When you are working or living in the UAE, it is mandatory for you to have your valid working permit and residence visa. Before you can start to go to your work, you need to have these essential documents with you or else, you and your employer will face charges from the government.
Also Read – How to Sponsor your Family in UAE (Residence Visa for Spouse, Children, and Parents)
Just like when you apply for your visas, you need to undergo certain procedures too when canceling your visa in the UAE. You’ve read it right. You have to cancel your visa in the UAE if you are not planning to use it anymore.
As a general rule, it is the responsibility of your employer (or sponsor) to cancel your visa.
Why do you need to cancel your visa in the UAE?
You are probably wondering why canceling your UAE visa is mandatory. What’s the main purpose of doing it? Couldn’t you just wait for it to expire so you won’t have to undergo such a process? First and foremost, the main reason why there is a need for visa cancelation is that the UAE law states that you must cancel it before you can leave the country for good. If you are not planning to work and live here anymore, it is a formal procedure to close all the visas related to your residence and employment.
Who should process your visa cancelation?
Now, you might be thinking about how you got your employment permit and residence visa in the first place. The next question you have in mind for sure is who should process your visa cancelation if your employer helped you get your visas.
To set things clear, only your sponsor or your employer can cancel your residence visa in the UAE. You can’t undergo the procedure on your own.
How does your employer/sponsor/company cancel your visa?
If your company decides to cancel your employment visa, it should submit an application to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation first to cancel the labour contract and labour card of the employee. The application must bear the signature of the employee to be effective. After that, your employer will have to apply to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA) for the cancelation of visas.
Your work permit will be likewise canceled by your employer. He needs to submit a letter with your signature with a statement that you have received all your wages and end of service benefits and give to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.
If you are sponsoring your family members such as your spouse, children, parents, and other dependents, you will be the ones to cancel their visa before you can successfully cancel your own.
Take note that the visa cancelation will be done through the GDRFA—the authority that stamped your residence visa.
What are the ways to cancel my visa?
Now that you have an idea who will cancel your visa and what are the processes involved, it’s time for you to be aware of the two different ways how your visa can be canceled.
The first approach is through a registered typing center. Your employer or sponsor will visit a typing office registered by GDFRA in the Emirate where you are staying or working. The typing center will be the one to fill up the cancelation form with your information and process it electronically through GDFRA.
The second approach is by doing it online. Your employer or sponsor might not need to visit a typing center. Instead, he can process it online through the website of the GDRFA or eChannel platform of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship.
Your visa cancelation can be likewise tracked online if you wish to get an update regarding the cancelation.
What are the documents needed for visa cancelation?
If your employer will process your visa cancelation through GDRFA, the following documents are needed:
- Your visa cancelation form with the signature of the employee and the employer/sponsor.
- If your employer/sponsor is a company, the form should bear your company stamp and a clearance certificate from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation should be submitted too.
- Your original passport
- Your original identity card
- If you are out of the company, your employer or sponsor may present your original passport or you can ask the Naturalisation and Residency Department to produce a computerized extract of your residence visa.
What happens if I don’t cancel my visa before leaving the UAE?
Well, there are a couple of consequences if your visa remains active despite you being out of the country for good. For instance, if your visa can’t function as a multiple entry visa, you can’t just enter and exit the country easily. The authorities can verify and check it through their system.
It’s also a hassle for you if the visa remains active and you apply for a job in the UAE after a year or so because you have to tell your new employer that you still have an active visa under your previous sponsor. If you are under this case, your new employer should cancel your previous visa first before you can apply for a new one. Some companies and employers find this process challenging since they have to put in the extra effort.
If your visa doesn’t get canceled and your new employer applied for one without canceling the previous visa, both of you will suffer from charges and penalties. So, it’s not really ideal to leave the country without formally organizing your papers and documents related to your previous employer.
Final Thoughts
So far, those are the information you need to know when canceling your visa in the UAE. Again, you don’t have to go through the process of cancelation because your employer or sponsor will process that for you. The same procedure will apply if you are a sponsor your family members. Coordinate with your employer regarding the necessary signature and documents before you leave the country so you won’t face any difficulty entering the country in the future, especially if you want to work or live in the UAE again.