UAE Visa Status Check 2026: By Passport Number, File Number, and What Each Status Means

You paid the visa fees a week ago. Your employer keeps saying "it's in process", and the status page you found on Google just answered "no record found", even though you typed your passport number three times.

So is the visa stuck, rejected, or are you on the wrong website? Usually it's the website. A UAE visa status check runs on one of two systems, depending on which emirate issued the visa, and each wants different numbers. Quick answer first, detail after.

Which portal checks your UAE visa? (The quick answer)

Visa issued in Where to check Phone
Dubai GDRFA Dubai: the "Visa Status" tile on gdrfad.gov.ae opens the status inquiry page 800 5111 inside the UAE, +971 4 313 9999 from abroad
Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah ICP Smart Services: Application Tracking for an application in progress, File Validity for an issued visa 600 522222 (+971 600 522222 from abroad)
Work permit stage, mainland employer MOHRE transaction inquiry 600 590000 (24/7)

The GDRFA and ICP links are the same ones the government portal u.ae gives. The MOHRE link comes from MOHRE's own Transactions Inquiry Service page. Not sure which emirate sponsored you? Ask your employer or sponsor where the company or family file sits. That one answer picks your row.

Why does the emirate matter so much?

Immigration in the UAE is split two ways. ICP (formerly ICA), the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, handles visas for six emirates. Dubai-issued files are handled by GDRFA Dubai, the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs. Some government pages, u.ae included, still call it the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.

Search for a Dubai residence visa on ICP, or a Sharjah visa on GDRFA, and in our experience at the counter you'll usually get nothing back. For a fuller map of which authority owns which transaction, see our portals guide.

The online record also matters more than it used to. ICP stopped issuing residence stickers on 11 April 2022 and made the Emirates ID the proof of residence, and Dubai dropped its own sticker later that year. There's nothing left in your passport to check: your status lives in these systems.

How to check your GDRFA visa status in Dubai

  1. Open gdrfad.gov.ae and tap Visa Status. It takes you to the GDRFA status inquiry page.
  2. Pick a search type. The page offers Application, File, Establishment inquiry, Reconsideration request and Counter service requests.
  3. If your visa is still being processed, use Application. Keep your receipt open: the fields include application number, transaction number and payment date.
  4. If your visa is already issued, use File. The fields include first name in English, file number, nationality and date of birth.
  5. Fill in every field. The page itself says "Please enter all search fields."

A tip from our counter: type your first name exactly as it appears on the e-visa. An extra space, or a middle name the file doesn't have, is enough to turn a valid visa into "no record found".

How to check your ICP visa status for the other six emirates

ICP has two separate tools, and people mix them up constantly:

  • Application Tracking is for an application that's still moving. ICP application numbers start with 010. If yours doesn't, you're probably reading a different reference off the receipt.
  • File Validity is for a visa or residence that's already issued. Use it for a UAE visa validity check, including confirming a visit visa is still active.

ICP's FAQ says its visa service is completed within 48 hours after all requirements are fulfilled. If a document is missing, that clock hasn't started yet.

Can you check UAE visa status by passport number alone?

Not by the passport number alone. GDRFA's inquiry page does list a passport field, but it asks for all search fields, and its File search depends on your file number.

On ICP, File Validity does offer a passport search, but it asks for more than the passport number, such as your nationality or date of birth. Before you start, put your passport, your e-visa or entry permit, and your Emirates ID (if you have one) in front of you. If one search fails, you can switch without starting over.

File number vs UID vs Emirates ID: which one does the portal want?

These three numbers cause most of the confusion we see:

  • File number. It identifies one specific visa or residence file. On the e-visas and entry permits we handle at the counter, it's printed on the document itself, and a new visa usually comes with a new file number.
  • UID (unified number). Your personal number in the immigration system. In the files we see, it normally stays the same from visa to visa, which helps when you've held more than one. Lost it? GDRFA Dubai's Unified Number Inquiry finds it from your passport number, nationality, date of birth and gender.
  • Emirates ID number. It's on your card. Your Emirates ID proves residence, but its number is not your file number, so don't paste it into a file-number box.

And don't look for any of these on a passport sticker. As covered above, the sticker no longer exists.

Which system is your file in right now?

Status checks often fail because the file isn't where you're looking. A typical employment visa sequence with a mainland employer starts with a MOHRE work permit, then moves to an entry permit from GDRFA Dubai or ICP. After that come the medical, then the residence permit and the Emirates ID (including biometrics).

