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Visa renewal in Dubai costs AED 740 in GDRFA fees when you renew inside the UAE: AED 200 renewal, AED 10 Knowledge Dirham, AED 10 Innovation Dirham, AED 500 fee inside the country and AED 20 delivery. Everyone aged 18 or over needs a new medical test, and GDRFA processes the renewal in 48 hours. Once you add the medical, Emirates ID, insurance and typing, a lean employment visa renewal usually costs AED 2,000 to 4,000 in total.
Renew before the visa expires
The sponsor is responsible for renewing before expiry, whether that sponsor is your employer, your spouse or you. Do the medical about a month ahead so a retest does not eat into your time.
Missed the date? A grace period follows, then an overstay fine of AED 50 per day; overstay fines in Dubai explains why GDRFA and ICP give different grace lengths and works out what you would owe.
One more trap: a residence visa lapses automatically if you stay outside the UAE for more than 180 days in a row, with some exceptions. Renewing on time does not help if you were away too long.
Documents
For the GDRFA renewal itself, the list is short:
- A recent colour photo with a white background.
- A copy of the passport.
- An approved medical fitness result, if the person is over 18.
The Emirates ID renewal adds its own conditions. ICP wants a photo that differs from the one on your current card and a passport valid for at least 3 months. If your passport is close to expiry, renew it at your embassy first.
Official renewal fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| GDRFA renewal fee | AED 200 |
| Knowledge Dirham | AED 10 |
| Innovation Dirham | AED 10 |
| Fee inside the country | AED 500 |
| Delivery | AED 20 |
| GDRFA total, renewing inside the UAE | AED 740 |
| Each year over two years | + AED 100 |
| Emirates ID, residents | AED 100 per year + AED 100 smart application fee |
| Medical test, normal 24 hours | AED 270 |
| Medical test, VIP 6 hours or Smart Salem | AED 700 |
| Medical test, VIP 2 hours | AED 1,020 |
Source: GDRFA private-sector and family-member renewal pages and the ICP Emirates ID page, checked , and Dubai's medical fitness fee resolution.
Some quotes you see online leave out the AED 500 fee inside the country. GDRFA lists the AED 500 on both its private-sector and family renewal pages, so plan on AED 740 and ask the counter to itemise anything above that.
What a renewal usually costs in total
| Renewal | Usual total |
|---|---|
| Employee, lean renewal with medical, Emirates ID, insurance, typing | AED 2,000 to 4,000 |
| Employee, upper end of agency quotes | up to AED 7,000 |
| Family member through an agency | AED 3,500 to 7,000 per dependant |
| Domestic worker, full service | AED 5,000 to 7,000 |
Source: published price lists of Dubai typing centers, PRO firms and free zones, checked . The gap between the low and high end is mostly insurance and how much of the legwork you pay someone else to do.
A warning on domestic workers: some guides quote a "lean" maid renewal of AED 2,000 to 3,000. MOHRE's own renewal page lists AED 5,335.75 for a resident employer in Dubai, before tax and collection charges, so a lower quote is leaving something out. Budget from the MOHRE figure; maid visa renewal has the full breakdown.
The order that avoids rejections
- Medical test first. Without the result GDRFA will not accept the file.
- For employees, the employer renews the MOHRE work permit. That fee depends on the company category and is paid separately from GDRFA.
- GDRFA residence renewal.
- Emirates ID renewal through ICP.
GDRFA's renewal page does not list health insurance as a document. The price lists we checked still include it in the renewal budget, and employers of domestic workers in Dubai must provide medical insurance anyway.
The Emirates ID has its own late fine: AED 20 per day after a 30 day grace period, capped at AED 1,000. See Emirates ID renewal for that part.
Renewing for a whole family or a household
A family sponsor renews each dependant as a separate GDRFA file, at the same fees as an employee renewal. Renew your own visa first, because your dependants' visas hang on yours, and a domestic worker's permit sits on the same household file. Check each person's expiry date on the GDRFA status tool, since family members can have different dates. Children under 18 skip the medical test, so their renewals are the quickest.
For employees, the employer renews both the MOHRE work permit and the GDRFA residence. If only one has moved, ask HR to finish the other before the grace period runs out.
Special visas
Golden, green and retirement visas renew on their own terms and have longer grace periods or different fees. If that is you, read golden visa UAE or retirement visa Dubai instead.
Doing it yourself
A family renewal is easy to do alone: GDRFA's website and app take renewals 24/7 with UAE Pass, and you can check the new expiry date on our visa status check guide. An employee renewal is the employer's job, so start with your HR or PRO. Amer centers handle the GDRFA part at the counter if you prefer paper help, see Amer centers near you.
Handing over your residence renewal
Send the passport copy, your current visa or Emirates ID and the expiry date. The partner team checks first whether the passport needs renewing, the most common hold-up, then books the medical at the speed you need, types and files the GDRFA renewal and submits the Emirates ID renewal with a new photo. They tell you the date biometrics are needed. A whole family moves together. You skip the Amer ticket queue. One total price comes before anything is filed, government fees and the service charge listed apart. The form on this page only needs the expiry date to start.
