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Changing visa status in the UAE means a new visa is issued while you stay in the country and your old one is cancelled. In Dubai the GDRFA Status Amendment costs AED 500 plus AED 10 and AED 10, on top of the new visa's own fees. It is used for visit to residence, and in Dubai for some visit to new visit moves. GDRFA states 48 hours.
Fees for a status change
| Fee | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Status Amendment (GDRFA) | AED 500 | Every status change in Dubai |
| Knowledge Dirham + Innovation Dirham | AED 10 + AED 10 | Added to the amendment |
| Note on the same page | AED 15 individual, AED 50 establishment | Printed as a note, ask which applies |
| Inside-country fee on visit visas | AED 500 + AED 10 + AED 10 | New visit visa while you are in the UAE |
| The new visa itself | Varies | Set by the visa type you move to |
Source: GDRFA Status Amendment page and GDRFA tourist, relative, job seeker, business and medical visa pages, checked .
So a visitor moving to a new visit visa in Dubai pays the new visa fee, the inside-country lines and the amendment. A visitor moving to residence pays the residence permit costs plus the amendment. The new sponsor's own costs, like a work permit, sit on top.
What Dubai agencies charge
For a new 90-day visit visa issued inside the country with the status change included, Dubai visa agencies publish about AED 2,850 to AED 5,500 (published prices of 2 Dubai agencies, checked ). For a 30-day inside-country visa and for the status change service on its own, only one agency publishes a price each, so there is no fair range to show.
Which changes are possible
Visit or tourist visa to residence. This is the clear case. An employer or a family sponsor gets your new entry permit, then the status amendment moves you onto it. ICP then gives you 60 days from entry to finish the residence steps.
Visit visa to a new visit visa. GDRFA tourist, relative, job seeker, business and medical visa pages all print an inside-country fee. That is how the system bills a new visit visa for someone already here. No ICP, GDRFA or u.ae page we read says in plain words that visit to visit is allowed, so treat it as possible in Dubai, not guaranteed, and check before you rely on it.
Tourist visa cancelled on its own. ICP is direct about this: a tourist entry permit may not be cancelled after you enter the country unless the cancellation is linked to a status adjustment application. You cannot drop the tourist visa and stay on nothing. For cancelling a visa before travel, see visit visa cancellation.
Documents for the status amendment
GDRFA lists these for the Status Amendment service:
- Passport of the sponsored person (you).
- Passport of the sponsor.
- The sponsor's residence permit, where the sponsor is a resident.
- The cancelled permit, meaning your old visit or tourist visa.
- The new entry permit.
For the new visit or residence permit, the usual papers apply: a passport valid 6 months, a photo to the ICAO standard and UAE-valid health insurance for visit visas.
Processing time
GDRFA gives 48 hours for the status amendment. The new visa has its own clock, also 48 hours on most GDRFA visit pages. Delays come from the sponsor side more than the system: a work permit not yet approved, or a sponsor file that is not active.
Why status changes get stuck or refused
- Your current visa has already expired. Overstay fines of AED 50 a day must be cleared first. See the UAE overstay fine guide.
- The new permit is not issued yet. The amendment needs the new entry permit number. Without it there is nothing to change to.
- A report on your file. If a sponsor filed an escape report, GDRFA has a separate service to remove it. Read the absconding case guide and sort that out first.
- Sponsor rules not met. ICP sets income tiers for relative sponsors of AED 4,000, AED 8,000 or AED 15,000 depending on the relationship.
- Missing papers. GDRFA cancels a request if missing documents are not added within 30 days.
Status change, extension or exit
If you just need more time on the same type of visa, a visa extension is cheaper and simpler, up to the 120 or 180-day cap. A status change is for switching to a different visa, or a fresh visit visa once you hit that cap. Leaving and re-entering on a new visa is the third route; our page on exit and re-entry compares it.
How it works with us
Send a copy of your passport, your current visa and a note on the visa you want next, by WhatsApp or the form on this page. A visa adviser checks whether your case is a plain extension, a visit to visit change or a move to residence, and which sponsor has to file. You get one total price, confirmed on WhatsApp before you pay. The team prepares the new permit application and the amendment, pays the government lines and tracks both until your new visa shows on the system. DubaiVisaDesk.com is a private visa service. GDRFA or ICP decides every status change.
Government fees are not refunded by the authorities if the new visa or the change is refused. The adviser tells you in writing, before payment, what part of the total comes back in that case, if any.
Tips
- Check that the new permit shows on the Dubai visa status check before you treat the old one as gone.
- Keep the amendment receipt with your passport until your Emirates ID is issued.
- Parents visiting long term may fit a family visit visa better than repeated changes.
Official sources
- GDRFA Status Amendment: fees, conditions, documents and 48 hours.
- GDRFA single-entry tourist visa: inside-country fee lines.
- ICP Visa Cancellation: tourist visa cancelled after entry only with a status adjustment.
- ICP visa issuance: 60 days to finish residence, sponsor income tiers.
All checked .
