UAE Visa New Rules 2026: Every Confirmed Change, Date and Status (Updated September 2026)

Last reviewed 23 September 2026. Every change below is dated and labelled with its status, and each one links to the official page or the named newspaper it comes from.

The UAE visa new rules 2026 are the changes to entry, visit and residence rules that the UAE’s immigration authorities (ICP federally and GDRFA in Dubai), MOHRE and the Dubai Land Department announced or brought into force between late 2025 and September 2026. The permanent ones are new visit visa categories with sponsor income conditions, a wider visa on arrival, a Dubai property investor residence without a minimum value, a stricter monthly wage deadline, and faster digital services at Dubai airport. The temporary ones were ICP’s fine waivers and grace periods for people caught by the airspace closures that began on 28 February 2026; they ended on 9 July 2026.

This guide exists because most articles on UAE visa rules mix three things that need to be kept apart: rules that are genuinely new and in force, measures that were temporary and are now over, and claims that were never confirmed by any authority. We have checked each item against ICP, GDRFA, u.ae, MOHRE, the Dubai Land Department and UAE legislation on 23 September 2026. Where only newspapers report something, we say so and name them.

UAE visa new rules 2026 at a glance: status of every change

Each row gives the date announced, the date it took effect, and where it stands today. The sections below take each of the UAE visa changes 2026 in turn.

UAE visa new rules 2026: how MIRDXB PRO helps

When UAE visa rules change, the questions we get are practical. Can my mother still come on a visit visa with my salary? My residence expired while I was stuck abroad; what now? Does the new wage deadline affect my company’s visa quota? We are a PRO and visa services firm in Al Barsha 1, and we handle visa files at GDRFA for Dubai and through ICP for the other emirates. If you want the whole transaction done for you, that is what our PRO services in Dubai cover.

What we do

• Tell you which of the UAE visa rules applies to your file today, with the official page it comes from, and whether a temporary 2026 measure ever covered you.
• Apply for visit visas for relatives and friends with the right sponsor income evidence, and check the new thresholds before you pay.
• Regularise status after the 2026 measures ended: pay or query fines, change status inside the country, or arrange a new entry permit.
• Handle re-entry and return permits for residents who have been abroad for more than six months, at GDRFA or ICP.
• Process property investor and Golden visa files in Dubai, including the DLD step, and check whether a mortgaged or jointly owned property qualifies.
• Keep employers on the right side of the wage deadline in the visa steps that depend on it: work permits, renewals and cancellations.

How it works

1. WhatsApp us a short description, your passport and residence details, and the emirate that issued your visa.
2. We check your case against the current service card and reply in writing with the rule that applies, the government fees and our fee.
3. You approve, and we prepare, type and submit the application, or tell you how to do it yourself if it is simple.
4. We track it to issue and send you the approval and receipts.

What it costs

Government fees are passed on at cost from the official schedule, and you receive the receipts. Our own fee depends on the service and is quoted in writing before we start. Our general approach to pricing is on the fees page.

Why residents use us

• We publish our sources. Every rule on this page links to the authority or newspaper it came from, and we say plainly where they disagree.
• We work on both systems: GDRFA for Dubai files and ICP for the other emirates.
• We tell you when you do not need us. Many of these changes need no action at all, and several viral “rules” are not rules.
• You can walk in. Our office is in Al Barsha 1, open by appointment; whatsApp us any time, 24 hours; office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 (Dubai time).
• If you are outside the UAE, we can act for you under a power of attorney where the service allows representation.

How to read the status labels on UAE visa rules in this guide

News about UAE visa rules moves fast, and the same story is often repeated for months after the rule behind it has ended. We use four labels, and we apply them strictly.

Who makes the UAE visa changes 2026, and where they are published

Four bodies produced almost all of the UAE visa changes 2026 on this page. Knowing which one owns a rule tells you where to check it.

• ICP (Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security) sets federal entry and residence rules, runs visa files for Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, and issues every Emirates ID. Its rules are published as service cards on icp.gov.ae and as news releases.
• GDRFA Dubai handles entry permits and residence for Dubai-issued files and runs passport control at Dubai’s airports. Its service cards and FAQ are on gdrfad.gov.ae.
• MOHRE owns work permits and the Wage Protection System; a blocked establishment cannot get new work permits.
• Dubai Land Department (DLD) runs the property step of Dubai’s property investor and Golden visas through its e-services.

