Free tool · Re-entry
Outside the UAE for months? Check if you can board, whether you need a return permit, the fee and your entry deadline.
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A UAE residence is treated as void once the holder has been outside the country for more than 180 consecutive days, unless an exception applies (Cabinet Resolution 65 of 2022, Articles 59 and 60). The way back is a return permit: GDRFA Dubai's "Return Permit for Resident outside UAE More than 6 months", or ICP's "Permit to Stay Outside the Country for More Than 6 Months" for the other emirates. This check answers the question on the day you actually fly: do you need a permit, what does it cost, and what is the last day you can enter.
| Dubai (GDRFA) | Other emirates (ICP) | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee formula | AED 350 + AED 100 per 30-day block beyond 180 days (through Amer, incl. payment charges) | AED 150 + AED 100 per 30-day block |
| Standard file, 3 blocks | AED 650 | AED 450 |
| Processing | About 2 working days | 2 days |
| Entry window | 1 month from approval, not beyond the residence expiry | 30 days, counting the approval date |
You apply from outside the UAE, and only once 180 days away are complete; your residence must have more than 30 days of validity left; and you need a documented reason for the absence. Golden, Green and Blue residences are exempt, and in our casework partner-visa holders return within 360 days without a permit.
In September 2026 a client on a self-sponsored remote work visa was stopped at check-in in Canada after more than 180 days away. We sorted her return permit within an hour of her call, and GDRFA approved it on 25 September 2026. The redacted permit is in our re-entry permit guide.
If you will have been outside the UAE for more than 180 consecutive days on the day you fly, and you do not hold a Golden, Green or Blue residence or another Article 60 exemption, you need a return permit before you travel.
Yes. Airlines check before boarding, which is how our Canada case was stopped at check-in. Sort the permit before you go to the airport.
No. A self-sponsored remote work (virtual work) visa follows the 180-day rule like an employment or family residence.
Only if more than 30 days of validity remain when you apply. With 30 days or fewer left, the route is renewal through your sponsor, if your category allows it, or a new residence.
Expect the manual passport counter, not the smart gate, when you return on a return permit.
Numbers are one thing
A calculator works from what you type. We work from what is actually recorded against your file — which is frequently different, and always the number that matters.
Grace period by emirate and category, chargeable days at AED 50 a day per person, and the figure in 30 days.
Open calculator → EmploymentArticle 51 by dates or years, unpaid leave excluded, the two-year cap and the 14-day payment deadline.
Open calculator → CostLine-by-line government fees from the published GDRFA, ICP and MOHRE cards, before anyone quotes you.
Open calculator → FamilySalary, housing and who you can sponsor, checked against the official rules, with the cost per dependant.
Open calculator → Golden VisaProperty, salary and entrepreneur routes against the official thresholds, with the Green Visa fallback.
Open calculator → CancellationEmployer not answering, company closed or sponsor deceased? Find your exact MOHRE, GDRFA or ICP route in six questions.
Open calculator → DeadlinesOne date in, every deadline out: grace period, overstay, ILOE, gratuity, Emirates ID and newborn deadlines, straight into your calendar.
Open calculator → Business setupPrice a Dubai mainland company line by line from the published DET schedule, and compare four free zones on their own published prices.
Open calculator → ComplianceExpired licence, establishment card or work permits, late WPS or corporate tax? See the fines building today and what each lapse blocks.
Open calculator → HiringVisa fees by MOHRE category, worker protection, insurance, salary and gratuity accrual over a two-year visa cycle.
Open calculator → AuthorityType your residence file number and see which emirate and authority hold your file, the helpline and where to apply.
Open calculator → Status changeCompare the published status change fee with the real cost of a border run, and check whether your file is ready.
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