Dubai Culture to accept cultural visa applications from Al Quoz creatives

The 10-year visa is given to creative talents who can show distinct artistic production and community contributions

Artists perform at a show to mark the 10th anniversary of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, at The Cultural & Scientific Association in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Dubai Culture has announced that creative practitioners working in Al Quoz can now apply for the long-term cultural visa as part of the Al Quoz Creative Zone initiative.

Applications are open to those in fields of the arts, including visual and performing arts, design, heritage, history, literature, cognitive studies, crafts and other creative industries.

Those interested in pursuing the cultural visa must submit a creative profile that demonstrates their distinct artistic production, spanning five years or longer in their field, as well as any awards or professional recognition they may have received.

Applicants must also detail their contributions to the community, be it through creative endeavours or forms of voluntary work.

The 10-year visa is open to those who are employed full-time or part-time, as well as freelancers and self-employed individuals. Applicants must have a minimum annual income of Dh120,000 – which breaks down to around Dh10,000 per month – to be eligible.

The long-term cultural visa was first approved in 2019 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, as a way to retain and attract talent in the emirate’s cultural sector.

Launched in April, Al Quoz Creative Zone is set to be a new hub for creative businesses, located in the industrial Dubai neighbourhood of Al Quoz.

The initiative will include membership programmes intended to give entrepreneurs special benefits, including fee exemptions, reduced rents and logistics support for their businesses.

Dubai Culture has also outlined that the zone will include multipurpose spaces, including artist studios and working spaces, as well as a “streamlined network of roads to ensure ease of movement within the zone”, which includes bike and scooter tracks.

Dubai Culture has yet to specify a location for the zone, as well as a timeline for when the programmes will begin.

As of March 2021, Dubai Culture has received more than 260 cultural visa applications, about half of which had met the criteria. A total of 1,000 visas are expected to be given in this phase of Dubai Culture’s overall cultural visa programme.

More information is available at dubaiculture.gov.ae