The legal base for all residence rules is Federal Decree-Law No. 29 of 2021 on the Entry and Residence of Foreigners and its Executive Regulation, Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 2022. The UAE legislation portal shows the Executive Regulation as active, with six amendments on record and a last update of 3 June 2026. We could not read the amendment list itself, so we do not describe any amendment here. If one is published in a form we can read, we will add it with its date. For the difference between the two authorities, see our ICP vs GDRFA guide.

Visit visa rules: new categories and sponsor income conditions (in force)

On 29 September 2025, ICP published a release titled “Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security Adds Four New Visit Visa Categories and Updates Conditions and Durations of Existing Visas”. It is the largest single change to visit visa rules since the 2022 reforms, and it is the one most residents feel directly, because it decides whether you can bring your parents, siblings or friends to visit.

The four new visit visa categories under the UAE visa rules

ICP’s release gives no fixed durations for the four new categories, so we do not quote any.

The sponsor income conditions for relatives and friends

This is the visit visa change with the widest reach. ICP’s release, and now its Issuance of a Visa service card, set a minimum monthly income for a resident who sponsors a visitor:

The same release updated several existing UAE visa rules: truck drivers’ visas can be for a single trip or several, with a shipping company sponsor, a financial guarantee and health insurance; humanitarian cases are limited to one year; and a foreign widow or divorcee can obtain residence “within six months from the date of death or divorce” without a sponsor, if she shows adequate financial means and suitable housing.

What the visit visa rules mean in practice

• Check your salary evidence first. On AED 6,000 a month you can sponsor your mother, but not, on these thresholds, your brother.
• Dubai files use GDRFA’s card. GDRFA’s single-entry visit visa for a relative or friend lists 30, 60 or 90 days at AED 200, 300 or 400 plus 5% VAT, an AED 1,000 refundable deposit, and a 48-hour processing time. Its card asks for proof of relationship and the reason for the visit, but does not print the salary thresholds. Because the thresholds come from the federal authority, plan to meet ICP’s figures for a Dubai file too, and have your salary certificate ready in case it is asked for.
• ICP’s fee lines for a visit visa are an AED 100 application fee, an issue fee of AED 100 to AED 200 depending on single or multiple entry, the AED 100 smart service fee, and a financial guarantee of AED 1,000 to AED 2,000.
• Changing status inside the country costs more. GDRFA adds an AED 500 line when the visitor is already in the UAE. Our visa change status fees guide breaks this down.

UAE visa changes 2026 during the airspace closure: three temporary measures, all ended

From 28 February 2026, regional airspace closures and flight suspensions left visitors unable to leave and residents unable to come back. ICP responded with three measures. They were generous, they were clearly time-limited, and all three are over. We set them out in order because many people are still asking whether they apply.

1. The overstay fine waiver for people who could not leave

On 4 March 2026 ICP announced that it would waive fines for delayed departure for visit visa holders, tourist visa holders, exit permit holders and “residents who cancelled residency permits in preparation for departure”, for fines incurred on or after 28 February 2026. ICP gave the reason as “exceptional circumstances currently affecting the region, which led to the closure of airspace and the temporary suspension of a number of flights.” The waiver applied only where the person could not leave because of circumstances outside their control, such as a suspended or rescheduled flight.

Some websites reported that this waiver ended on 31 March 2026. ICP’s own release gave no end date, and major newspapers did not report one. What ICP did say, in June, is that the circumstances behind the exemption “have now ceased to exist”, and it replaced the waiver with a final grace period.

2. Return of residents abroad whose permits had expired: 28 February to 31 March 2026

ICP allowed residents who were outside the UAE when their residence expired to return without obtaining a new entry permit, and to regularise their status after arrival, during a window from 28 February to 31 March 2026. Gulf News reported the measure on 12 March 2026 and again on 30 March, when it confirmed that after the deadline “normal entry procedures will resume, including the requirement to obtain a new entry visa”. The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi published an advisory with the same dates.

This measure is over. A resident whose permit expired abroad now needs a new entry permit, or, if the permit is still valid but they have been away for more than six months, a return or re-entry permit. Our UAE re-entry and Dubai return permit guide explains both routes.

3. The final 30-day grace period: 10 June to 9 July 2026

On 18 June 2026, WAM reported ICP’s decision to give a 30-day grace period, running from 10 June to 9 July 2026, to people who had been exempted from overstay fines because they could not leave. They could either regularise their residence status or leave the country, without fines. ICP said beneficiaries “are not required to take any additional action” to qualify. EY’s tax alert on the decision describes it as the cancellation of the waiver, effective 10 June 2026, and its replacement with the grace period.

