rigga classroom (9 seats) or live on Zoom. Your mentor has 8+ years of hands-on PRO experience and 500+ visas processed.
The course prepares you for the job. It doesn't guarantee you one. For where the work leads after the counter, see our overview of where a typing-centre career goes.
A visa typist prepares and submits government applications for customers: entry permits, residence visas, renewals, cancellations, work permits, Emirates ID and medical fitness applications. The job also covers document checks, fee payment and tracking each file to approval.
Ads usually ask for accurate English and Arabic typing and working knowledge of GDRFA, ICP and MOHRE systems. Many also want UAE experience. A structured certificate is one way to show portal knowledge before you have it.
Many ads ask for bilingual typing, and Arabic helps with names and contracts. Some roles accept English with basic Arabic keyboard skills, so check each ad and practise before any test.
Often the file comes back for correction, and you fix it and resubmit. If it isn't fixed in time, or keeps coming back, it can be rejected, and the customer may have to start a new application.
Yes, you can join live on Zoom. The KHDA certificate is issued against an Emirates ID, so non-residents receive a Sarmat completion certificate first. The KHDA certificate follows once you have an Emirates ID.
Message us on WhatsApp about the next weekly cohort or the Zoom option. If WhatsApp doesn't suit you, use our contact page.
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