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To check visit visa status online, use GDRFA's status inquiry for a visa issued in Dubai, or ICP's file validity page for a visa issued by ICP. Search with the application number or your passport details. To check validity, read two dates: the last day you can enter the UAE, and the last day you may stay once inside. Stay one day longer and the fine is AED 50 a day.
The two dates on every visit visa
People mix these up more than anything else:
- Entry deadline. The visa must be used before this date. For the ICP visit visa sponsored by a relative or friend, that is 60 days from issue.
- Days of stay. Counted from the day you enter, not the day the visa was issued.
| Visa | Days of stay | Issued by |
|---|---|---|
| Tourist visa, single or multiple entry | 30 or 60 days | GDRFA, through a hotel or travel agency |
| Visit visa sponsored by a relative or friend | 30, 60 or 90 days, extendable to 120 days in total | ICP |
| 5-year multiple-entry tourist visa | Up to 90 days per stay, 180 days a year | ICP |
| Job seeker visit visa | 60, 90 or 120 days | GDRFA |
Source: GDRFA and ICP visit visa service pages, checked .
So a 30-day visa issued on the 1st, used on the 20th, lets you stay 30 days from the 20th. The status page will show you the permit; the counting from entry is yours to do.
Checking before you fly
The visa has to show as issued before you travel. If a hotel or travel agency applied, they hold the application number. Ask for it and search on GDRFA's Application tab. If a relative in another emirate sponsored you through ICP, they will have the number from ICP's confirmation, and Application tracking on ICP smart services will show it.
No number? A passport search works too. Use the same passport the visa was applied on. Our page on how to check visa status with a passport number lists the extra details each system wants and why a search can come back empty.
Checking while you are in the UAE
Once you are inside, the question changes to "how many days do I have left?" Start from your entry date and add your permitted days. If the two answers differ, the status page and your own count, go with the earlier date and ask GDRFA or ICP to confirm.
The overstay fine page has a calculator if you are already past the date.
Before the last day: your options
- Leave. The simplest choice, with no fine.
- Extend. ICP visit visas can be extended to 120 days in total. GDRFA has a tourist visa extension service; its fee is not confirmed here, so ask early.
- Switch to residence. If a job or family sponsor is lined up, a status change moves you onto a residence entry permit without leaving. GDRFA's status change fee is AED 500 plus AED 10 and AED 10. See visa change in Dubai.
- Job seekers. If you are looking for work, the job seeker visa has its own rules and no sponsor.
Already overstayed
No official page we read gives visit visas a grace period. From the day after your last permitted day the fine is AED 50 a day. On ICP files, a person who has overstayed pays the fines and then gets a departure permit: AED 200 for the application and AED 100 smart services fee, with a ticket for a flight within 7 days. The permit must be used within 7 days of issue, or cancelled and applied for again.
Dubai fines are checked on GDRFA's fines inquiry by passport number, file number, UDB number or Emirates ID.
Why the status page can look wrong
- Wrong system. A Dubai tourist visa will not show on ICP. Try the other page.
- Agency typing. A spelling or date of birth difference on the application means a passport search fails. Search by application number instead.
- Not yet issued. "Approved" from an agency can mean submitted. Wait for the e-visa.
- New passport. The visa is tied to the passport it was issued on.
For the prices of each visit visa, and how to arrange one for a guest, see our page on the Dubai visit visa. Residents sponsoring parents often look at the Amer visa application route as well.