None of these was a general amnesty. The last general amnesty for residency violators ran from 1 September 2024 and was extended to 31 December 2024; it is covered in our UAE visa amnesty guide. We found no official announcement of a general amnesty in 2025 or 2026.

Visa on arrival widened to six more nationalities (in force, details vary)

On 25 June 2026, ICP and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that ordinary passport holders from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya and South Africa can obtain a visa on arrival if they hold a valid residence permit from one of nine approved places: the United States, the European Union member states, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand or Canada. Gulf Today and Khaleej Times reported the announcement the same day. Until then, this visa on arrival route had been open mainly to Indian nationals.

No official page we could read reconciles the two sets of fees, so we show both. The official u.ae page on visa on arrival, when we checked on 23 September 2026, still described only the older rule for Indian nationals: a normal passport plus a US visit visa or green card, or a UK or EU residence visa, valid for at least six months, for a stay of up to 14 days. Press reports in July 2026 disagree on whether the Indian rule itself was narrowed. Until the official page is updated, check with your airline and ICP before travelling on this route.

For visitors who do not qualify for a visa on arrival, the normal route is a tourist or visit visa sponsored in the UAE. See our UAE visa types guide and the entry permit service.

UAE visa rules for property owners: Dubai investor residence with no minimum value (in force)

Dubai’s two-year property investor residence, which DLD processes under its Taskeen service, used to require a property worth at least AED 750,000. In late April 2026 immigration firms and property press reported that the floor had been removed. DLD’s own e-service page now confirms it: “The property owner is allowed to apply for the issuance of a license and residency visa, regardless of the property value.” For joint ownership, each owner’s share must be worth at least AED 400,000.

Press reports say the relaxed rule applies to completed property with a registered title deed and not to off-plan units under interim registration. DLD’s page does not address off-plan or mortgaged property, so we treat that detail as reported, not confirmed. DLD did not publish a formal announcement or decree that we could find; the change is visible on the service page itself, which is what the application system follows.

Golden visa through property: what the UAE visa rules confirm and what they do not

This is where the old version of this guide was wrong, and where many websites still are. The claim is that in February 2026 Dubai removed the requirement for a minimum paid-up amount, so that mortgaged and off-plan property counts in full toward the AED 2 million Golden visa threshold. We could not find an official announcement of it.

Our reading: ICP’s federal guide allows bank finance, and in practice a Dubai mortgaged property can qualify when its current DLD valuation reaches AED 2 million, with the bank’s no-objection letter stating the amount paid and the outstanding balance. The exact documents are confirmed at application. Status: no official announcement found. Anyone who was told they were ineligible only because of a mortgage should have the file checked against these documents. The full criteria are in our golden visa eligibility 2026 guide, and the practical side is our golden visa Dubai service.

Two other Golden visa points are unchanged and confirmed: the skilled professional route needs a monthly salary of at least AED 30,000 with a valid work permit and a bachelor’s degree (ICP), and Golden, Green and Blue residents are exempt from the six-month absence rule (ICP).

Wage payment deadline: MOHRE Resolution No. 340 of 2026 (in force)

This is a labour rule, not an immigration one, but it reaches visas through the work permit. MOHRE’s Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026 was issued on 22 May 2026 and took effect on 1 June 2026, replacing Ministerial Resolution No. 598 of 2022, according to Morgan Lewis’s summary of the resolution. Gulf News reported the same effective date and the day-by-day steps.

• Due date: wages for the previous month fall due on the first day of each Gregorian month, paid through the Wage Protection System or another channel MOHRE authorises.
• Compliance: an establishment that transfers at least 85% of total wages due on time is treated as compliant (up from 80%, per Morgan Lewis).
• Exclusions from the calculation reported by Gulf News include workers in active disputes, absent workers, workers on unpaid leave and certain permit categories.

We could not open MOHRE’s own copy of the resolution from our research tools, so the day-by-day table is taken from the Morgan Lewis and Gulf News summaries and should be checked against the text on mohre.gov.ae. For how WPS works day to day, see our WPS guide; for complaints about unpaid wages, how to file a MOHRE complaint.

Ebola precaution: new visas suspended for three countries (in force when announced)

On 5 June 2026, the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) and ICP announced that from 6 June 2026 at 1 pm, the UAE would suspend all new visas, including visit visas, for nationals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, and restrict entry for travellers from those countries, including those transiting elsewhere. Gulf News reported that travellers who had spent more than 21 consecutive days outside the listed countries before arriving were exempt, and that cargo and transit flights continued. The measure was to be reviewed “depending on developments in the global health situation”.

