UAE Employment Visa Cancellation: Fees, Process & Documents

The Employment Visa is a residence visa with a work permit in the UAE. It is an official permit for working in UAE, therefore it is also known as UAE Work Visa.

The foreign citizens must obtain an employment visa to stay and work in the UAE. If they want to leave UAE before visa expiry, they must apply for Employment Visa Cancellation in UAE.

The procedure to cancel an employment visa in UAE is available online and offline. You can choose your convenient method to cancel your UAE employment visa before you exit the country.

Who Can Apply to Cancel the Employment Visa in UAE?

The Sponsor/Employer can apply to cancel the Employment Visa of an employee in UAE. The employment visa can be issued, renewed or cancelled with an application submitted by an Emirati Sponsor or Employer only.

The sponsor can be a person or a company registered with MOHRE in UAE. If you are an expat employee in UAE, you cannot apply for cancelling your employment visa directly. You need to request your employer to apply for employment visa cancellation on your behalf.

What to Do Before Applying for Employment Visa Cancellation

The expatriate employees in UAE can request their employer/sponsor to apply for Employment Visa Cancellation. But before that, they should do some important tasks to clear their account.

Here I provide a check-list for expat workers to finish all duties & liabilities before applying for employment visa cancellation to UAE Immigration Department.

• Close Your Bank Account(s) and Hand Over the Debit Card(s) & Cheque Book(s)
• Pay Credit Card Bills and Apply for a Card Closure Request
• Pay All Pending Utility Bills
• Pay Outstanding Loan Amount to Close the Loan
• Request to Deactivate Your UAE based SIM Card
• Cancel Rent Agreement (Tenancy Contract)
• Pay Traffic Fines, Visa Fines and All Other Fines
• If You Borrowed Money from a Lender, Pay the Debts
• Ask Your Employer to Request MOHRE to Cancel Your Labour Card (Work Permit) and Labour Contract
• Make Sure that You Have Received Your Salary and Other Employment Benefits from the Employer
• Apply for Your Family Members’ Visa Cancellation before Your Visa Gets Cancelled

I strongly request you to complete all the above tasks before you meet your employer/sponsor with a request to apply for employment visa cancellation in United Arab Emirates.

UAE Employment Visa Cancellation Fee

The UAE Employment Visa Cancellation Fee is AED 120 for Dubai Visa Holders and AED 60 for Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman and other Emirate Visa Holders.

Dubai Employment Visa Cancellation Fee

• Visa Cancellation Fee: AED 100
• Knowledge Fee: AED 10
• Innovation Fee: AED 10
• TOTAL FEE: [AED 100+10+10 = AED 120]

UAE Employment Visa Cancellation Fee (Except Dubai)

• Visa Cancellation Fee: AED 50
• E-Services Fee: AED 10
• TOTAL FEE: [AED 50+10 = AED 60]

So, you have to pay the cancellation fees & charges to apply for cancelling your employment visa in Dubai or any other Emirate of UAE.

Documents Needed for Employment Visa Cancellation

To apply for cancelling your employment visa in UAE, you must have all the required documents. If you do not know about required documents, you can check the list given below.

• The Sponsor’s Passport (i.e. Employer’s Passport)
• The Employee’s Passport
• The Employee’s Emirates ID
• An extract of Work Permit Cancellation issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) if the employee works in the private sector in UAE.
• Employment Visa Cancellation Form Signed by the Sponsor/Employer (for offline applications). If the Sponsor is a company, the cancellation form must be signed and stamped by the company.
• The Sponsor Company’s Valid Trade License Copy

You must keep all required documents ready when you apply for employment visa cancellation in UAE.

UAE Employment Visa Cancellation Process

In order to cancel an employment visa in UAE, the sponsor/employer has to apply online at GDRFA website for Dubai Visa Cancellation and at ICP website for Cancelling Visa of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah or other Emirates.

The employer/sponsor can also apply offline at an Amer Centre (Dubai) or Typing Center (Other Emirates) to cancel employment visa of an expat employee.

The employer must apply for cancellation of work permit and employment contract before applying for employment visa cancellation of an employee.

Apply for Cancelling Employment Visa Online in Dubai

1. Go to GDRFA Dubai official website @www.gdrfad.gov.ae.
2. Click on Services, then click on Residency Services.
3. Now click on Cancellation of Residency Visa.
4. Then click on Cancellation of all types of residence permits.
5. Read the description and click on Start Service button.
6. Login with your Username and Password.
7. Fill up the employment visa cancellation form.
8. Upload required documents and pay the service fee online.
9. Submit the application form to finish the process.

Apply for Cancelling Employment Visa Online in UAE (Except Dubai)

1. Go to ICP website portal @www.icp.gov.ae.
2. Select Services and click on Services for Individuals.
3. Scroll down and click on INFO in Cancel Residency Permit.
4. Read the services information and requirements.
5. Click on Start Service.
6. Login with UAE PASS or your email and password.
7. Fill up the application form and upload required documents.
8. Pay the service fee by a credit card and submit the form.

Apply for Employment Visa Cancellation – Offline Application

The application for cancelling employment visa is also available offline at all Amer Centres in Dubai and all Typing Centers in other Emirates of UAE. You can use the links mentioned below to find an Amer Centre or Typing Office near your place and then visit it to apply for employment visa cancellation.

Click to Find an Amer Centre Near Me

Click to Find a Typing Center Near Me

1. Use the above links to fine an Amer Centre or a Typing Center near you.
2. Go to your nearest Amer Centre or Typing Center.
3. Get a token and wait for your turn.
4. Fill up the employment visa cancellation form for your employee and attach necessary documents.
5. Pay the service fee by cash or a credit card.
6. Submit the application to the service officer.

After you submit your application for cancelling employment visa of an employee, the immigration authority will process it in 2 working days. So, you need to wait for up to 48 hours to get a confirmation message/email indicating that the employment visa is cancelled.

How Many Days Can I Stay in UAE After Employment Visa Cancellation?

You can stay in UAE for up to 90 days after Employment Visa Cancellation. For employment visa holders, the UAE Immigration Authority provides a grace period of 90 days (3 months) after their residency visa is cancelled.

If your employer applied for cancelling your employment visa, you should check your visa cancellation status online. The visa status checking is available online at GDRFA website and ICP Smart Services portal.

When you check your visa cancellation status, it shows the visa issue date, visa cancellation date and grace period. After your visa is cancelled, you should finish your pending work & duties ASAP and exit the country in 90 days.

Summary

The UAE government provides visa services for visitors, tourists, expatriate workers, investors and many others. If you are an employment visa holder who want to leave UAE before visa expiry, you must cancel your employment visa before you exit the country.

You can request your employer to cancel your labour card, employment contract and employment visa as per rules. I have shared a complete guide about how to apply for employment visa cancellation in UAE online as well as offline.

After your visa is cancelled, you have 90 days to settle pending bills, payments, loans, etc. You have to exit UAE in 90 days after your work residency visa is cancelled. If you have a query, you can ask me in the comment section.

FAQs about UAE Employment Visa Cancellation