Do you have to cancel your visa to the UAE? If you are facing visa cancellation (voluntary or not), it’s good to know how to process works. Here is a rundown of the UAE visa cancellation process to help you deal with visa issues smoothly.
The cancellation process can depend a bit on your UAE visa. So let’s look at what happens when you want to cancel your residence visa in the UAE.
UAE Employment Visa Cancellation Basics
Who can cancel your employemnt visa in the UAE?
You can’t cancel your residence visa alone. You will need your sponsor to cancel it for you.
It’s also worth noting that your UAE visa will automatically expire if you stay outside of the country for more than six months – even if you still had time left on your visa.
Where to cancel UAE Employment visa?
Your sponsor can cancel your UAE visa through one of these ways:
- In person at the offices of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA).
- Online at the website of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship or on the websites of the GDRFA of the relevant emirate.
Employment visa cancellation from employer
It’s important to note that if you are working in the UAE, then your employer must first cancel your work permit (labor card). They can do so through the website of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. You will need to sign the application on this application.
Employment visa cancellation without employer
You will always need to have your sponsor and employer cancel the residency visa for you. If your employer or sponsor is refusing to do so, you should contact the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation to ask for help.
Visa cancellation fee
The current cancellation fee to canceling your UAE visa is AED 110.
The fee will be paid by your sponsor or employer. However, you will need to make the payments for any visas you’re canceling on behalf of your family members.
UAE Employment Visa Cancellation Process
The UAE visa cancellation process is rather straightforward and easy to follow. You simply need to apply for the cancellation either in person or online. Please note your sponsor has to be the one applying for the cancellation.
If you are cancelling the visa of your defendants, then it is your job to cancel the visa.
Labor card cancellation
Application to cancel the employee’s labor contract and labor card. This can be done by approaching the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. The application has to be duly signed by the employee as well. The company must also submit a letter signed by the employee to the ministry of human resources stating that the employee in concern has received his/her wages and end of service benefits.
GDRFA visa cancellation
You can cancel the visa with GDRFA. The offices are available for each of the Emiratis and you must use the one where you work or live. You can request the application form from the offices, fill it and go hand in the application in person.
They also have an app you can use if you want to go through the process online. Please note that although you can submit the application online, you will still need to visit the office with your Emirates ID and original passport. This is required in order to finalize the cancellation process.
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Documents Requirements
The following documents are required if an employee’s residence visa is being canceled:
- Cancellation form that is signed by the sponsor. If the sponsor is a company, the cancellation form needs to be signed and sealed by the company stamp.
- Original passport of the employee (sponsored).
- Original identity card of the employee (sponsored).
- Copy of the company trade license.
- Labor Establishment card.
Your Emirates ID card is taken from you and your passport will be stamped and returned to you.
After cancellation of employment visa in the UAE
But what happens once your visa is cancelled? Do you have to bag your bags and leave immediately? Not quite, as there are grace period and other factors to help you deal with your visa cancellation. Let’s take a look at these different things next.
How many days can I stay in the UAE after the employment visa cancellation?
The law currently allows you to stay in the UAE for 30 days once your employment visa is cancelled. The 30 days usually start from the day your application was processed and approved. You can see the date for your visa’s expiry on the application letter.
Please remember that if you overstay in the UAE, you will receive a fine. The fine will be AED 100 for the first day and AED 25 for all the subsequent days you remain in the country with an expired visa.
Emirates ID card
You will need to hand out your Emirates ID card when you are cancelling your visa. You are required to personally hand in the ID card at the offices for the GDRFA.
Notice that you will need to hand out your old ID card even if you are simply changing jobs and not cancelling your UAE visa. You can read more about the Emirates ID card here.
Health insurance after visa cancellation in UAE
Medical insurance is mandatory for anyone living and working in the UAE. Coverage must be provided by your sponsor and most employers cover employees’ health insurance, as it is required by law. But what happens to health insurance when your employer cancels your visa?
Your employer will need to continue the cover for the 30-day grace period after cancellation. However, if your health insurance were to renew earlier, you might not be covered for the total duration.
It is there imperative to check the conditions of your health insurance. You should do this before you cancel your UAE visa to ensure you are covered for the whole period you are still living and staying in the country.
Family members’ visa cancellation
As mentioned above, you will be in charge of cancelling your family members’ visa if you are their sponsor. Note that if your spouse is living in the UAE and working separately, then she/he might need to ask his/her employer to cancel that specific visa.
It is worth noting that you must cancel your family members’ visas before you ask your sponsor to cancel your visa.
Grace period
The UAE has a grace period of 30 days after visa expiry. This allows you to either amend the visa or obtain a new visa. You can also leave the country at any time during the grace period.
There have been talks to extend the grace period but at the time of writing, there has been no official extension to the period.
The bottom line
The UAE visa cancellation is rather straightforward and you can get it sorted online or in-person. As your employer will need to take charge, it’s a good idea to bring up the cancellation as early as possible. Bayzat’s HR management system makes the process rather simple so you don’t need to worry about missing any key documents.
You can refer to the visa application fees list as provided by the ministry of labor in the UAE.
Or, you need more information about visa cancellation in the UAE, you can easily contact the General Directory of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) on 600522222.
