This information is to prepare you for what to expect when travelling to the UAE. Additional information can be found in the Central Services Contract Schedule or by contacting the Personnel Officer at DWC.
Inoculations
It is recommended that all persons travelling to the Gulf region obtain appropriate immunization. You should contact your local health authorities to find out what is currently recommended. This should be done well in advance as some inoculations require treatments administered over a number of weeks. You may also wish to have a medical examination in your country. These costs will not be paid by HCT.
Arrival Dates
Travel for all staff will be arranged so that they arrive on or about the second Saturday in August. Please note that, according to your Contract Schedule (Section 6.0 Temporary Accommodation & Meal Allowance) you may be given up to a maximum of six days stay at a hotel, arranged by HCT, on your arrival in the UAE. After that date you will be expected to occupy your accommodation and HCT will not pay any other expenses unless, of course, your accommodation is not available.
PTA and Airlines
A Pre-Paid Ticket Advance (PTA) will be completed by our travel agent. Once the PTA is completed you will be notified of flight information by telephone or fax. In the US the carrier normally couriers the ticket directly to you. If you have not received your ticket within six days of our notification, please contact the airline; if there are any problems, contact the Personnel Officer at DWC. A copy of your visa will also be sent to the airline to permit you to board the aircraft. The PTA will be issued once the visa(s) for you and your dependents have been issued. We will do our best to comply with all of your requests. If we have problems filling your exact request we will book the closest available flight to your agreed start date.
Pets
If you are planning to bring a pet, note that cats, dogs and birds must be accompanied by good health certificates from a veterinarian. There is no quarantine period for pets brought into the UAE. Consult your airline to determine travel arrangements. THE HOTEL YOU ARE IN UPON ARRIVAL WILL NOT ALLOW PETS, so your pet will need to be placed in someone else’s care while you are housed in a hotel for the first six nights of your stay. You may contact Pauline at Dubai Kennels and Cattery (tel: 9714-2851646) to arrange for the pet to be picked up on arrival and boarded. Pauline comes highly recommended by a DWC faculty member and she is sure to take good care of your pet.
Hotels While Travelling
Where there are connecting flights, neither HCT nor the airline will pay overnight accommodation. If a suitable connecting flight is not available, we will let you know what arrangements the airline has for free overnight accommodation.
Missed Flights/Changes
A college representative will be waiting for you at the airport with your visa to enter the country and to assist you in getting to the hotel. If for any reason you have missed your flights, please be certain that you contact HCT to advise of the change. If you make any change to the airline ticket that incurs extra cost you will be responsible for the extra charge.
Baggage Allowance and Airfreight Shipment
The normal airline baggage allotment should be sufficient to bring all the personal possessions you will need for your stay in the Emirates, as you are provided with funds for furniture. You need not bring any household items with you – these are readily available (the UAE electrical supply is 240v 50 cycle). Many staff members wish to bring some PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL materials with them. For this reason, the HCT PAYS YOU A SHIPPING ALLOWANCE at the time of hire. Correspondence costs, costs of documentation, phone and fax charges, meals and taxis in transit etc, are not reimbursable.
Formalities on Arrival
Most flights arrive between 2300–0400 hours. When you land you will be brought from the plane to the terminal. As this is your final destination you will move directly into the main receiving area. You must obtain your entry visa here. When you have collected your visa you may go through passport control. After this, show your passport and visa again to an Immigration Officer who will then allow you to go on to collect your luggage and pass through Customs. Do not surrender your visa. There is the possibility that if you bring books or videos they will need to be evaluated by the customs officer. Any videos, CD-Rom discs, etc., that are withheld will be taken to the Ministry of Information to be censored. NOTE: This does not happen very often now. We will provide information to you on how to pick them up afterwards. As you leave Customs, look for a placard "Higher Colleges of Technology" – we will be there to greet you and take you to your hotel.
Documentation
The following morning you will at your Hotel meet with the Personnel Officer(s), to sign your contract and complete other in-processing formalities. You will receive your Meal Allowance usually on arrival and Furniture and Shipping Allowance cheque the next day. At this time, you must hand over the following documentation:
1 Valid passport for each person
2 Original Entry Permit of employee (which you will receive on arrival)
3 Notarised marriage certificate
4 Notarised birth certificates for each child
This page was last updated by Leigh Butler on February 20, 2008