Last updated
To check visa status with a passport number, go to GDRFA's status inquiry if the visa was issued in Dubai, or ICP's file validity page if it came from any other emirate. Both accept a passport number, and both ask for your nationality and date of birth with it. The check is free and needs no login. If nothing comes up, the cause is nearly always the wrong authority or a renewed passport.
This page covers only the passport number method. For every other way to search, by application number, file number or Amer receipt, see our main visa status check guide.
First, which authority holds your visa
The passport number only finds a visa on the system that issued it. A Dubai visa will not show on ICP, and a Sharjah visa will not show on GDRFA. An empty result on the wrong page looks like "no visa", which panics a lot of people for nothing.
| Visa issued in | Search by passport on | Extra details asked |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai | GDRFA status inquiry | Nationality, date or year of birth |
| Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah | ICP file validity | Nationality, date of birth |
Source: u.ae track visa application and validity page, GDRFA and ICP tools, checked .
Not sure which emirate? Look at the e-visa or the visa page in your passport. The place of issue is printed on it.
GDRFA: Dubai visa by passport number
The GDRFA status inquiry has several tabs, and the passport number is one of the fields on offer. Fill in what the tab you choose shows. Names go in English, exactly as they are on the passport, and the passport number goes in without spaces.
People search "GDRFA visa status by passport number" mostly for two reasons: a visitor waiting for an e-visa who has no application number, or a resident who has lost the visa copy. Both work by passport. If you have an application or transaction number from an Amer receipt, use that instead; our GDRFA application status guide shows how.
ICP: visas from the other emirates
ICP's file validity page lets you search either by file number or by passport details. Pick the passport option, then add your nationality and date of birth. The result shows whether the residence or entry permit is still valid and when it expires.
ICP is the federal authority, so it also holds the Emirates ID for every resident, Dubai included. Our ICP visa status check page explains which ICP tool answers which question.
When a passport search finds nothing
Work through these in order:
- Wrong authority. Try the other system first. It costs you a minute.
- New passport. If you renewed your passport after the visa was issued, the record may still sit under the old number. Search with the old passport number, or switch to the file number. A changed passport also has to be reported to ICP for your Emirates ID: the fine for an unreported change is AED 20 a day, up to AED 1,000.
- Two passports. If you hold two nationalities, search with the passport the visa was issued on, and the matching nationality.
- Typing details. Date of birth in the wrong format, or the wrong nationality picked from the list, gives an empty result.
- Too early. A visa still being processed may not show by passport yet. Ask whoever applied for the application number.
Visit and tourist visas
A visitor can check by passport number in the same way. The difference is the dates: a visit visa has a deadline to enter and a separate number of days you may stay once inside. Our page on how to check visit visa status online explains both dates and how to read them.
Fines by passport number
For Dubai files, GDRFA's Fines Inquiry Service accepts a passport number as one of four search keys, with file number, UDB number and Emirates ID. It also asks for nationality, file type, place of issue, date of birth and gender. The overstay fine is AED 50 a day once any grace period has run out. Our overstay fine calculator gives you a likely total before you look.
When to hand it over
A status check is free and you can do it yourself. Help is worth it when the result shows a problem: a visa that has expired, a cancellation you did not expect, or a fine. The fix then goes through an Amer center or online, and it starts with the same passport and file details you just used.