We found no official notice lifting it by 23 September 2026, and press reports at the end of August still listed the UAE among countries with Ebola-related entry rules. It is the one entry restriction among the UAE visa rules of 2026 that is tied to a health emergency. If you sponsor a visitor or employee from one of these countries, check the current position with ICP or GDRFA before paying for a visa.

UAE visa changes 2026 in digital services

Some UAE visa changes 2026 affect how a service is delivered rather than who qualifies.

Dubai single-entry tourist visa in 48 hours (in force)

Press reports in mid-2026 described GDRFA approving single-entry tourist visas within 48 hours. GDRFA’s service card confirms the processing time: 48 hours for a single-entry tourist visa of 30 or 60 days, at AED 200 (30 days) or AED 300 (60 days) plus 5% VAT, sponsored by an accredited tourism establishment. If the applicant is already in the UAE, the card adds AED 500 plus the AED 10 Knowledge and AED 10 Innovation fees. The traveller needs a passport valid for six months, proof of onward travel and UAE-valid medical insurance. Nationals of Iraq, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan also provide a national ID card.

“Click and Travel” at Dubai airports (in force, used at peak times)

GDRFA launched “Click and Travel” on 7 September 2026 after a pilot from May to 31 August 2026, according to Gulf News and Khaleej Times. Officers carry mobile devices and complete passport control with biometric checks where the passenger is in the terminal, in about 12 to 15 seconds. On departure it covers citizens, residents and visitors; on arrival, citizens and residents only for now. It is switched on at peak times, long queues and emergencies, not for every passenger. There is no fee and nothing to apply for.

Smart medical visa for Dubai (announced, not yet in force)

In early June 2026 newspapers reported an agreement between the Dubai Health Authority and Dubai’s immigration authority to develop a “smart medical visa” linking visa, residence and health services for medical tourists. We found no service card for it. Until one appears, medical visitors use GDRFA’s existing medical visa for single or multiple entries.

ICP permit to stay outside the UAE for more than six months (current ICP service)

ICP publishes a service called “Issuance of a Permit to Stay Outside the Country for More Than 6 Months” for residents of emirates other than Dubai. We could not confirm when it was launched, so we do not describe it as a 2026 rule, but it is the current route and many older articles miss it. Its conditions: apply from outside the UAE after 180 days away, with more than 30 days left on the residence, a valid reason with proof, and entry within 30 days of approval. The fees are AED 100 for each 30 days beyond six months plus the AED 100 smart service fee; processing is two days. Dubai residents use GDRFA’s return permit instead. Our re-entry permit guide walks through both.

UAE visa rules that did not change in 2026, but are often reported as new

A large share of posts about UAE visa new rules 2026 on social media describe UAE visa rules that are years old. They are still worth knowing, because they are in force, but they are not new and nothing about them changed this year.

If a fee has changed since you last paid it, that is usually a service card update rather than a “new rule”. We keep the current federal and Dubai figures in our UAE government fees 2026 guide. We did not find an official announcement of a general change to ICP or GDRFA residence fees in 2026.

What the UAE visa new rules 2026 mean for you, by situation

If you sponsor relatives or friends on a visit visa

• Check your salary against ICP’s thresholds: AED 4,000 for parents and children, AED 8,000 for siblings and other close relatives, AED 15,000 for friends.
• Get a recent salary certificate that states your total monthly salary. Keep your Emirates ID and tenancy handy; you may be asked for them.
• Below the threshold? A tourist visa through a tourism establishment does not depend on your income.

If you are an employee

• From 1 June 2026, your salary for the previous month is due on the 1st. If it has not arrived, MOHRE’s system already knows; you can raise a complaint rather than wait.
• If an employer’s permits are suspended, a job move to it or a renewal through it may stall.
• ILOE (unemployment insurance) is not new in 2026; it has been compulsory since 2023 under Federal Decree-Law No. 13 of 2022. Our ILOE insurance guide covers subscription and fines.

If you are an employer or business owner

• Move your payroll cut-off so funds reach the Wage Protection System before the 1st. Day 5 is the point at which new work permits stop.
• If you host events or run a technology business, the new events and AI specialist visit visas may fit visitors better than a mission permit.
• If you employ or plan to hire nationals of DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan, check whether the June 2026 visa suspension is still in force before starting a file.

