UAE visa cancellation: how to cancel a residence visa

Who cancels a UAE residence visa

Normally only the sponsor can cancel a residence visa, and you can't apply on your own, says the UAE government portal. Your visa type decides the route.

GDRFA Dubai handles Dubai residence; ICP covers the other emirates. For a full company closure, see how to cancel a trade license. Keeping the visa? See residence visa renewal.

Cancelling an employee's visa, step by step

• 1. Settle fines and dues. MOHRE asks the employer to pay any late issue or non-renewal fines on the work permit and confirm the worker's dues are settled. Wages and gratuity are due within 14 days of the contract ending.
• 2. Deal with dependants. Cancel their visas first, or put them on hold.
• 3. Cancel the work permit with MOHRE. The employee signs, agreeing to the cancellation and confirming receipt of their dues.
• 4. Cancel the residence. GDRFA Dubai asks for MOHRE's cancellation extract for private-sector staff. Elsewhere, apply to ICP online or through an ICP-registered typing centre.
• 5. Note the dates. The Emirates ID is cancelled with the residence, and the grace period starts.

Free zone staff skip MOHRE: employers apply for their work permits and residence visas through the free zone authority, so the zone usually handles cancellation too. See our UAE labour card guide.

Family visas linked to the sponsor

A resident who sponsors a spouse, children or other dependants must cancel their visas before their own, according to the UAE government portal. ICP also allows family permits to be put on hold for a limited period, for a fee.

If the sponsor is moving to a new employer, the family's permits can stay for an AED 5,000 deposit plus an AED 20 fee, as ICP lists them; ICP doesn't say whether the deposit is returned. Conditions: the move is approved, salary and occupation rules are met, the sponsor's residence is valid or in its grace period, and the family's permits have at least three months left.

Fees and processing times

The grace period, inside or outside the UAE

Once your residence is cancelled while you're in the UAE, a grace period starts to leave or arrange a new residence. ICP sets it by category:

GDRFA Dubai's cancellation page states 60 days, and free zones state their own: JAFZA's guide gives its employees 30 days to leave or apply for a new visa. Check your status after cancellation and note the last day; our visa status guide shows where. After that, ICP charges AED 50 a day.

Already abroad? MOHRE has a cancellation type for a worker outside the country and doesn't need their signature; JAFZA's free zone guide asks for the original passport. Separately, a residence is nullified after more than 180 days outside the UAE in a row, with some exceptions.

Common mistakes that cause fines or delays

• Residence before MOHRE. GDRFA Dubai needs MOHRE's cancellation first for private-sector staff.
• Dependants left on the file. Cancel or hold family permits before the sponsor's residence.
• Signing before you're paid. The MOHRE form confirms you've received your dues, so check your settlement first.
• Absconding reports. An employer can report an employee absent for more than seven days inside the UAE who can't be reached; once MOHRE approves it, the work permit is cancelled. Either side can apply to cancel a report, free.

Global Sky PRO prepares and submits MOHRE, GDRFA Dubai, ICP and free zone cancellations and tells you when your grace period starts; the authorities decide each application. We're not a law firm: for a disputed report, see labour complaint support or a lawyer. Ask about our employment visa services.