General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs - Dubai

UAE Pass binds to a SIM. If the SIM is no longer active (let lapse during a long trip), reactivate at Etisalat or du, or move to an eSIM on the same number. Then retry UAE Pass.

AED 4,000 minimum for spouse and children (AED 3,000 + employer-provided accommodation); AED 20,000 for parents. Confirm the salary certificate matches the format GDRFA accepts; some HR letters fail.

Dubai free-zone visas (DMCC, JAFZA, DIFC, Meydan, IFZA, Dubai South) start in the zone's own portal. After zone approval the application flows to GDRFA automatically.

Always ask for itemised: government fee, Amer service fee, 5% VAT, medical fitness, biometrics, delivery. Service fees vary by centre and case; some centres bundle medical and insurance into a higher single charge.

GDRFA usually allows only one in-country extension. For longer planned stays, the 5-year multi-entry tourist visa (~AED 1,100) is the proper path; multiple back-to-back 30-day visas trigger refusal.

From Feb 2026, 50% upfront requirement is removed; mortgaged property qualifies. If stuck, confirm: title deed in name, no encumbrances, full DLD registration with Ejari. Amer Karama or DIFC centre staff can pre-check the file before re-submission.

Both are immigration authorities. ICP is the federal authority and handles residency in every emirate except Dubai. GDRFA is the Dubai-specific authority and handles every Dubai-issued residence visa from start to finish. The Emirates ID itself is always issued by ICP federally even on a Dubai file, but the visa application channel is fully separate.

Yes, the platform is free; you pay only the government fee for the service itself (entry permit, residence visa stamping, status change, fines). The hotline 800 5111 is toll-free inside the UAE. Amer centre service fees are separate and apply only if you choose to submit through Amer instead of the app.

Three to seven working days for a clean online renewal where biometrics are not required and insurance is already linked. Add a couple of days for a fresh medical fitness test, and another day or two for biometrics if the existing record is stale. Fawri express services compress the Emirates ID delivery to the same day for an extra AED 150.

More than 30 Amer centres across Dubai including Al Barsha, Business Bay, Karama, JLT, Discovery Gardens, Mirdif City Centre, Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai South, Al Tawar and many other neighbourhoods. The Amer app and amer.gdrfad.gov.ae list every centre with current opening hours; most run 8am to 8pm Saturday to Thursday, shorter on Fridays.

Yes, for property, investor and skilled-professional categories where the file is Dubai-issued. Open the GDRFA Dubai app's Golden Visa section, upload the property deed, salary certificate, degree certificate or other supporting documents, pay the application fee, and processing is typically 5 to 10 working days for in-country applications. Real-estate applicants since February 2026 no longer need to prove 50% upfront payment; the AED 2 million property value alone qualifies.

The Status Inquiry endpoint at smart.gdrfad.gov.ae/Public_Th/StatusInquiry_New.aspx is sensitive to several input quirks. Format: try passport with and without leading letters or spaces; ensure nationality matches exactly the spelling on the visa (some passports vary 'British Citizen' vs 'United Kingdom'); date of birth in DD/MM/YYYY. If the passport has been replaced since visa issuance, switch the search to the unified file number from the most recent visa - this is by far the most reliable input. The free GDRFA Dubai app's File Validity service runs the same back-end. If both return 'No Record Found' and you are confident the visa is Dubai-issued, call 800 5111 inside the UAE or +971 4 313 9999 from abroad; the hotline can confirm whether the file has moved to ICP for any reason. Cross-reference with our UAE visa status guide.

The total cost has three layers. (1) GDRFA government fee, which is standardised: entry permit AED 500-700 depending on category, status change AED 650, residence visa stamping AED 300, Emirates ID AED 100/year of validity, biometrics AED 70. (2) Amer service fee, AED 200-500 per case for family files (higher for complex cases like step-children, parent sponsorship with sole-support justification). (3) 5% VAT on the Amer service fee. Plus medical fitness (AED 250-700 by centre and emirate), insurance broker if buying through Amer (varies), Ejari registration if not already done (AED 220-230). Ask for the itemised breakdown before signing; Amer service fees are not standardised. The walkthrough for a complete family file is in our family sponsorship guide.

GDRFA visa rejections fall into four broad categories. (1) Document deficiency - the most common: salary certificate older than 60 days, mismatched name spelling between passport and Emirates ID, attested marriage certificate missing UAE MOFA QR code, Ejari unit number not matching title deed. Fix the document and resubmit; no separate appeal needed. (2) Sponsor eligibility failure - salary below the AED 4,000 (spouse/children) or AED 20,000 (parents) threshold, or sponsor's own residence visa expired or under cancellation. Address the sponsor file first. (3) Background check failure - immigration history flags from previous overstay, deportation, or fraud markers. These require a formal review by GDRFA Senior Officer through Amer Karama or DIFC centre with supporting documents. (4) Quota or category mismatch - the requested category does not apply to the sponsor. Re-file under the correct category. For appeals call 800 5111 with the rejection reference; clear-cut document issues are usually resolved within 48 hours of resubmission.

