Accommodation in Ajman, UAE

Accommodation in UAE: An Experience of Living in Ajman/Sharjah in year 2008/2009

Finding Accommodations and Getting Driving License makes life difficult in UAE. I lived in Ajman/Sharjah for two years in four different accommodations. I was a bachelor working as Engineer in a Company.
Property agents preached these rules to us for Bachelor accommodations:-

i) Bachelors are not allowed to live in Society marked for Families and there is no Bachelors Accommodations in decent locations
ii) Bachelors can live in Industrial Areas which face frequent Electricity/Water supply Issues
iii) Contracts between Builder and Tenant will be authorized by  Municipality; without authorization it is not a valid contract. There is no Taxes in UAE but this authorization costs 5% of yearly Rental value, which is huge sum. More than the tax, I paid in my home country.

We were four bachelors working together in the same company. We found a 2BHK accommodation  and Builder committed us to get authorization from Municipality. It was before the recession hit the World Economy so Rents were very high. We agreed for a AED 46k yearly for that apartment, which included the overhead costs of cleaning etc. Builder charged us the 5% of this amount for authorization. But to our surprise that authorization never happened. Rent is charged Quarterly in UAE. Tenant will pay the security, four post dated Bank Cheque to Builder for a years payment. Any cheque bounce is crime, same as other countries so once the agreement is signed it is difficult to come out of it. My friends told me that the security deposit is rarely paid back by builder.

In seventh month the builder informed us that Municipality is not authorizing the contract and there is a crackdown happening on bachelors living in these building so we have to vacate and move to other place. Later we understood that it is a kind of game that builders play. There was no such crackdown happening but real thing was that, Rent has increased and Builder was able to get more money for that apartment and in absence of contract we have nowhere to complain.

We found another apartment but more expensive than previous. We moved in new apartment and after three months, we can feel the impact of Recession. Rent prices had reduced, many peoples have left there cars on Airport parking and fled with their family. But damage had done to us, we do not have options to switch.

After these bitter experiences, I understood that it is better to find the sharing apartments on Monthly basis rather than sign a Contract with Builder.

Cycling Culture in Latin America

Bolivia:Día del Peatón y del Ciclista

Bolivia celebrates  "Day of the Pedestrian and Cyclist" on first Sunday of September every year.  On this special day, motorized vehicles are absent from the city roads and Pedestrian and Cyclist are seen on streets. Vehicles are not allowed on streets from 0900 ~ 1700 hours except emergency.

Government of Bolivia promote it as a special day to reduce Pollution and spreading awareness about sports and good health.

Cyclist on a Road in South La Paz, Bolivia

Mexico: Cycle Revolution

Mexico Celebrates Cyclist day on every Sunday. "Avenida Reforma" is one of Busiest road adjacent to downtown  Mexico City. Many people gather on this road to participate in weekly exercise. 

Ecobici have helped to develop a Cyclist Culture in Mexico City. People pay annual fee to receive a Ecobici Card. Card helps to pick Cycles from designated points in city. These cycles can be used to travel short distances and have to be returned to another point in a definite duration, failure to do so brings penalty. 

Bikes are helping in busy traffic roads. Peoples are liking it and it is helping health conscious one to maintain fitness level.

Indians in Mexico

Indians in Mexico (Views Expressed are personal)

Mexico,The New Land of Opportunity: 

Mexico is turning in "Land of opportunity".  Mexico city is a home for a large Expat population. I got an opportunity to work for a Telecom company in Mexico.

Preparing for Visa: 

Getting Mexican Visa is a lengthy procedure for Indians. Mexico is too far from India and there are no direct flights. Connecting flights are from Europe and USA. Which requires Transit Visa But Amsterdam allows transit without applying for a Visa. KLM airline via Amsterdam is easy but expensive option for Indians who do not have USA transit visa

People applying for Mexican visa need to appear in person before consular authority. Many Indians use Mexico as a transit route to infiltrate in USA. So Candidates are interrogated for Financial Background and Reasons to Visit Mexico to check for genuine travelers. Mexico is a Top Tourist Destinations in world but not for Indians. Indians do not travel to Mexico as a Tourist unless they are based in USA.

My employer arranged for Permission to work in Mexico. I visited Mexican Embassy, New Delhi for stamping of Entry Visa. The list of required documents is large and you must have all documents in order to get approval. Here is the list as was pasted outside embassy in 2013. Visit the Embassy page at http://embamex.sre.gob.mx/india/index.php/en/consular-section/visas to check current requirements. If everything fine, Entry Visa is processed same day. Work Permit will be processed after arriving in Mexico.

