Insights: General
Cultural awareness, expat life and practical guides for anyone building a life or career in the Middle East.
Latest Articles
Saudis may tax the money expats send home
Saudi Arabia’s Shura Council – the king’s consultative assembly – has proposed taxing the remittances being sent home by millions of expatriates working in the country. According to a report in the Arab News, the council’s 150 members, all of whom are appointed by the king, have also recommended the cabinet limits the amount expats
Expats, employers worried over uncertain Saudi tax proposal
Expatriates in Saudi Arabia and their Saudi employers alike voiced unease about a proposal the government is studying to impose income tax on foreign workers to make up for falling oil revenues. Around a third of the 30 million inhabitants of the world’s top oil exporter are foreigners, many of them drawn, despite ultra-conservative social
Unpaid debts can come back to haunt you
Dubai: Running from unpaid debt in the UAE, even as far back as 10 years ago — whether intentional or not — can come back to haunt residents. Philippine Consul-General Paul Raymund Cortes gave this warning to his compatriots after finding out that as many as 20 Filipinos had been detained due to unpaid debt
Oman mulls opening housing market to expats
Oman is reportedly considering opening up more areas of its housing market to expatriates. Times of Oman cited a Ministry of Housing official as saying Oman Real Estate Association is pushing for reforms to make more areas of the country available for sale to people of all nationalities. Under current laws, foreigners can only buy
Saudi Arabia: Economic vision contains immigration-related proposals
What does the change mean? Among the proposals related to immigration, the government would introduce sector-based special zones, including a financial special zone with visa exemptions, and would build a more robust tourism sector with improved visa procedures for visitors. The deputy crown prince has also publicly announced that a residency permit systemsimilar to the
United Arab Emirates: Consular Process to be Required for Some Employment Visa Applicants
Employment visa (entry permit) applicants from certain countries will soon have to process their immigration applications through designated UAE consular service centers in their home country before entering the UAE, according to an announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE). Applications for
EU gives green light to pursue air traffic deals with UAE, Qatar
EU member states gave the green light on Tuesday for the European Commission to pursue air traffic agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey and countries in southeast Asia to try to support its airlines. Europe’s aviation industry, which contributes 110 billion euros ($123 billion) to EU gross domestic product, has been hit by
Dubai house prices hit plateau
House prices in Dubai are reaching a plateau as the city’s real estate market shows more signs of bottoming out, a new report shows. The May 2016 ValuStrat Price Index (VPI) showed that there’s a “clear trend of a plateau” in Dubai’s residential prices, as forecasted in previous reports since last year. The Dubai Land
June 8, 2016
Read more about Dubai house prices hit plateau
Saudi Arabia Considers Tax on Expat Workers
Saudi Arabia is considering a plan to tax millions of foreign residents to raise revenue from non-oil sources. Bloomberg’s Claudia Maedler reports on “Bloomberg Markets Middle East.” Source
Have a question about the Middle East?
Our advisors are available to discuss your business setup, immigration or relocation requirements across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