If you own property in Dubai

• A sole owner can now apply for the two-year property investor residence regardless of the property’s value, on DLD’s page. Joint owners need AED 400,000 each.
• For the Golden visa, a mortgaged property can count on its current DLD valuation, but the bank’s no-objection letter must state the amount paid and the outstanding balance.

If you are abroad and your residence is about to lapse

• The February to March 2026 facilitation has ended. If your residence expires while you are away, you will need a new entry permit.
• If your residence is valid but you have been away more than six months, apply for a return permit (Dubai) or ICP’s permit to stay outside for more than six months (other emirates) before the residence runs out.

If your visa has already expired inside the UAE

• Work out the grace period that applies to your category, then count AED 50 a day from the day after it ends.
• You can regularise by renewing, changing status to a new sponsor, or leaving and paying the fine. Our UAE visa expired guide sets out each option.

How to check whether the UAE visa new rules 2026 apply to your file

The quickest way to test the UAE visa new rules 2026 against your situation is to look at your own record and the service card for the transaction you need. This is the order we follow.

1. Find your issuing emirate. The first digit of your residence file number shows it: 1 Abu Dhabi, 2 Dubai, 3 Sharjah, 4 Ajman, 5 Umm Al Quwain, 6 Ras Al Khaimah, 7 Fujairah. Dubai files are GDRFA’s; the rest are ICP’s.
2. Check your status. ICP’s smart services and GDRFA’s visa status inquiry show whether your residence or visa is valid, expired or cancelled, and the dates. u.ae’s “Track visa application and validity” page links to both.
3. Check fines. GDRFA’s fines inquiry service shows residency fines on Dubai files; ICP’s services show them for the other emirates. If you were covered by the 2026 waiver, the question is whether fines were charged for the period after 9 July 2026.
4. Open the service card for what you want to do, for example “Issuance of a Visa” on ICP or “Visit visa for a relative or friend” on GDRFA, and read the conditions and fees printed on the day you apply.
5. Match the card to the change. If the card and a news story differ, the card is what the system applies. If the card is silent, ask the authority, or ask us to ask.

Regularising status now that the 2026 measures have ended

If you were covered by ICP’s waiver or the June to July grace period and did not act, you are now under the normal rules. These are the routes, step by step.

In Dubai (GDRFA files)

1. Check the fine on GDRFA’s fines inquiry service using your passport details or file number.
2. Decide the route: stay (renew, or change status to a new sponsor, which needs a new entry permit or a status amendment) or leave (pay the fine and exit).
3. If you believe part of the fine should be exempt because you could not travel, GDRFA lists an “Exemption from fines for violators of Residence Law” service: a request to waive or reduce the fine, with a passport copy and a letter explaining the reasons, decided by GDRFA’s fines committee. The card lists a fee of AED 15.75 for individual sponsors and applications at Amer centres or the Al Aweer centre. Attach evidence such as the cancelled flight notice.
4. Apply for the renewal, status change or exit through GDRFA’s app or website, or an Amer centre, and keep the receipt.

In the other emirates (ICP files)

1. Log in to ICP’s smart services with UAE Pass and check the file status and any fines.
2. Choose the route: renewal, a new residence with a new sponsor, or departure.
3. If you want to contest a residence fine, raise it with ICP through its customer channels with your evidence. Note that ICP’s “Request for Exemption from Delay Fees” service covers ID card delay fees only, under ICP’s approved exemption decisions; it is not a route for residence overstay fines.
4. Submit through the ICP app or a typing centre and track the application number.

Our UAE residence visa grace period guide explains the grace tiers in depth, and our visa status change service handles moves to a new sponsor without leaving the country.

Timeline of UAE visa changes 2026, with the 2024 and 2025 background

The same UAE visa changes 2026 as the infographic, in text, with the earlier context that explains them.

If you see one of the UAE visa changes 2026 reported that is not on this list, send it to us and we will check it against the official source.

UAE visa changes 2026: six cases, worked through

These cases are built from the situations we see most often. Names and identifying details are left out, and the figures are the published ones. Each applies the UAE visa rules as published on 23 September 2026.

1. A Dubai resident inviting his brother on a visit visa, earning AED 7,000

Situation. An accountant with a Dubai residence and a salary of AED 7,000 a month wants his brother to visit for 30 days.

Rule. Under the visit visa rules, a brother is a second-degree relative. ICP’s threshold for second and third-degree relatives is AED 8,000 a month.

