So even if you’ve already been working in the UAE, you’ll still need the certificate.

There’s been a bit of confusion around the Certificate of Good Conduct, or police clearance certificate, since it was introduced in the UAE last month.

For a while, it sounded like only those moving to the UAE for work for the first time (ie. those applying for jobs from overseas) would need the certificate, and existing workers within the UAE would not need the document if they were changing jobs.

However, a Gulf News report citing official sources says the certificate is mandatory for ALL workers planning to change jobs in the UAE, regardless of length of service.

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“Expatriate workers planning to switch jobs will now have to produce certificates of good conduct from the local police,” a source told the publication this week.

Those applying for their first job in the UAE would need to produce a police clearance certificate from their home country, or their country of residence for the past five years.

If the applicant has lived and worked in more than one country over the past five years, a certificate from each country must be produced.

The source also said from June 1, the certificate will be mandatory for all domestic workers. Previously, the Interior Ministry said domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia did not need the document to acquire a work visa.

The certificate must be certified by UAE missions abroad, or through attestation centres at customer happiness centres for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

It costs Dhs100 for UAE nationals, Dhs200 for UAE residents and Dhs300 for people outside of the country, with additional knowledge and innovation fees of Dhs10 added on.

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