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Amer Centre Services in Dubai

Amer Centre Services in Dubai

GDRFA residency transactions — entry permits, renewals, Emirates ID.

Mir Ali Licensed PRO consultant · Amer & Tasheel partner

Updated 4 Sep 2026 Get a fixed quote

The short version

Amer is the GDRFA channel — residency, entry permits, visa renewals, cancellations and Emirates ID applications for Dubai.
If your transaction concerns employment or labour, it belongs at Tasheel, not Amer.
Typing fees run AED 30 – 300 per transaction on top of the government fee.
Most Amer transactions can be lodged on your behalf — you rarely need to attend in person.

Amer centres are the public-facing counter for Dubai's General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs. They do not decide anything. They receive, type and submit — which is precisely why a badly typed application fails and a correctly typed one does not.

What Amer handles

Transaction	Notes
Entry permits	Employment, family, newborn, mission
Status change	Convert in country without exiting
Residence visa renewal	Employment and family sponsored
Visa cancellation	Starts the grace period clock
Emirates ID application	New, renewal and replacement
Family sponsorship	Spouse, children, parents
Sponsorship transfer	Between sponsors or categories
Fine payment and file checks	Immigration fines and status enquiries

Amer or Tasheel?

The distinction that wastes the most time

Amer = residency. Anything about your right to live in Dubai — entry permits, visas, Emirates ID, cancellation.

Tasheel = labour. Anything about your right to work — work permits, contracts, quota, labour complaints.

An employment visa needs both, in sequence. Turning up at the wrong counter is the single most common wasted trip in this process. We cover it fully in Amer versus Tasheel.

What it costs

Component	Typical range
Typing fee, per transaction	AED 30 – 300
Government fee	Varies by transaction
Urgent handling, where offered	AED 500 – 1,000
Courier or delivery	AED 30 – 100

The typing fee is the centre's charge for preparing and lodging the application. It is separate from the government fee, which is set by GDRFA and identical wherever you submit. Any quote that does not separate the two is hiding a margin — see our government fees index.

What to bring

Original passport, plus copies of the relevant pages
Emirates ID, where you already hold one
Passport photograph to UAE specification
Sponsor documents — trade licence and establishment card, or sponsor visa and Emirates ID
Attested certificates, for family transactions
Registered tenancy contract, where accommodation is assessed
Proof that any outstanding fine has been settled

Why Amer submissions fail

An unpaid fine anywhere on the file. The transaction does not refuse — it simply stops.
An expired supporting document — tenancy contract, establishment card, or passport validity under six months.
Name spelled differently across passport, certificate and application.
Wrong channel. A labour matter lodged at Amer is returned.
Missing attestation on a marriage or birth certificate.

What we do

We are an authorised Amer and Tasheel typing centre partner, so we lodge directly rather than queueing on your behalf. That means checking the file for blockers before submitting, typing the application correctly the first time, routing it to the right authority, and following it through until it closes. Government fees at cost, our fee quoted separately, in writing.

Not sure which counter your transaction belongs to?

Describe it in one message. We will tell you whether it is Amer or Tasheel, what it costs, what to prepare, and whether anything on your file will stop it.

Ask before you queue

Amer centre questions

What is an Amer centre?

An authorised service centre that receives, types and submits residency transactions to GDRFA Dubai. Amer centres do not approve applications — GDRFA does. Their role is to lodge the file correctly.

Do I have to go in person?

For most transactions, no — an authorised partner can lodge on your behalf. You must attend in person for Emirates ID biometrics and for the medical fitness test, neither of which can be delegated.

What does Amer charge?

A typing fee of roughly AED 30 to 300 depending on the transaction, on top of the GDRFA government fee. The government portion does not change between centres; the typing and service fee does.

Can Amer handle my work permit?

No. Work permits, labour contracts, quota and labour complaints are MOHRE matters handled through Tasheel. Amer covers the residency half only.

Why has my Amer transaction not moved?

Most commonly an unpaid fine on the file, an expired supporting document, or a query nobody answered. A file in that state waits indefinitely rather than refusing — checking the status directly usually reveals which.

Is Amer only for Dubai?

Yes. Amer is GDRFA Dubai's channel. Other emirates route residency transactions through ICP and their own centres — the difference is explained in ICP versus GDRFA.

Official sources

Please note. Typing fees and available transactions vary by centre and were verified in August 2026. Government fees are set by GDRFA and change independently. General information, not legal advice.

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