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This is the most important step. The UAE has two separate immigration authorities. ICP covers all emirates except Dubai; GDRFA covers Dubai only.
ICP Portal
smartservices.icp.gov.ae
GDRFA Portal
gdrfad.gov.ae
If you are unsure which authority issued your visa, try the ICP portal first. If no record appears, check the GDRFA portal. Tourist and visit visas applied for through a licensed agency in Dubai are typically Dubai-issued and therefore fall under GDRFA.
Use smartservices.icp.gov.ae for residence visas and entry permits issued in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah or Umm Al Quwain, and for Emirates ID checks from any emirate.
Passport InformationVisa for entry permits and tourist visas, or Residency for residence visasChecking from outside the UAE: both portals are fully accessible internationally. You only need your passport number, expiry date and nationality. No UAE SIM card, UAE Pass account or VPN is required. The portals work from any country.
Important: the ICP portal only shows visa status after the visa has been issued. If your visa is still being processed, it will not appear in the search results. A blank result during processing does not mean the application has been rejected.
Use gdrfad.gov.ae for visas issued by Dubai immigration, including Dubai tourist visas, Dubai residence visas and Dubai entry permits. This includes visas applied for through licensed Dubai-based agencies such as Arabiers.
The GDRFA portal also has an AMER service at amer.gdrfad.gov.ae for residence visa enquiries, where you can enter your visa file number alongside your name, nationality and date of birth. The visa file number is shown on the visa sticker stamped in your passport under the "File" field.
Visa has been formally issued. You may travel on this visa. Check the expiry date shown.
"Approved" means the authority has approved the application. "Under Process" means it is still being reviewed. Neither is the same as "Issued".
The application has not been approved by UAE immigration. Do not travel on a rejected visa. Contact your agency for next steps.
The visa has been cancelled or has passed its expiry date. Entry is not permitted on a cancelled or expired visa.
You need "Issued" or "Valid" before boarding. "Approved" alone is not sufficient. Airlines and UAE immigration require a fully issued visa. If your status shows Approved but not Issued, contact the agency that processed your visa before travelling.
If you have exceeded your UAE visa validity, fines are applied from the first day after expiry at AED 50 per day with no grace period. To check whether fines have been recorded against your passport:
If you need more time in the UAE before your visa expires, apply for a UAE tourist visa extension before the expiry date. Once a visa has expired, the extension route is no longer available and you will need to settle the fines and exit. If your visa is not yet expired and you need a same-day or next-day renewal, the airport to airport visa change is another option for exiting and re-entering on a fresh visa.
If you have received a UAE visa PDF and want to confirm it is genuine, enter the visa reference number on either the ICP or GDRFA portal. If the reference number appears in the portal as issued and valid, the document is authentic. If the number does not appear or shows as invalid, do not travel on that visa and contact the issuing agency immediately.
UAE visa fraud is a known risk. Only apply for UAE visas through licensed agencies or the official government portals. If you applied through Arabiers, your visa reference number will be included in the confirmation email sent at issuance.
UAE residents with a UAE Pass account can also check their residence visa status directly in the UAE Pass app. Log in, navigate to the Documents tab and your residence visa details are displayed. This method requires a registered UAE Pass account linked to your Emirates ID. UAE Pass also shows UAE Golden Visa status for holders of that category.
ICP (all emirates except Dubai)
600 522 222 Toll-free within UAE
GDRFA Dubai (from inside UAE)
800 5111 Toll-free within UAE
GDRFA Dubai (from outside UAE)
+971 4 313 9999 International call
Arabiers visa team
Contact us For visas applied through Arabiers
Still need to apply for your UAE visa?
Express processing available. Visa PDF delivered by email.
Apply for UAE visit visa
Many people check their visa status from their home country before flying, not just from inside the UAE. The process is identical from abroad. What to confirm before you depart:
If you applied for a UAE tourist visit visa through Arabiers and want to confirm it before travel, the approved visa PDF is sent to your email. The visa number on that PDF can be cross-checked on the government portal for independent verification. If you need a new UAE tourist visa or have not yet applied, express processing delivers approval within 4 to 8 hours on UAE working days.
For Dubai-issued visas, go to gdrfad.gov.ae, navigate to E-Services, select Visa Inquiry, enter your passport number, nationality and date of birth, and click Submit. For visas issued in any other emirate, use smartservices.icp.gov.ae instead.
On the ICP portal, go to smartservices.icp.gov.ae, click Smart Services then File Validity, select Search by Passport Information, choose Visa or Residency, enter your passport number, passport expiry date and nationality, complete the CAPTCHA and click Search. For Dubai-issued visas, use gdrfad.gov.ae with your passport number, nationality and date of birth.
Use GDRFA (gdrfad.gov.ae) for visas issued in Dubai. Use ICP (smartservices.icp.gov.ae) for visas issued in any other emirate, and for all Emirates ID checks. If unsure, try ICP first. If no result appears, try GDRFA.
Yes. Both smartservices.icp.gov.ae and gdrfad.gov.ae are accessible from any country in the world. You only need your passport number, passport expiry date and nationality. No UAE SIM card, Emirates ID, UAE Pass account or VPN is required. If you applied through Arabiers, you can also contact the visa team to confirm whether your visa has been issued.
"Approved" means UAE immigration has reviewed and approved the application, but the visa has not yet been formally issued. "Issued" or "Valid" means the visa has been issued and is ready for use. You need "Issued" status before boarding your flight.
Go to gdrfad.gov.ae and find the Fines Inquiry section on the home page. Enter your passport number or Emirates ID and click Submit. Overstay fines are AED 50 per day from the first day after expiry, with no grace period since October 2024.
It means your application is still being reviewed by UAE immigration authorities. It has not been rejected. Do not travel until the status changes to Issued or Valid.
Enter the visa reference number on the ICP portal at smartservices.icp.gov.ae or the GDRFA portal at gdrfad.gov.ae. If the number appears as issued and valid, the visa is authentic. If it does not appear or shows as invalid, do not travel and contact the issuing agency immediately.
Apply to extend your UAE visit visa from inside the UAE before it expires. Extensions are available in 30-day increments. There is no grace period: fines of AED 50 per day begin from the first day after expiry. Once expired, the extension route is closed.