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To cancel a UAE visit visa, the sponsor files a cancellation with GDRFA (AED 50, plus AED 10 and AED 10 if the person is inside) or ICP (AED 50 plus AED 100 smart services). It works before the visitor enters and before the visa expires. A tourist visa cannot be cancelled after entry unless a status change goes with it. The guarantee deposit is then refunded if there are no violations.
Cancellation and refund fees
| Service | GDRFA Dubai | ICP |
|---|---|---|
| Cancel the entry permit | AED 50 | AED 50 + AED 100 smart services |
| Extra if the person is in the UAE | AED 10 + AED 10 | Not listed |
| Guarantee refund request | AED 40 collection and refund fee, paid when the deposit is taken | AED 25 |
| Processing time | 48 hours | 2 days |
Source: GDRFA entry permit cancellation and visit visa pages, ICP Visa Cancellation and refund pages, checked .
Only one Dubai agency publishes a price for a visit visa cancellation, so there is no market range to show. Ask anyone helping you to separate their fee from the government lines.
Before entry, after entry
Before the visitor arrives. This is the normal case. The trip is off, the visitor got another visa, or the dates moved too far. ICP allows cancellation only if the person has not entered and the visa has not expired. File it soon, because the deposit stays held until the visa is closed.
After the visitor has entered. ICP is clear on tourist visas: a cancellation request "may not be submitted after the beneficiary has entered the country, unless the cancellation is linked to a status-adjustment application". In other words, the tourist visa only goes away if a new visa replaces it, through a status change inside the UAE, or when the visitor leaves.
The visa ran out unused. If the person never entered and the visa expired, it can no longer be cancelled through the normal ICP route. Ask the issuing authority how to release the deposit in that case; the pages we read do not spell it out.
Getting the guarantee deposit back
Relative and friend visit visas carry a guarantee. ICP lists AED 1,000 for single entry and AED 2,000 for multiple entry, with a deposit fee of AED 20. The 5-year tourist visa holds AED 3,000.
The rules for getting it back:
- ICP refunds the guarantee after the visa is cancelled, or after the visitor has left the UAE.
- There must be no residency violations. An overstay can cost the deposit; see the UAE overstay fine guide.
- On the 5-year visa, the refund comes after cancellation or exit, provided the visa is cancelled after departure.
- If a circular has been raised on the sponsored person, for example after an escape report, ICP says it must be lifted before any guarantee refund.
- The ICP refund service costs AED 25, runs on ICP Smart Services and takes 2 days.
GDRFA visit visas charge a AED 40 "security deposit collection and reimbursement fee" up front, so the return is already paid for.
Which fees come back
ICP's fee refund service is strict: only issuance fees can be refunded. Application fees and smart services fees cannot. You will need a bank certificate showing the account number and IBAN. Emirates, for visas bought through the airline, says it deducts AED 50 from the tourist visa fee on a refund.
Documents checklist
- Copy of the visa or entry permit to cancel.
- Sponsor's passport copy (GDRFA asks for this).
- Passport of the visitor, valid at least 6 months (ICP).
- For a status change: the new entry permit.
- For the deposit refund: bank certificate with account number and IBAN.
Why cancellations or refunds fail
- The visitor already entered on a tourist visa. Cancellation alone is refused. Pair it with a status change or wait for the exit.
- The wrong person files. Tourist visas are cancelled by the tourism agency sponsor, medical visas by the licensed facility.
- Violations on the file. Unpaid overstay keeps the guarantee locked.
- An open circular or report. It has to be lifted first. Our absconding case guide covers that.
- Missing papers. GDRFA cancels requests if documents are not added within 30 days.
How it works with us
Send the visa copy, the sponsor's details and whether the visitor has entered, by WhatsApp or the form on this page. A visa adviser checks if a plain cancellation is possible or if you need a status change, and what is needed to release the deposit. You get one total price, confirmed on WhatsApp before you pay. The team files the cancellation through the right sponsor, confirms the file shows cancelled, then requests the guarantee refund and follows it up. DubaiVisaDesk.com is a private visa service, and GDRFA or ICP decides both the cancellation and the refund.
If a cancellation or refund request is rejected, the authorities keep the fees already paid. Before you pay, the adviser tells you in writing which part of our total, if any, comes back in that case.
Tips
- Cancel as soon as the trip is off. A visa that expires unused is harder to close.
- Check the result on the Dubai visa status check before you claim the deposit.
- If the visitor just needs more days instead, a visa extension is the better route.
Official sources
- ICP Visa Cancellation: fees, before-entry rule, tourist visa after entry, 2 days.
- GDRFA entry permit cancellation: AED 50, inside-UAE extras, who files.
- ICP visa issuance: guarantee amounts and when they are refunded.
- ICP refund for approved applications: AED 25 guarantee refund, circular rule.
- ICP refund of fees: only issuance fees refundable, IBAN needed.
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