Mexican Business Visa Requirements as printed outside Mexican Embassy, New Delhi  in 2013

Procedure for Spouse Visa are complex. My wife was denied tourist visa and consular office was reluctant to provide reason of rejection. After a lot of search and communication with fellow Indian Expats in Mexico, I got to know that Spouse's dependent visa process will be initiated at Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM), Mexico City. Presidential Elections were held in Mexico and Government was about to change. A very unfortunate thing is that New Government (If different political party gains power) replaces almost all the working staff of Govt. departments. New staff took time to get habitual and clear the accumulated backlog. Elections are held once in six years and unfortunately we had to bear the unnecessary delay in immigration dept. Usually process takes two to three months but in my case it was a little longer.

Spouse Visa Requirements:Lawyer prepares file with relevant documents to present it to INM. Candidates will provide Original Marriage Certificate. Marriage certificate will be translated into Spanish by a authorized Translation Institute in Mexico. INM will issue a authorization letter for candidate. Spouse will submit file with relevant documents to Mexican Embassy in respective country. Here is a list of documents for stamping entry visa.

1. Application form duly filled
2. Authorization Letter from INM
3. Passport with at least six month validity
4. A recent passport-sized photograph (4.5 CM X 3.5 CM) with white background
5. Covering letter given by your organization and duly signed by the competent authority
6. A request Letter from spouse
7. Copy of Personal Bank Statement (last 6 months)-"Copy of Mexico's Bank account" and spouse's bank statement of last six months.
8. Your Passport's Copy
9. Copy of All Visa's of all countries you had visited
10. Your FM3's Copy
11. Your Employment  Certificate from company
12. Flight booking-"Tentative Flight Booking"
13. Visa fee-currency notes of "100" are accepted only

Visa was stamped in the same day.

Life in Mexico:

There were few Indians in Mexico in 2011 when I reached there, but numbers were growing steadily. I heard from a friend that social celebrations like Birthday and anniversary have shifted from home to outdoor big halls. Most Indians were in traditional Textile business in Mexico City but expansion Indian companies brought Techies to Mexico. Many Indian IT and Pharma companies have setup business units in Mexico. Telecom companies bring cheap Indian manpower to work on short term projects.

Indian Women Association of Mexico is a Indian Community Association, they usually brings Indian community together to celebrate festivals. Embassy of India opened Indain Cultural Centre called Gurudev Tagore Indian Cultural Centre. The Cultural Centre offers classes in Yoga, Indian classical dance forms, instrumental music of Sitar, Hindi and Sanskrit, besides Indian cuisine, which are hugely popular. I met many Mexican peoples who had interest in Yoga, mediation and Indian food. There is a Temple, Gurudwara and a Mosque. There were four restaurants providing Indian Food named Dawat, Indian Town, Tandoor and Taj Mahal. Indian groceries are available but expensive.

Safety is of high concern when it is about living in a big city. All metropolitan cities of world have similar stories on providing safe living to peoples. People need to keep vigil and to take precautions while living in Mexico City.

Indians in Bolivia

Bolivia Work Visa for Indians

Bolivia provides 30 day On Arrival Visa to Indians. The Visa can be extended in Bolivia but Type of Visa can not be changed. So if someone want to work in Bolivia and they reach there and take Tourist Visa; in hope of conversion to Work Permit later, it is not happening.

My employer arranged documents to be presented to Bolivian Embassy for Work Visa. Here is a list of Documents that were required in year 2014.

1. Application Form duly filled
2. Working Contract/Letter from Company. Duly Signed and notarized.
3. Ticket Round Trip (Itinerary)
4. Visa Fee 85 US dollar
5. Passport (Validity a tleast for six months)
6. 2 photos  with clear blue background
7. Identity proof, for Applicant outside the India
8. 3 months bank account statement
9. Yellow fever vaccination certificate or receipt
10. Police Clearance Certificate (Duly Signed and authorized)
11. Marriage Certificate (Duly Signed and authorized) if your wife is accompanying
12. Education Certificate (Duly Signed and authorized)

Address of Bolivian Embassy. A-2/7 Ground Floor,Vasant Vihar,110057, New Delhi, India

Phone: +91-11-46060934, Fax: +91-11-46060935.Consular Office Timing: 9:30 -12:30 PMIt is better to talk to them before reaching Embassy.  I submitted my documents in one morning and they told me to collect it on next working day.