MOHRE's inquiry service shows you that handover. Alongside the plain application status, it lists:

  • the status of the work permit preliminary approval notice
  • the status of that notice's data at GDRFA
  • the transaction status at ICP
  • e-work permit information

Here's how to read it. If MOHRE shows the preliminary approval but the GDRFA line (or, outside Dubai, the ICP line) hasn't moved, the file is sitting between the ministry and immigration. Chasing your medical won't help yet.

The official clocks worth knowing:

  • GDRFA Dubai residence permit (private sector): 48 hours.
  • ICP visa service: 48 hours after all requirements are fulfilled.
  • Entry permit: enter the UAE within 60 days of issue.
  • After entry: complete the residence steps within 60 days of arrival. Stay on past that without a residence permit and overstay fines apply.

The entry permit and residence clocks start on different dates. Our entry permit vs residence visa guide explains which is which.

If your residence is nearing expiry rather than new, grace periods follow different rules. Our guide to residence visa renewal in Dubai covers them.

What does "under process" mean, and when is a visa actually stuck?

We haven't found a published glossary of status labels from GDRFA, ICP or MOHRE. So these aren't official definitions. They're what the labels usually mean in practice, based on the files we handle at our Deira counter.

  • Under process / in process. The file is in someone's queue, which is normal. Only chase it once you're clearly past the clocks above with everything submitted.
  • Approved / issued. This stage is done. Download the e-visa and move to the next step: entry, medical or biometrics.
  • Returned / requires action. In our experience, nearly always a missing document, a bad photo or a data mismatch. Fix it and resubmit through the same channel.
  • Rejected. The stage is closed, often with no reason shown. Don't reapply with the same data until you know what went wrong. Our guide to UAE visa rejection reasons covers the usual causes and the fix for each.
  • Cancelled. The file is closed. Check for this after a job ends, before you assume your visa is still running.

"No record found" isn't a status. Nearly every time, it means the wrong portal, search type or number, or a name typed differently from the file.

When should you escalate, and to whom?

  1. Re-check yourself. Confirm the emirate, portal and search type, then retype every field.
  2. Call the authority. GDRFA Dubai: 800 5111. ICP: 600 522222, or a complaint at cc.icp.gov.ae. MOHRE: 600 590000.
  3. Walk in. GDRFA Dubai services run through Amer centres. MOHRE transactions go through Tasheel.
  4. Bring the paperwork. Your application number, file number or UID, passport copy and every receipt. Without them, the counter sees the same "no record found" you did.

Or skip the legwork. Our typing centre in Dubai reads these screens for clients every day, backed by 12+ years in UAE government services and 5,000+ clients served.

Reading these portals is a PRO skill

Knowing which system a file is in, and what a status really means, is daily PRO work. You can learn it on the job over two years and make expensive mistakes along the way. Or you can learn it in three days on Sarmat's KHDA-certified Certified PRO Officer Program and walk in prepared.

Frequently asked questions

How can I check my UAE visa status online?

For Dubai-issued visas, use GDRFA Dubai's status inquiry page. For the other six emirates, use ICP Smart Services: Application Tracking or File Validity. u.ae links to both.

Can I check my UAE visa status with just my passport number?

Not with the passport number alone. ICP's File Validity has a passport search, but it also asks for details such as your nationality or date of birth. GDRFA's page lists a passport field but asks for all search fields, and its File search depends on your file number. Keep your e-visa and Emirates ID handy.

Why does my visa check show "no record found"?

Usually it's the wrong portal for your emirate, the wrong search type, or a name that doesn't match the file exactly. Check those before assuming the visa has a problem.

Where do I find my visa file number and UID?

On your e-visa or entry permit document, not in your passport, since residence stickers ended in 2022. Your Emirates ID number is a separate number.

How do I check if my UAE visa has been cancelled?

Run a file search for your emirate: File Validity on ICP, or File on GDRFA Dubai. If the result is unclear, call the authority before making travel or job decisions.

Stuck on a status you can't read? Send a screenshot on WhatsApp and our Deira team will tell you which system your file is in and what to do next. Prefer not to use WhatsApp? Reach us through the contact page.

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SARMAT PROFESSIONAL & MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT TRAINING L.L.C | SARMAT GOVERNMENT SERVICES L.L.C

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