UAE Visa & Immigration Guides: Residence, Golden, Green & Tourist Visas
UAE immigration runs through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP) and the u.ae portal — residence visas, Emirates ID, and status changes in one system.
Most people enter the UAE on a tourist visa or visa-on-arrival, then convert to a residence visa sponsored by an employer, family member, university, or their own business. Residence visas are tied to an Emirates ID and medical fitness test, and the long-term Golden Visa and 5-year Green Visa reward investors, skilled professionals, and freelancers. You can often change visa status without leaving the country. Our guides cover each visa type, sponsorship rules, renewals, cancellation and grace periods, overstay fines, and the documents you need at every step.
All Immigration Guides (UAE)
13 guides
An employment residence visa is sponsored by your employer. The steps follow a fixed order. First you get a job offer. Then your employer gets a MOHRE work permit and an entry permit. Next you take a medical fitness test and give your Emirates ID biometrics. Last, your residence permit is issued. The standard visa is valid for 2 years. You can renew it. Your employer handles most steps. You cannot sponsor yourself on this route.
7 steps · 1–3 weeks (end to end) · Employer-paid; ICP residence fees AED 420 (2-year visa)2026-Latest
The Golden Visa is a long-term residence visa. You can renew it. ICP's Golden Residency guide sets the term at 10 years. You do not need a sponsor. You can stay outside the UAE for more than 6 months without losing your residency. You can also sponsor your family. There are five main routes. Investors (AED 2M+) can apply. Entrepreneurs can apply. People with exceptional talent and specialised professionals can apply. Outstanding students can apply. Humanitarian pioneers and frontline heroes can apply too.
6 steps · Varies by category — confirm current processing times with ICP/GDRFA · From ~AED 1,200 (10-year residence issuance) + category fees2026-Latest
If you live in the UAE, you can sponsor your family to live with you. You can sponsor your spouse. You can sponsor unmarried daughters. You can sponsor sons under 25. You can also sponsor children with special needs. You must earn at least AED 4,000 per month. Or you must earn at least AED 3,000 per month plus accommodation. Each family member needs four things. They need an entry permit. They need a medical fitness test if they are 18 or older. They need an Emirates ID. And they need a residence permit. The permit is linked to your visa, so it ends when your visa ends. Parents follow different rules. They get a 1-year residence visa you can renew. The salary bar is higher, both parents are normally sponsored together, and each parent needs medical insurance.
10 steps · 1–3 weeks per dependent · From ~AED 320 per dependent (ICP) + Emirates ID + medical (parents: refundable deposit may apply)2026-Latest
Most visitors need a tourist visa. Some nationalities get visa on arrival instead, so check first. You can apply online through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) or Dubai GDRFA. You can also apply through a UAE-based airline, a licensed travel agency, or a hotel. You can choose 30, 60, and 90-day stays. Each stay can be single entry or multiple entry. There is also a 5-year multiple-entry visa that you sponsor yourself. UAE embassies do not issue tourist visas.
7 steps · ~2–5 working days · Varies by type & channel (confirm current fee in portal)2026-Latest
The Green Visa is a 5-year residence visa. You can renew it. You do not need a sponsor. You can sponsor your family members. This includes your spouse and children. Three groups of people can apply. Skilled workers can apply. Freelancers and self-employed people can apply. Investors and business partners can apply too. Each group must pass its own test. The test checks your permit and your income or investment. All applicants take the same steps. You take a medical test. You get an Emirates ID. Then your residence is issued.
7 steps · 1–3 weeks (end to end) · Varies — confirm on ICP (residence issuance per ICP fee list: AED 100 application + AED 100/year + AED 100 smart services)2026-Latest
With a virtual work visa, you can live in the UAE and work for a company outside the UAE. u.ae sets the main conditions. You must prove that your work is outside the UAE. You need a salary certificate that shows at least USD 3,500 per month. You can also show the same amount in another currency. You also need health insurance and a medical fitness test. The visa is valid for 1 year. You can renew it. Apply to ICP. If you will live in Dubai, apply to GDRFA Dubai instead.
7 steps · 1–3 weeks (end to end) · Varies — confirm on ICP/GDRFA (plus medical, Emirates ID, and insurance)2026-Latest
You can extend most visit and tourist visas from inside the UAE. You do not need to leave the country. Extensions can be repeated up to a total-stay cap. Your sponsor must apply for the extension. For a tourist visa, the sponsor is the travel agency or airline. For a family visit visa, the sponsor is your family member. Apply through ICP if your visa was issued outside Dubai. Apply through GDRFA Dubai if your visa was issued in Dubai. Always apply before your current visa expires. After it expires, overstay fines of AED 50/day apply.
