DUBAI: Actor Sanjay Dutt has become the first Indian mainstream actor to have received the UAE long-term residence visas called golden visa.

Dutt today tweeted about it, he said, "Honoured to have received a golden visa for the UAE in the presence of Major General Mohamed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of @GDRFADUBAI. Thanking him along with the  @uaegov for the honour. Also grateful to Mr. Hamad Obaidalla, COO of @flydubai for his support."

The UAE government had in 2019 implemented a new system for long-term residence visas, enabling foreigners to live, work and study in the UAE without the need of a national sponsor. These Golden Visas are issued for 5 or 10 years and are renewed automatically.

The visas' issued by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRF) Dubai, and specific category of professions that can apply for the 10-year Golden Visa, namley those with PhD degree from one of the top 500 universities in the world, doctors, engineers,Highly qualified individuals, Researchers/Scientists, Inventors and Artists

Professionals who can obtain a 5-year visa include entrepreneurs, and students with a minimum grade of 95 per cent in public and private secondary schools university students.

On the work front, Sanjay Dutt will next be seen in upcoming films like Bhuj: The Pride Of India, KGF: Chapter 2, Prithviraj and Shamshera.