New to DubaiGDRFA Dubai: how to check your visa status and use its services
GDRFA Dubai is the government department that issues, renews and cancels residence visas and entry permits when your visa is filed in Dubai. You can check your visa and apply for its services on its official website (gdrfad.gov.ae), in its app or at an Amer centre. To sign in online, you use UAE Pass or a GDRFA username.
Its official name is now the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs, so don't worry if a form uses that name. Nearly everyone still calls it GDRFA.
You may never have to use it yourself. If you're employed, your company's PRO (the person who handles government paperwork) will do most of the work. If you're self-employed, the company that set up your business usually takes care of it. It's still worth knowing what GDRFA does. If something goes wrong, like a delay, an expiry date nobody mentioned or a family visa that stalls, this is where you'll end up looking.
What GDRFA Dubai actually handles
Think of GDRFA as the office that decides who can live in Dubai, for how long and who sponsors them. Your sponsor is the person or company legally responsible for your visa. That could be your employer, your spouse or parent, or you yourself on some visa types.
These are the services most newcomers come across. The full list is longer and it changes, so check the official site for anything that isn't here.
- Entry permits, the document that lets you enter the UAE so your residence visa can be processed
- New residence visas, including for employees, family members and investors
- Renewing and cancelling residence visas
- Sponsoring family members, such as a spouse, children or parents
- Changing from one visa type to another (ask your sponsor or GDRFA whether you can do it without leaving the country)
- Golden Visa applications for people whose residence is in Dubai
- Checking whether a visa or permit is still valid
GDRFA, ICP and the medical test: who does what
Newcomers often get confused here, and that's understandable. Several government bodies are involved in one visa.
ICP (the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security) is the federal body behind the Emirates ID card. Your Emirates ID has replaced the residence visa sticker that used to go in your passport. You now apply for the ID and the residence visa on one form.
The medical fitness test is the health check you need before your residence visa is issued. You take it at an approved medical centre, not at GDRFA. Dubai Health has worked with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and GDRFA Dubai so that all the required checks can be done in one visit. Most of the NTD Team go to the testing centre at Ibn Battuta Mall. Go early: one of us has used it for 15 years and never waited more than 30 minutes.
So one residence visa goes through at least three different systems. That's normal. It doesn't mean something has gone wrong.
How to check your visa status
You can check it yourself in a few minutes. Have your passport ready, plus your Emirates ID if you have one and any application or file number from your entry permit, because different checks ask for different details.
Screens and menu names change. If something looks different from the steps below, pick the closest option.
- Go to the official GDRFA Dubai website, gdrfad.gov.ae, or get its app from your phone's app store. Check that the publisher is GDRFA Dubai before you install it
- Look for the visa status or visa enquiry service. If it asks you to log in, use UAE Pass or your GDRFA username
- Choose how you want to search, then enter your details
- Read the result. It should tell you whether your visa or permit is valid and when it expires
- If anything looks wrong, such as a misspelt name or an expiry date you didn't expect, contact your sponsor first, then GDRFA
Three ways to apply for GDRFA services
Most people use whichever route their sponsor uses. If you're sponsoring family yourself, you'll choose one.
Online or in the app is quickest when your documents are in order. You log in with UAE Pass (the national digital ID that signs you in to government services from your phone) or a GDRFA username. The NTD Team use UAE Pass for just about everything, and our UAE Pass guide shows you how to set it up.
Amer centres are the in-person option. GDRFA launched them, and their staff handle entry permits, new and renewed residence visas, cancellations and related services. Use one if your case is unusual or you'd like someone to check your paperwork before it's submitted.
The third route is your PRO or business setup company, and for most people it's the main one. They usually run the whole process and tell you where to be and when. In the team's experience the process runs smoothly and someone guides you through each step. You'll also hear about 'VIP' services, such as one-day processing or skipping the queue at the medical test. They cost extra. If you'd rather pay than wait, go ahead.
Where the medical test, Emirates ID and UAE Pass fit in
This is the usual order for a new residence visa. Your sponsor or PRO might change the order of a step or two, but the overall process stays the same.
How long your Emirates ID card takes to arrive varies, so don't book anything that depends on it. Once you have it, a lot more becomes possible. For example, you need it to open a bank account. Carry it with you every day as well. The team always do. Our guide to getting your Emirates ID covers that step in detail, and the visas hub has all our visa guides in one place.
- Entry permit issued, so you can enter the UAE (or change visa type if you're already here and that's allowed in your case)
- Medical fitness test at an approved centre
- Emirates ID and residence visa application on one form, then biometrics (fingerprints and a photo taken at a service centre)
- Residence visa approved. You won't get a passport sticker any more: your Emirates ID is the proof
- Set up UAE Pass with your new Emirates ID, so you can manage visa services online yourself
If you live in Sharjah and work in Dubai (or the other way round)
Your residence file belongs to one emirate, and it isn't automatically the one you live in. Ask your sponsor which emirate issued your visa before you start searching.
If it's Dubai, you'll use GDRFA. If it's another emirate, you can't manage it through GDRFA Dubai, and your sponsor will point you to the right system, usually ICP's. The steps feel similar, but the website, app and service centres are different. Use the wrong one and you'll lose an afternoon.
One more thing from the team: driving between Sharjah and Dubai every day is a frustrating commute, and we don't recommend it. Think carefully before you rent in one emirate and take a job in the other.
Things that trip people up
The most common mistake isn't technical. It's believing everything you're told. Talk to people who've lived here and hear what happened to them, but don't take it as fact. Procedures change from time to time, so always get a second opinion.
That goes for your employer's PRO too. Some people tell you what you want to hear so they don't have to answer questions or deal with pushback. When you change jobs or visas, double-check everything. Make calls, ask friends and look at the official GDRFA site yourself.
Photos cause more trouble than you'd think. A free zone rejected one NTD Team member's photo three times, so the agency handling her visa used AI to 'enhance' it. The photo was accepted, but then it caused problems with her biometrics at government offices. It was fixed before she flew. Don't let anyone talk you into an edited photo, and use only real photos for any ID.
- Don't overstay. Check your visa expiry date yourself, and don't wait for anyone to remind you
- If you leave a job, find out whether your visa has been cancelled and how long you can stay. The grace period depends on your visa type, so confirm yours with GDRFA
- Make sure your name is spelt the same way on your passport, visa and Emirates ID
- Keep copies of every document, on paper and on your phone. Things often take longer than you were told
What to read next
Once your visa is under way, the other jobs tend to follow quickly. Our guide to getting started in Dubai covers what to sort out next, in the order people usually do it.