6 steps · Varies (typically days) · ICP: AED 100 application + AED 500 extension per 30-day extension; GDRFA Dubai: AED 600 + 5% VAT (+ inside-country charges where applicable) — confirm in portal2026-Latest
You can check the status of a UAE visa, entry permit, or residence file online, including a UAE visit visa. It takes a few minutes. Use ICP Smart Services, on the website or in the app, for visas issued outside Dubai. Use GDRFA Dubai for visas issued in Dubai — a GDRFA visa status check for Dubai visa status. You need your passport number. It also helps to have your file (unified) number or your Emirates ID. The result shows your visa type and your sponsor. It shows the issue date and the expiry date. It also shows if your file is valid, expired, cancelled, or still under process.
5 steps · Minutes · Free (online status enquiry)2026-Latest
The UAE uses one standard overstay fine. It is AED 50 per day. It applies to visit, tourist, and residence visas, per u.ae. The fine starts the day after your permitted stay ends. This is the day after your visa expires. Or it is the day after any grace period for your visa type ends. Check your exact fine on ICP or GDRFA. You can pay online. You can pay at a typing centre or an Amer centre. Or you can pay at the airport. Keep your receipt. Paying the fine does not extend your stay. After you pay, you must leave the UAE or change your status.
5 steps · Same day · AED 50/day overstay fine (u.ae) + any status-change or exit fees2026-Latest
Retired foreigners can apply for a 5-year residence visa. Per u.ae, you must meet two conditions first. You must have worked for at least 15 years, inside or outside the UAE. And you must be at least 55 when you retire. You must also meet one of two money conditions. The first condition has two parts. You own property worth at least AED 1 million. And you have savings of at least AED 1 million. The second condition is income. You have an annual income of at least AED 180,000. Do you want to apply from Dubai? Then your annual fixed income must be at least AED 240,000.
7 steps · 1–3 weeks (end to end) · Varies — confirm on ICP (residence issuance per ICP fee list + medical + Emirates ID + insurance)2026-Latest
Parents from other countries must finish their newborn's paperwork within 120 days of birth. There are four steps. Register the birth and get a birth certificate. Get the baby's passport from your embassy or consulate. Apply for an Emirates ID. And get a residence visa, sponsored by a parent who lives in the UAE. Start with the birth notification from the hospital. If you miss the 120-day deadline, daily fines apply. Check the current fine rate with ICP or GDRFA.
6 steps · Within 120 days of birth · Varies by emirate/authority — confirm (birth certificate + passport + residence + Emirates ID fees)2026-Latest
Are you already inside the UAE? Have you received a new visa? For example, you may be moving from a visit visa to a residence visa for work, a Green Visa, study, or family. In most cases, you do not need to leave the country. Instead, you send a Change of Status request from inside the UAE. Changing your visa status in the UAE this way is done online through ICP Smart Services, or through GDRFA Dubai for a Dubai visa status change. The fee is AED 500 through ICP. GDRFA Dubai lists AED 500 plus Knowledge and Innovation dirham charges. Check the exact total in the portal. You must get the new visa first. If needed, you must also cancel your previous residence permit first.
6 steps · Varies — often within days · AED 500 status adjustment (ICP) + new visa/residence fees2026-Latest
When you leave the UAE for good, your residence visa must be cancelled officially. In most cases, only your sponsor can cancel it. First, your employer cancels your work permit with MOHRE. Then your sponsor applies to ICP to cancel the visa. After cancellation, you get a grace period. You must leave, or change your status, before it ends. The grace period is 180, 90, 60, or 30 days. It depends on your residence category. If you stay past your grace period, you pay AED 50 per day.
6 steps · Same day to a few days · Varies — confirm fees in ICP Smart Services2026-Latest
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions and essential rules for immigration in United Arab Emirates.
What is the difference between a UAE residence visa and an Emirates ID?
A residence visa is your permission to live in the UAE; the Emirates ID is the physical identity card every resident must hold. You apply for the ID as part of the residence process, and you need it for banking, tenancy contracts, healthcare, and government services.
Can I change my UAE visa status without leaving the country?
Yes, in most cases. A status change (often called a change of status) lets you move from a tourist visa to a residence visa, or between residence sponsors, without an exit trip. Fees vary by visa type. Confirm the current fee on the ICP portal.
What happens if I overstay my UAE visa?
Overstay fines accrue daily (AED 50 per day for most visit/residence cases) plus service fees. Pay fines through ICP or Amer channels before you exit or renew, or the fine will block your next transaction.
How long is the grace period after a UAE residence visa is cancelled?
The grace period is tiered by category: up to 180, 90, 60, or 30 days depending on the visa type, not a blanket six months. Check your category on the ICP portal and leave or renew before it expires.
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