Exit bans in Dubai are issued by Dubai Courts (civil cases), Dubai Public Prosecution (criminal cases), or Dubai Police (cheque-bounce or fraud). GDRFA itself does not issue exit bans but flags them on the residence file at immigration. The practical pre-flight check has three steps. (1) GDRFA Dubai app > 'Pre-departure Check' or smart.gdrfad.gov.ae status inquiry to confirm the residence file is not flagged. (2) Dubai Police app > 'Travel Ban Inquiry' (free) which queries cheque-bounce and criminal-case databases. (3) Dubai Courts' eServices portal for civil-case flags - more thorough but requires Emirates ID login. The pragmatic combined check on Dubai Now's 'Travel Ban' service queries multiple sources at once. Run the check 48-72 hours before any international flight; airline systems query GDRFA at boarding and a flagged passenger is denied boarding without refund. If a ban surfaces, the underlying creditor or court must lift it; GDRFA cannot release.

AMER247 is the GDRFA Dubai voice and chat channel on 800 5111 (and the AMER247 in-app chat), staffed 24/7 with multi-language support. It handles routine residence transactions over the phone: status inquiries, fines payment, simple renewals, document corrections that do not need physical evidence, lost-document reporting. The agent processes the transaction with the resident's Emirates ID and UAE Pass authentication; payment is by card over the phone. AMER247 service fees are typically AED 100-200 per transaction. Amer centres (the physical 30+ network across Dubai) handle cases that need biometric capture, original document presentation, attestation verification, complex family files, Golden Visa applications, and step-child or parent sponsorships. Use AMER247 for: routine renewals, fine payments, status checks, simple corrections. Use a physical Amer centre for: first-time family files, biometric capture, attested document verification, Golden Visa applications, anything where the resident or sponsor must physically present documents.

No. GDRFA reflects exit bans on the residence file but does not have authority to remove them. The issuing authority must lift the ban: Dubai Courts for civil judgments (settle the case or post bond), Dubai Public Prosecution for criminal cases (case dismissal, settlement, or court order), Dubai Police for cheque-bounce or fraud cases (settle with the complainant who then withdraws the case). Once the issuing authority lifts the ban, the lift typically reflects in GDRFA's pre-departure check within 2-24 hours. The fastest path for cheque-bounce cases (the most common exit ban for residents) is to settle directly with the bank or merchant who will then file the case withdrawal at Dubai Police - within 48 hours the ban clears across GDRFA and airline systems. Confirm the ban is lifted via Dubai Police app's 'Travel Ban Inquiry' before booking a flight.

Pre-departure Fines Clearance through the GDRFA Dubai app or smart.gdrfad.gov.ae takes 30-60 seconds to return the result; the clearance reflects on the file immediately after payment of any open fines. Run it within 24-72 hours of any international departure - airline systems query GDRFA at boarding and a flagged passenger is denied boarding without refund. The most common surprises during clearance: an old unified-rate overstay fine from a previous visa surface (resolve by paying), an exit ban from Dubai Courts or Dubai Police (must be lifted by the issuing authority, GDRFA only reflects it), a residence file under cancellation that has not yet propagated (call 800 5111 to confirm status). Pay any open fines in the same screen with debit, credit, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. The service is free; the underlying fines are not. Make the check part of every pre-flight checklist; the unified AED 50/day overstay rate from 11 February 2026 makes old fines payable but does not change the boarding-block trigger.

Same back-end, but the app may show a cached status while a transaction is in progress. The Amer counter agent has live-system access; the app refreshes on user-pull or scheduled intervals. When the two disagree, the AMER counter view is authoritative. Common scenarios: (1) Renewal payment made via the app but the new visa stamp not yet pushed to the file - the app may show 'Active - Expiring' while AMER shows 'Renewed - Active'. Refresh the app or log out and back in after 30 minutes. (2) Pre-departure clearance done at AMER but app still shows the old fine - AMER's clearance writes to the file within minutes but the app's fines list can lag 1-2 hours. (3) Family member added through AMER but not visible in the app's family-linking screen - the family link push can take up to 24 hours to propagate to the app. If the disagreement persists beyond 24 hours, call 800 5111 with both reference numbers (app transaction reference and AMER receipt) and the back-office team will reconcile.