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To check if a Dubai visa is still valid, read three dates: the entry deadline, the stay allowed and the file expiry. The ICP visit visa page says to enter within 60 days of issue. Stay lengths are 30 to 90 days for most visit visas. The expiry shows on the GDRFA File tab for Dubai or on ICP file validity for other emirates.
The three dates
| Date | What it means | Where to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Entry deadline | The last day you can enter on this permit | E-visa, then the status tool |
| Stay allowed | How many days you may remain after arrival | E-visa and the visa type |
| File expiry | When the visa or residence file ends | GDRFA File tab or ICP file validity |
Source: ICP visa service pages and FAQ, checked .
Many people check only the first line of the e-visa and miss the second. A permit can be valid for entry for several weeks while the stay it allows is a month. Read both before you plan a return flight.
How to run the check
- Find which emirate issued the visa. Dubai means GDRFA. Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah mean ICP.
- For Dubai, open the GDRFA status inquiry and choose the File tab. It asks for your first name in English, file number, nationality and date of birth.
- For the other emirates, open ICP file validity from the u.ae page.
- Read the status and the expiry date.
- Compare it with your flight dates and your return.
If the visa is not issued yet, use the Application tab instead, which asks for the application number, the transaction number and the payment date. The step by step version is on Dubai visa status check and, for the other emirates, ICP visa status check.
Usual lengths on official pages
- Most visit visas: 30 to 90 days (ICP FAQ).
- Job exploration and business establishment: 60 to 120 days (ICP FAQ).
- Transit: 96 hours, and the 48 hour and 96 hour transit visas cannot be extended.
- 5 year multiple entry tourist visa: up to 90 days per stay, extendable, with a limit of 180 days a year from first entry.
- Tourist visit visas can be extended up to 120 days in total on ICP.
Source: ICP FAQ and ICP service pages, checked .
Residence validity is a different check
A residence permit lasts one, two or three years, and five years or more for some categories, according to the ICP FAQ. The Emirates ID is linked to it: u.ae says that cancelling a residence visa cancels the Emirates ID automatically, and that the card can be renewed up to six months before it expires. If you let it run past one month after expiry, the card carries a late fee of AED 20 a day, up to AED 1,000.
Visit Emirates ID for residents for the card and grace period after visa cancellation for the days you get after a residence ends.
If the visa is about to run out
- Stay longer by extension. The GDRFA extension is AED 600 plus 5% VAT, and tourist stays may not pass 120 days in total. See Dubai visa extension.
- Leave on time. The fine is AED 50 for each day past the permitted stay. See UAE overstay fine.
- Cancel a visit visa you will not use. See visit visa cancellation.
Check list for the week before you fly
- Open the e-visa and read the entry deadline, then count the days to your flight.
- Run the status or validity tool and save a dated screenshot.
- Check that the passport number on the visa is the passport you carry.
- Check that your passport has the six months of validity GDRFA asks for on tourist visas.
- Check that your return or onward ticket and your UAE health insurance are in order, as GDRFA lists both for tourist visas.
- Count your stay days from the day you land, and plan to leave before the last one.
Source: GDRFA tourist visa pages, checked .
Mistakes that cost people a trip
- Reading the issue date as the start of the stay.
- Counting the days from the entry deadline.
- Using a Dubai tool for an Abu Dhabi visa.
- Forgetting the old passport number after a renewal.
- Treating a status screenshot as a visa. The e-visa is the document the airline checks.
Official sources
- GDRFA status inquiry: the File and Application tabs.
- u.ae: track visa application and validity: which authority to use.
- ICP FAQ: visa and residence validity periods.
- u.ae: Emirates ID: the link to residence and the late fee.
- GDRFA extension service: the AED 600 fee and the 120 day limit.