Outcome. On the published thresholds he does not qualify to sponsor his brother. He could sponsor his parents (AED 4,000 threshold). For his brother, the practical route is a 30-day tourist visa sponsored by an accredited tourism establishment, which GDRFA lists at AED 200 plus VAT with a 48-hour processing time and which does not depend on his salary.

2. A visitor stranded in March 2026 who stayed on after the grace period

Situation. A tourist whose visa expired on 5 March 2026 could not fly home because of flight suspensions. She stayed with relatives and was still in the UAE in late July.

Rule. ICP waived fines from 28 February 2026 for people who could not leave, then ended the waiver and gave a final grace period from 10 June to 9 July 2026.

Outcome. The period to 9 July was covered. From 10 July she is an overstayer at AED 50 per day. She needs to check the fine on the GDRFA or ICP system, and either leave and pay, or regularise with a new visa. If she can document why she could not leave after 9 July, she can ask for a reduction through GDRFA’s fine exemption service, but that is a request, not a right.

3. A Sharjah resident abroad whose residence expired in March 2026

Situation. A teacher with a Sharjah residence was abroad when her permit expired on 10 March 2026. She did not fly back until May.

Rule. ICP’s facilitation allowed residents whose permits had expired abroad to return without a new entry permit only from 28 February to 31 March 2026.

Outcome. By May the facilitation had ended. She needed a new entry permit sponsored by her employer, then a new residence after arrival. Had she returned before 31 March, she could have entered on the expired permit and renewed inside the country.

4. A property owner with a AED 600,000 apartment in Dubai

Situation. An investor owns a completed AED 600,000 apartment outright, in his sole name, and wants residence for himself and his wife.

Rule. Before 2026 the two-year property investor residence needed AED 750,000. DLD’s Taskeen page now says a sole owner can apply “regardless of the property value”.

Outcome. He is now eligible on DLD’s published conditions. DLD lists AED 10,212.50 for the investor and AED 7,382.25 for a spouse, with 7 to 10 business days’ processing. He still needs the medical, Emirates ID and health insurance steps, which are separate.

5. A buyer with a mortgaged AED 2.3 million villa, told a Golden visa is “now automatic”

Situation. A buyer has paid AED 700,000 on a completed AED 2.3 million villa, with the rest on a bank mortgage. An agent tells her the 2026 rules mean the mortgage no longer matters.

Rule. ICP’s Golden Residency guide allows property financed through approved local banks. In Dubai, a mortgaged property is assessed on its current DLD valuation, which must reach AED 2 million, and the bank’s no-objection letter must state the amount paid and the outstanding balance.

Outcome. The mortgage does not by itself stop her file, but nothing is “automatic”: if the villa’s current DLD valuation reaches AED 2 million and her bank issues the no-objection letter stating the AED 700,000 paid and the balance, she can apply through DLD. The exact documents are confirmed at application, and the claimed February 2026 relaxation is not on any official page we could find.

6. A small contractor paying wages on the 7th of each month

Situation. A contracting company with 30 workers has always paid wages around the 7th. It wants to hire two new workers in June 2026.

Rule. Under MOHRE Resolution No. 340 of 2026, from 1 June 2026 wages are due on the 1st, with at least 85% paid on time; new work permits are suspended from day 5 of a delay.

Outcome. Paying on the 7th puts the company past day 5 every month, so new work permits are suspended and the two hires cannot proceed until wages are proven paid. Moving payroll forward solves it.

What circulates online about the UAE visa new rules 2026 that is not true

How to verify the UAE visa rules and figures in this guide

What we will and will not do

• We will show you the official page behind any of the UAE visa rules we apply to your file, and tell you when sources disagree.
• We will quote our fee in writing before we start, and pass government fees on at cost with receipts.
• We will tell you when a change does not affect you, or when you can do the transaction yourself on the ICP or GDRFA app.
• We will not promise approval, a fine waiver or a Golden visa. Those are the authority’s decisions.
• We will not apply for a service that does not yet exist, such as a visa that has only been announced.
• We will not misstate income or relationships to meet a threshold.

Related guides

More detail on the UAE visa rules behind these changes:

• UAE visa amnesty and fine waivers explained
• UAE residence visa grace period
• UAE overstay fine per day
• Re-entry permit UAE after six months
• Golden visa eligibility 2026
• UAE government fees 2026
• UAE visa types: the complete list
• UAE visa processing times
• Family visa salary requirement
• WPS explained

Keeping up with UAE visa rules across GDRFA, ICP and MOHRE, and applying them to real files, is what our PRO services in Dubai team handles every day.