Destination 
Verified
A UAE tourist or visit visa is a short-term entry permit sponsored by a licensed tourism agency, hotel, airline, or UAE-based individual. It gives you the right to be in the UAE for a defined period of 30, 60, or 90 days depending on the visa type, but not the right to work or live here permanently.
A UAE residence visa is a long-term permit that establishes you as a legal resident. It is issued by GDRFA or ICP and must be sponsored by an eligible entity: an employer, a spouse who meets the income threshold to sponsor dependents, or another qualifying sponsor. It comes with a medical fitness requirement, biometric registration, and an Emirates ID.
The conversion process is simply the path from one status to the other, while you are already inside the country.
| Route 1: Change of status | Route 2: Entry permit, exit and re-enter | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Your visa status is changed electronically inside the UAE. You do not leave the country | Your sponsor obtains an entry permit while you are still here, you exit the UAE on your visitor visa, and re-enter on the entry permit |
| Who initiates it | Your sponsor submits the application through GDRFA or ICP | Your sponsor applies for the entry permit; you then make the exit trip and re-entry |
| Do you leave the UAE? | No | Yes: Oman border, any airport exit, or airport-to-airport change |
| When it is used | Standard route for most employment and family residence conversions | When the employer or system requires a physical re-entry stamp, or for certain free zone employment situations |
| Authority | GDRFA (Dubai) or ICP (other emirates) | GDRFA or ICP for the entry permit; border/airport immigration for the exit and re-entry stamp |
Under UAE law (Ministry of Interior Resolution 377 of 2014), any person on a visit or tourist visa can have their entry permit status changed to a residency permit without the need to exit the country. The change is processed electronically.
In practice, this is handled by your sponsor: an employer's PRO (public relations officer), a typing centre registered with GDRFA or ICP, or a licensed travel agency. If you are managing the process yourself, you can visit an Amer centre in Dubai or a Tasheel centre elsewhere in the UAE.
The change of status service adds the entry date on the new visa being issued to you. It activates the new visa against your UID (Unique ID number in the immigration system) without requiring you to physically leave and re-enter. Your visitor file is closed and a new residence visa file is opened. For more detail on this process, see our guide on changing your visa status without exiting the UAE.
People who have found employment with a UAE-based company and whose employer is initiating the residence visa process
Spouses or dependents of UAE residents, where the sponsor is initiating family sponsorship
Investors and property owners qualifying for investor residence
Others with a qualifying UAE-based sponsor
The employer's PRO, a licensed typing centre, or the sponsor submits the visa conversion application through the GDRFA portal (for Dubai) at gdrfad.gov.ae, or the ICP smart services portal (for other emirates) at smartservices.icp.gov.ae. This is not something you submit yourself.
A change of status fee of approximately AED 550 to AED 650 is paid as part of the application. This is separate from the government fees for the residence visa itself. Fees can vary slightly depending on the emirate and the processing channel.
The system closes your current visitor file under your UID. You remain legally in the UAE throughout this process.
A new file is created and your status changes from visitor to resident-in-process. At this point you are no longer on a tourist entry permit.
All residence visa applicants must pass a medical fitness examination at an approved UAE health centre. This typically includes a blood test and a chest X-ray. Results are usually ready within a few days.
A security background check is completed as part of the residence visa process. This runs alongside the medical test and does not require you to do anything separately.
Once the medical test is cleared and the residence visa application is approved, you attend an Emirates ID centre to provide biometric data. Your Emirates ID is then produced and can be collected or delivered.
The residence visa is stamped in your passport or issued electronically. You are now a UAE resident.
Timing: Begin the change of status process well before your visitor visa expires. Once the application is submitted by your sponsor, you are in process. Do not assume this protects you if your visa expires before the new status is activated. As of October 2024, there is no grace period on tourist visit visas. Confirm the timeline with your sponsor against your visa expiry date.
Timing: Begin the change of status process well before your visitor visa expires. Once the application is submitted by your sponsor, you are in process. Do not assume this protects you if your visa expires before the new status is activated. As of October 2024, there is no grace period on tourist visit visas. Confirm the timeline with your sponsor against your visa expiry date.
