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A new system will save you lots of time and money
14 February 2019
| Last updated on 13 March 2019
You'll now be able to renew important documents within one to three days...
We're all familiar with the processes and time needed to gain our Emirates ID and UAE residency visa - and renewing both can be equally frustrating and costly, in time and expenditure.
Currently, renewing your Emirates ID and UAE residency visa can take up to two weeks. But now, according to a senior General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) official, those wishing to renew both documents can simply fill up an application form online... Without the need to visit typing centres.
All residents simply have to do is download and visit the GDRFA application, instructs Colonel Arif Al Shamsi, director general of GDRFA Sharjah.
SEE ALSO: Residency visa procedures for families in Dubai and UAE
The app will allow you to apply for your visit visa and residence visa from inside and outside of the country. You'll also be able to track the progress of your applications, reports Khaleej Times.
The best part? Applications received via the app will be renewed in just one to three days, compared to the two-week waiting period previously in place.
How to renew UAE residency visa via a mobile app
To apply for your UAE entry permit and residency visa, you may do so by downloading the GDRFA Dubai app for Apple and Android.
Via the GDRFA app, you may also:
- Apply for a visit visa for your relatives
- Apply for a residency entry permit for your family members (wife and kids)
- Apply for a new residency visa for your family members after they've arrived in the UAE with a residency entry permit
- Renew residency permits for family members
- Transfer your residency to your new passport
- Check your residency and entry permit status
- Cancel residency for anyone sponsored under your sponsorship
There are several other options via the app, and don't forget - you can use the smart gates at the airport with the app if you are already registered for the gates.
Alternatively, you can also use the ICA UAE eChannels app for Apple and Android.
How to register in the GDRFA mobile app
Using the GDRFA app for a Dubai company
With the GDRFA app, if you're a HR Manager or PRO, you can:
- View the list of individuals your organisation sponsors
- Generate sponsor and sponsored report
For companies and sponsors applying for the visas for staff outside of the country, procedures are completed within a week.
Those on a three-month visit visa who no longer have to leave the country to extend their visas may also apply for the renewal online, at a fee of AED 500. However, they should allot enough time for processing and apply before their visa expires.
How to renew your UAE residency visa online
Instead of downloading an application, applicants can also apply for the Emirates ID and UAE residency visa through the websites of the relevant GDRFA in each emirates. The links are:
GDRFA of Dubai provides one more website Amer.ae, through which Dubai nationals and residents can apply for entry permit and residence visa for their families. Visitors can apply for extension to visas on arrival.
Renew your UAE residency visa via eChannels
Through the eChannels portal, individuals and companies registered in the UAE can apply for a new visa or visa renewal. In order to apply, individuals and companies must first register themselves.
Note that eVisa can be used at entry port in the UAE without the need to put the original visa in the entry port before the arrival of the sponsored.
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