Dubai Visa cancellation Charges 2024: Employment Visa Cancellation in UAE

If you are planning to leave the UAE, do not forget to cancel your UAE Visa in advance. It is important to consider the Dubai visa cancellation fee so you can go on with the process without any trouble.

In the UAE, the cancellation fee for an employment visa usually varies from AED 100 to AED 200. Please be aware that these figures could fluctuate, so for the most recent information, you should check with the appropriate authorities or the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai.

In this article, you are going to learn more about how to cancel your UAE visa and how much it will cost. Moreover, you will know the residence visa cancellation fee in Dubai. Let us observe:

1. See what you need to cancel your Dubai Visa
2. Get to know the process to cancel your Dubai Visa
3. Understanding how to cancel each type of visa
4. What is the Dubai visa cancellation fee?
5. Checking your visa cancellation status
6. Avoid automatic cancellation of your Dubai Visa
7. What about the grace periods for visa cancellation?
8. What can you do if you want to stay more in the UAE?

1. See what you need to cancel your Dubai Visa

Cancelling your UAE visa is very simple. However, the person in charge of cancelling the visa may vary depending on the type you hold.

Nevertheless, it is important to know the Dubai visa cancellation fee so you can prepare your budget.

As long as the visa holder is not legally bound to stay in the country, the cancellation process is pretty straightforward. But, before proceeding with the visa cancellation process, there are some things you have to do first:

• Pay all your utility bills and debts.
• Cancel your tenancy contracts.
• Sell your assets.

Once you have done this, make sure to submit your visa cancellation letter to your employer. This is in case you are on an employment visa. You have to do this because this way your employer proceeds with the visa cancellation and final settlement.

This is important because individuals under an employment visa cannot cancel their visa by themselves. The employer is in charge of cancelling their visa on their behalf.

But, if you hold an investor visa or a self-sponsored visa in the UAE, you can cancel the visa by yourself.

1.1 Gather the documentation to cancel your visa

The following documents are required for cancelling your UAE visa:

• Copy of your passport and Emirates ID.
• Copy of your sponsor’s passport.
• Clearance statement of all financial liabilities.
• Copy of entry permit.

2. Get to know the process to cancel your Dubai Visa

The process to cancel your visa is very simple. And, the best part is that you have several methods to do it. So, if you are in Dubai you have to consider the Dubai visa cancellation fee.

You can cancel your visa through any of the following ways:

2.1 Visit the ICP website or download the ICP App

You can visit the ICA Smart Services website or download the App to proceed with the visa cancellation.

By entering the ICP website you have to follow the next steps:

1. Go to the ICP portal.
2. Click on “Services.”
3. Scroll down to see “Cancel Residency Permit” and click on “start service.”
4. Fill in the data required.
5. Pay the service fee.

Similarly, you can follow the same process by downloading the ICP App on your smartphone.

2.2 Go to the GDRFA website to cancel your visa

For those that have got their Dubai UAE Visa Stamp, they can cancel their visa through the GDRFA website:

1. Go to the GDRFA portal.
2. Click on “Services.”
3. Select the option of “Residency Services.”
4. Click on “Cancellation of Residency Visa.”
5. Log in to your user or register if you do not have an account.
6. Fill out the application form.
7. Attach the documentation required.
8. Pay the service fees.
9. Submit your application.

You can also follow the same process by downloading the GDRFA App to your mobile.

2.3 Visit an AMER Center to cancel your UAE Visa

If you do not want to cancel your visa online, you can visit any of the AMER service centres. This process is the one you have to follow to cancel the family visa of your dependents:

1. Go to an AMER Service Center.
2. Ask the receptionist for the visa cancellation service.
3. Submit the documentation.
4. Pay the service fees.
5. Submit the application.

2.4 Cancel your visa through a Typing Center

Lastly, you can also cancel your visa by going to any of the typing centres in Dubai and following the next process:

1. Visit a Typing centre.
2. Get a ticket and wait for your turn.
3. Request the service.
4. Submit all the documentation.
5. Pay the service fee.

3. Understanding how to cancel each type of visa

As we mentioned before, the process to cancel your visa will vary depending on the type of visa you hold. So, in this regard, you should know how to proceed with the cancellation depending on your unique case.

3.1 How to cancel an employment visa?

If you have arrived in the UAE under an employment visa, your employer is in charge of cancelling your residency and your labour card.

In this regard, your employer is the one that has to pay the visa cancellation fee in Dubai. So, your employer has to go through the following:

1. Print the application at a Tasheel or Amer Center, or online.
2. Sign the application as your sponsor.
3. Get your documentation to initiate the process.
4. Submit the application.

3.2 See how to cancel a family visa

If you bring your family with you, they need to have a family visa to be able to reside in the UAE. Generally, their visa duration is the same as yours. So, if you are going to exit the UAE, you have to cancel your visa and cancel theirs too.