Visa processing after Reaching Bolivia

Bolivian Embassy provides Entry Visa to Bolivia which is valid for One month. If person want to stay more and work, then Visa process should be started within 30 days of arrival in Bolivia. The Lawyer from my company helped to prepare all the documents. Here are the process that I had undergone.i) Medical Check upii) Local Police Station Report of my address/character verificationiii) Interpol clearanceiv) Immigration process
Medical takes few hours. Local Police station report takes few days. Interpol clearance takes few hours. Immigration collects passport and takes months to complete the process. But they issues you a letter, showing proof of your legal status in Bolivia. It is mandatory to keep letter with you always to justify your status in Bolivia. My visa was stamped on passport after three months of waiting time.
After Visa stamping the last process is to apply for Cedula de Extrangeros which is a Bolivian ID card. Again, a File has to be prepared, documents to be filled. Application must be put in SEGIP office in 25 working days after stamping of Visa on Passport.  After getting SEGIP card, a Bank account can be opened or a Driver's License can be applied. The delais of process are on website http://www.segip.gob.bo/web/Segip office Address that Process Cedula de Extranjeros in La Paz: Calle Mexico, Edificio Chuquiago, Entre Otero de la Vega y Nicolas Acosta, Timings: 0730~1530, Lunes a Viernes.i) The first process is to register on Segip website. Get a Username and password.ii) In 2nd step, we need to fill our personal particulars as well our Visa particulars.iii) Take the printout of after filling all details and submit the fee in the bank. it was 450 BOB in my case. Take the original Receiptiv) Submit the Documents with original Receipt in the Segip office. v) After Seven days, I collected my Segip Card or Cedula de Extranjero Card.

Police Clearance Certificate (PCC), Haryana

Police Clearance Certificate (PCC), Haryana

PCC can be obtained from Passport office and District Police Office. PCC requirements from Embassy does not mention the source of Certificate. So I believe it is up to applicant to decide which PCC they want to use. PCC from passport office is easy and procedure is similar to applying for a Passport. 

I decided to apply for PCC at local Police Office for ease of process and cost involved. But later I found out that it was not so easy. There are two kinds of PCC one with Photo and other without Photo. The cost difference between two is Rs 300. Certificate with Photo costs 500 Rs while other was for 200 Rs. District's Police Office or SP- Office issues PCC certificates.

I did not knew that a file has to be prepared with many documents in it. I approached to Agent to help me to prepare the file. Here are the documents list.

i) Application Form (Sample is attached)

ii) Affidavit on Rs. 10 stamp paper mentioning Address, Passport Details, DOB, character and country of visit

iii) Two Address proofs duly attested by Notary

iv) OCF (Online Challan form) for payment proof. Payment to be submitted at State Bank of India, Branch

Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) Sample Form

Affidavit and OCF cost me Rs 200. Agents in complex overcharged me for two documents. This kid of loot happens when procedures are not clearly mentioned.

I submitted the form, same day after payment. Officer told me to wait till an inquiry team from Concerned office will contact me for verification.

An Officer from Local Police Station called me for verification. They need two neighbors for address verification. My neighbors helped me out in this situation. Officer completed file and sent back to Security Branch office.

Security Branch issued me Certificate in next morning. Whole process tool 5 working days to complete.

Authorization of PCC for International Visa Process

Authorization means stamping of PCC by relevant authorities to get it accepted by International Agencies like Embassies or InterPol. The first process is to get a forwarding letter by district SDM. Here are the steps.

i) Application Request to SDM office for Forwarding Letter

ii) Initial Check by Dealing Clerk.

iii) Re Authentication from Issuing Department (Security Branch of SP Office)

iv) Stamping and Signature by SDM

It is a two day process. SDM office will issue a letter to Home Department to validate the Certificate. 

In my case it was Haryana Secretariat office in Chandigarh. It is better to reach early to Secretariat. If everything goes fine, officers are available, document can be authenticate the same day. "Under Secretary to Home Department" is given responsibility to sign the documents.

Last process is, authorization from MEA. Details of process are given at below mentioned link.

http://www.mea.gov.in/legalization-of-documents.htm

For any questions or issues, please feel free to comment. I hope the blog is helpful to peoples.