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UAE: Home away from home for Italians

The Consulate helps Italians settle in the UAE with essential information and connections, besides providing traditional services

In the last few decades, Dubai has rapidly grown to become a major metropolis in the Middle East. The Italian institutions have followed suit, including a consular agency that opened in 1997, to look after a little more than 500 Italian residents back then, which later upgraded to Consulate General at the end of 2008. Now, the Consulate General of Italy in Dubai is headed by a career diplomat, has a staff of 14, and presides over a fast growing community of more than 8,000 Italian permanent residents.
It is a young and enthusiastic community, ready to seize opportunities and reap rewards from working in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, with over 300 pilots, hundreds of flight assistants, hospitality specialists, restaurant managers, consultants, finance operators and bankers, promoters of luxury brands, oil and gas engineers, architects and interior designers. They exchange information and advice on social network groups (Dubaitaly, Italian Community in Dubai, Do By Italy, Made in Italy Dubai, I Mums Dubai, Dubaimania, Dubaiblog, to name a few). They also open the doors for newcomers who want to escape the stagnant economic situation in Europe and are attracted by the enthusiastic stories of Dubai.
The consulate is more than a provider of traditional services. Of course, it provides passports (in most cases while you wait; it delivered 80 per cent more than 2012 in total), registers births, marries people (80 times to date in 2015), and provides information to make living in the UAE easier for Italian nationals.
The most frequently asked questions are on local customs and regulations, how to get a job in Dubai, or where to find lawyers, doctors and business consultants. We also help Italians in distress, whether they are residents or tourists passing through Dubai's busy hotels and airports. Through its trade promotion section, in close cooperation with the embassy in Abu Dhabi, the consulate facilitates and promotes economic and trade relations with the UAE, focusing on the needs of small and medium enterprises, their associations and partnerships. The Italian Trade Agency assists Italian firms with international processes and promotes the marketing of Italian goods and services, supporting the image of "Made in Italy" and its access to the UAE market, facilitating its participation to the numerous trade fairs held in Dubai.
Many local residents come to know about the consulate as we provide visas for those wishing to travel to Italy, which we strongly encourage. While the rules governing Schengen visas remain the same for all countries participating in the agreement, we believe that information should be clear, communication with operators should be easy and appointments to apply should be given within a short time frame.
We provide appointments within three working days at any time of the year and this has already paid off. By the end of 2015, the Consulate General will have handled 45,000 applications, up from a little over 10,000 in 2011, which is an increase of 350 per cent. This was made possible through a dedicated visa agency CKGS, located in 48 Burj Gate, open every day from 8am to 8pm.
The consulate is also involved in everything that has to do with Italy in the Northern Emirates such as trade fairs, sporting and cultural events, business initiatives, etc. and shares that information through its widely followed Facebook page, Consolatodubai. It is the place to go to learn about concerts, food-related events, painting exhibitions and anything relevant to Italy in Dubai.
The consulate is now busy with the next steps to bring Italy and the UAE even closer - with the promotion of Italian language with the ultimate goal of creating an Italian school; and to reunite all Italian institutions in the Northern Emirates under one roof at a prime location. The consulate, visa agency, chamber of commerce, and business council are planning to move in together, along with several lawyers, business consultants and private businesses in Downtown Dubai. It will be a small Italian district under the name of Burj Italia and a one-stop shop for everybody interested in doing business with Italy.
Giovanni Favilli is the Consul General of Italy in Dubai and Northern Emirates.