Filipino employment visa applicants are among the nationals of 45 countries who must now secure a good conduct certificate before applying for a United Arab Emirates work visa, under a phased requirement introduced by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP).
The notice, shared with TGFM by a Dubai-based travel agency, confirms that the requirement takes effect for Filipinos from 15 August 2026, placing the Philippines in the second of three implementation phases.
The certificate, also known as a police clearance certificate, is an official document confirming that an applicant has no criminal record in their home country. Under the new rule, it must be issued by the competent authority in the applicant’s country of nationality and duly attested by the relevant UAE Embassy or Consulate before an employment visa application is submitted.
The measure took effect on 16 June 2026 and is being rolled out in three phases through November, according to law firm GFLO International, which listed the affected nationalities by phase. Alongside the Philippines in the second phase are Bangladesh, Colombia, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Cyprus, Albania, Mauritius and Fiji.
The first phase, which began in June, covers 23 nationalities including India, Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Syria. The third phase takes effect on 15 November and applies to nationals of countries such as China, Iran, South Africa and Serbia.
In the Philippines, the equivalent document is the clearance issued by the National Bureau of Investigation, which is also recognised locally as a “no criminal record” certificate. The correct processing sequence is a recurring point of confusion: applicants must obtain the certificate, have it translated into Arabic or English where necessary, and only then complete attestation, as a translation added after attestation falls outside the embassy’s seal and is rejected by the ICP. UAE document-clearing service OnlineTranslation.ae reported that this ordering error is the single most common reason applications stall.
The attestation country does not always match the applicant’s nationality. Bhutanese nationals, for instance, must have their certificate attested at the UAE Embassy in India, and Gambian nationals at the UAE Embassy in Senegal, according to the ICP circular circulated through free zone authorities.
Authorities have framed the requirement as part of continued efforts to strengthen security screening for incoming workers. Employers recruiting from the listed countries have been advised to factor in the additional time needed to obtain and legalise the documents ahead of visa submission.
