Relocation news digest - October 5, 2024

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe: authorities relaunch the e-visa programme

Zimbabwe has reinstated its electronic visa programme for travellers entering the country for business and tourism.

Eligible travellers can apply for and pay for an e-visa online no later than 72 hours before their trip to Zimbabwe.

🇳🇴 Norway: authorities weigh building a fence along the Russian border

The fence could run along the entire border or cover only part of it.

The border between Norway and Russia stretches for 198 kilometres in total.

🇷🇺 Russia: Binance still serves some Russian users

"We continue to serve a limited number of existing Russian users to ensure the safety and security of their digital assets," a Binance representative said.

The world's largest crypto exchange announced its exit from Russia late last September.

🇷🇺 Russia: OTP Bank begins rejecting euro payments to the EU

OTP Bank has started returning some euro payments sent by Russian clients to the European Union.

The transfers are being declined by the parent bank in Hungary, which acts as the correspondent bank for euro payments.

🇺🇸 United States: registration for the FY2026 visa lottery opens on 2 October

From Wednesday, 2 October 2024 through Tuesday, 5 November 2024, applicants can register for the diversity visa lottery on the official State Department website.

🇹🇷 Turkey: a new tech-visa programme to attract talented professionals worldwide

Great news for Turkey enthusiasts. The country has launched the Türkiye Tech Visa programme, designed to attract professionals with critical technological skills and experience in innovative business models, in order to further strengthen the country's tech ecosystem.

The Türkiye Tech Visa grants participants a three-year work permit, allowing them to live and work in Turkey with minimal administrative hurdles.

Minister Kacir stressed that the Türkiye Tech Visa is another step in the country's drive to establish itself as a leader in global technology.

Murblz assists clients in obtaining the Türkiye Tech Visa.

🇨🇳 China: banks scale back work with sellers on Russian marketplaces

China's share of settlements for sellers on Russian marketplaces has fallen to 51.1%. The reason is that Chinese banks have lengthened their review times for payments from Russia, wary of secondary sanctions.

Cross-border settlements for buying everyday goods in China - clothing and food - have recently become difficult to process.

🇦🇪 UAE: online services of the pension authority temporarily suspended

The online system of the General Pension and Social Security Authority (GPSSA) will be temporarily suspended from 15 October 2024 until further notice, as part of the transition to a new online platform called Ma'ashi.

The new Ma'ashi platform will streamline employer access to GPSSA services, provide regular notifications and updates, offer a centralised FAQ page, and allow real-time tracking of GPSSA service and support requests.

🇷🇴 Romania: visa-free travel to the US for its citizens

An announcement on visa-free travel to the United States for Romanian citizens is expected on 15 October.

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced that Romania's US visa refusal rate has dropped to 3%.

🇹🇭 Thailand: new rules for obtaining work permits

The Board of Investment (BOI) now exempts foreign nationals holding the positions of president, chief executive officer, chairman of the board or managing director from the age and work-experience requirements previously imposed for work permits at BOI-approved companies.

In addition, new requirements have been introduced for engineers and digital-technology specialists, including higher minimum salary thresholds and stricter education and experience requirements.

🇫🇮 Finland: authorities tighten citizenship rules

Obtaining Finnish citizenship now requires eight years of residence in the country, up from the previous five. The aim of the change is to underline the importance of successful integration into society.

The old law still applies to those who managed to submit their application before 1 October 2024.

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia: changes to business registration rules

Under new rules to be introduced in the coming months, companies in Saudi Arabia will be able to register their branches under a single registration, doing away with the current practice of separate registration by city and region.

Companies will also be required to confirm their registration details electronically each year.

🇲🇽 Mexico: authorities restrict short-term rentals for tourists

In Mexico City, authorities are restricting property rentals through online platforms such as Airbnb in an effort to curb rising housing prices.

The new reform will prohibit landlords from renting out their property for more than 50% of the days in a year.

🇦🇪 UAE: higher fines for circumventing Emiratisation requirements

The fine has risen to 8,000 dirhams per month and will increase by 1,000 dirhams each year.

What has changed by autumn 2026

Since this issue was published, several items have had important follow-ups. Below is where things stand in autumn 2026.

USA: the green card lottery is on hold

Registration for the 2026 lottery took place, but the next one, for 2027, never opened. In December 2025 the programme was suspended: processing of winners' applications inside the US stopped, and on 23 December the State Department stopped issuing lottery visas. On 28 August 2026 a court lifted the suspension for 2026 winners, but their visas could only be issued until 30 September 2026. Dates for the next registration have not been announced.

Finland: citizenship after 8 years

The tightening has taken effect: for applications filed from 1 October 2024 the general residence period for Finnish citizenship is 8 years instead of 5. Earlier applications are decided under the old rules.

Romania: visa-free travel to the US did not start

Romania's inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Program was due to start around 31 March 2025, but the US paused it indefinitely pending a new review. Romanian citizens still need a visa to travel to the US.

What we do

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