The second route involves your sponsor applying for a residence entry permit while you are still in the UAE on your visitor visa. Once the entry permit is issued, you exit the UAE, and then re-enter on the entry permit. From that re-entry, the full residence visa process continues inside the country.
Some employers, particularly those in certain free zones, require a physical exit and re-entry as part of their internal process. In other cases, the employer or PRO may have a workflow that routes through the entry permit path rather than the change of status path. The outcome is the same: you receive a UAE residence visa.
1 Sponsor applies for employment entry permit
Your employer (for employment visas) or qualifying family sponsor applies for a UAE entry permit on your behalf through GDRFA or ICP. The entry permit is typically issued within a few working days and emailed to the applicant.
2 You receive the entry permit
The entry permit is delivered by email. Print it or save it clearly on your phone. This is the document you will use to re-enter the UAE.
You exit the UAE through any authorised exit point while your visitor visa is still valid. Three common routes:
Present your passport and entry permit at the UAE border on re-entry. Your entry date is stamped against the entry permit, not the old visitor visa.
The same medical fitness examination as Route 1: blood test and chest X-ray at an approved centre. Usually arranged by your employer or sponsor.
Identical to Route 1: security clearance runs in parallel, then Emirates ID biometrics are completed at an approved centre.
The residence visa is stamped in your passport or issued electronically. You are now a UAE resident.
Entry permit validity: an entry permit issued for employment purposes has a validity period, typically 60 days from issue. Your exit and re-entry must happen within that window. Confirm the exact validity date on your entry permit document before booking travel.
Your sponsor handles the submission, but you need to have these ready to hand over promptly.
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Passport | Original, valid for at least 6 months beyond the expected residence visa duration. Some employers require a full year of remaining validity. |
| Passport photograph | White background, recent. Confirm size requirements with your sponsor or typing centre. |
| Current visit visa copy | Your tourist or visit entry permit, the document that brought you into the UAE. |
| Proof of sponsor's legal status | Employer: valid trade licence copy. Spouse: their UAE residence visa and attested marriage certificate. Parent sponsoring children: attested birth certificates. |
| For employment visas | Signed employment contract and copy of the company's valid trade licence. |
| For family visas | Attested marriage certificate (spouses) or attested birth certificate (children). Attestation requirements vary by country of issue. Confirm with your sponsor. |
| Medical fitness results | Arranged after application is submitted. Your employer or sponsor will direct you to an approved testing centre. |
On attestation: documents issued outside the UAE, including marriage certificates and birth certificates, typically require attestation before UAE authorities will accept them. The chain usually involves the issuing country's foreign ministry and the UAE embassy in that country, or an apostille if the country is a Hague Convention signatory. Confirm the specific requirement with your sponsor before documents are needed.
Once your residence visa is issued and your Emirates ID is active, you have access to services not available on a visitor entry:
No. You should not begin employment in the UAE until your work permit (labour card) is issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) or the relevant free zone authority, and your residence visa processing is underway. Working on a visitor visa is not permitted and carries penalties under UAE law.
This is the most important timing issue in both routes. As of October 2024, there is no grace period on tourist visit visas. Overstay begins the day after your visa expires and carries a daily fine. Start the process early, confirm the timeline with your sponsor, and monitor your visa expiry date carefully. If there is a risk of expiry before activation, discuss it with your employer's PRO or a licensed visa agency immediately.
The type of visit visa (30, 60, or 90 days; single or multiple entry; tourist or sponsored) does not affect your eligibility to convert to a residence visa. What matters is that you have a qualifying sponsor ready to initiate the process, and that your visitor visa has not expired.
In most cases, no. Your employer or sponsor will use the route that their process or the relevant authority requires. For most mainland employment and family sponsorship cases, Route 1 (change of status without exit) is standard. For some free zone employment situations, Route 2 applies. Ask your employer which route they will use and plan accordingly.
If you have not yet found a sponsor but want to remain in the UAE, you may be able to extend your current tourist visit visa from inside the UAE where eligible. As of October 2024, there is no grace period after expiry, so plan extensions before the expiry date, not after.