If you are leaving Dubai permanently and had entered the Emirates as an expatriate then the first thing you need to do is get your UAE residence visa canceled. Visa cancellation is not a difficult process whether you are currently in Dubai or not. You just need to follow the guidelines. We have listed out the cancellation procedure here in detail to make things easier for you.

Your employer/sponsor will usually handle the cancellation of your residence visa. If that’s not the case you can do it yourself.

Before cancelling your residence visa

• You should first close your bank accounts, water connection, electricity, telephone lines, sell your vehicles if any, settle your loans, credit cards and other debts and submit proof of the same (DEWA clearance certificate and bill payment proofs). You will need to vacate the accommodation provided by your employer within the agreed period.
• You will first need to cancel your dependents’ visas like your spouse and children, before yours.

Documents required For Dubai Visa Cancellation

• Applicant’s original passport
• 2 copies of cancellation certificate with approval from the Labour Ministry
• Commercial license valid copy
• A copy of your establishment card

Steps for visa cancellation

• You need to formally give resignation to your employer for starters. Be aware of the final settlement amount you are entitled to including gratuity and final salary. Any employee who has completed a year or more in continuous service for the first 5 years should be receiving 21 days’ wages for each year and 30 days’ wages for each additional year.
• Visit your nearest typing office where you can apply for the cancellation of your residence visa. This costs you about dh50 to dh110 which should be taken care of by your sponsor. You need to sign the application along with your sponsor which also confirms your reception of all your dues and settlements.
• As the application is ready, you need to visit the office of General Directorate of Residence and Foreign Affairs or GDRFA for submission of your documents.
• Carry your UAE Emirates ID card and original passport
• Carry sponsor’s visa and passport copy
• Officials will be taking your ID card and they will stamp your passport as well.

Now it’s 30 days left for you to leave UAE after your visa gets canceled. If you stay back beyond that, for the first six months you will be fined dh25 per day. For the next six months, the fine is dh50 per day which rises to dh100 per day after a year of overstaying.

In case of changing your job

If you aren’t moving out of UAE and simply changing your job then to you will need to cancel your previous work permit and visa. After your previous company gives you a NOC then you are eligible for a new sponsorship with your new employer, obtaining which you can apply to the Ministry of Labor for a new work permit.

If you are simply switching jobs and you are the sponsor of your family members then you don’t cancel their residence visas. However, AED 5,000 will need to be provided to DNRD (The Department of Naturalisation and Residency Dubai ) as bank guarantee per family member.

If you’re out of Dubai

According to law, your residence visa becomes automatically expired or invalid in case you have stayed out of Dubai for over 6 months but to avoid any trouble while entering the country again, you must cancel it legally.

If you’ve stayed outside Dubai for more than months then you need to submit following documents:

• Request for residence e-form’s cancellation with sponsor’s signature
• Sponsored person’s original passport or departure statement which shows that residency has expired

Submit the following documents in case you’ve stayed out of Dubai for lesser than 6 months

• Residency e-form’s cancellation with sponsor’s signature
• Sponsored person’s passport or a document showing residency expiration outside the nation.

After submitting these documents, you need to pay AED 70 as cancellation fee to the typist along with a departure fee of dh130.

You can also submit cancellation application online after which you will need to visit GDRFA to complete the procedure.