You can go to a typing centre or an AMER centre to cancel it. In this regard, you have to take the following documentation with you:

• Your original passport and your dependent’s original passport.
• Original Emirates ID.
• Filled out application.

4. What is the Dubai visa cancellation fee?

How much visa cancellation fee in Dubai? This is a common question that many UAE residents ask themselves.

However, the Dubai visa cancellation fee varies depending on the type of visa and the channel you use to cancel it.

So, here we have the most common fees for each visa type:

• Family visa cancellation fee in Dubai: AED 200-250.
• Employment visa cancellation fee in Dubai: AED 100-200.
• Tourist visa cancellation fee: AED 150-200.

In terms of the channel you use to cancel your visa, here we have the fees:

• ICP Website: order fee 50 AED + E-Services fee AED 10. You can only pay using your credit card
• GDRFA Website: Urgent service fee of 100 AED. Innovation fee AED 10. In case of submission through ZAJEL Courier Center you have to pay a printing fee of AED 100.

5. Checking your visa cancellation status

Once you have paid the Dubai visa cancellation fee and submitted your application, you have to wait until your visa gets cancelled. Usually, the cancellation may take up to 48 hours.

However, if by any chance there is a document missing, you have to submit it within 30 days or your application will get cancelled.

And, just as you can check the validity of your UAE Visa, you can also check the status of your cancellation.

So, if you want to check to confirm that your visa has been cancelled, or if you are outside the UAE and you have not properly cancelled your visa and you would like to check if it is cancelled or not, you can follow the next steps:

1. Go to the ICP website.
2. Click on the tab “passport information.”
3. Choose Visa or Residency.
4. Provide your passport number.
5. Enter the passport expiry date.
6. Choose your nationality and click on “search.”

After that, you will see all the details of your visa expiration and status, including if it has been cancelled or not.

6. Avoid automatic cancellation of your Dubai Visa

Regardless of the reason why you are planning to leave the UAE, it is mandatory to cancel your visa before you go. In this regard, the Dubai visa cancellation fee is not so expensive, so there is no excuse for leaving without cancelling your visa.

Additionally, if you exit the UAE and stay outside for more than consecutive 6 months, this will cancel your visa automatically. What is more, if you do not enter before those 6 months, you cannot enter later using the same visa.

And, the worst part is that you can face a travel ban. This means that you may not be able to apply for a new visa or enter the UAE again.

So, if you are under an employment visa and you leave the country without requesting visa cancellation, your employer may report you as an absconding person and that will lead to a ban.

Therefore, it is best to cancel your visa so you avoid this type of issue. And, this way, you can apply for a new visa in the future.

7. What about the grace periods for visa cancellation?

Although you have to cancel your visa as soon as possible, you do not have to worry because you get a grace period. This grace period is an established time you are allowed to stay in the UAE once your visa has expired so you can pay your debts, and settle everything before leaving.

Similarly, once you cancel your visa, you also get a grace period so you can arrange your flight and other aspects. But, you have to be careful with the grace period after visa cancellation, because you may end up incurring overstaying if you are not aware.

This is why it is advisable to know exactly the date up to when you are allowed to stay in the UAE.

So, once you pay the Dubai visa cancellation fee, you have to plan your next steps so you do not have to end up paying an overstay fine in UAE.

If you are unsure about the grace period for your type of visa, here we have the different categories:

7.1 180-day grace period

Holders of the following types of visa get 6 months in the UAE after the visa cancellation:

• Golden visa and their dependents.
• Widows or divorcees.
• Green visa and their dependents.
• Individuals under a student visa and have completed their studies.

7.2 90-day grace period

Holders of a Property Visa can get a grace period of 90 days.

7.3 10-day grace period

Individuals under these two types of visit visas can get a 10-day grace period to arrange their flight back:

• Visa on arrival.
• Prepaid visit visa.

8. What can you do if you want to stay more in the UAE?

Even once you have applied for a visa cancellation, whether of your freelance visa, family visa, or any other, you can take further steps to continue staying in the UAE.

You have several options available during your grace period, such as the following:

• Fly to a nearby country: you can fly out and apply for a new UAE visit visa or tourist visa, or any other type that you would like.
• Airport-to-airport visa change: you can travel to another country and get a new tourist visa and fly back to the UAE. This can allow you to extend your stay in the UAE.
• Apply for a new visa: if you are eligible, you can apply for any of the visa schemes in the UAE, such as a property visa, job seeker visa, or any other. Make sure to review the terms and conditions so you can determine if you can apply for any of the visas.

If you want to learn more about how to succeed in the UAE, you need to visit our blog. We have several pieces of information such as how to get your UAE remote work visa or how to replace your lost or damaged Emirates ID.