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DigantaTravels & TypingAI-Assisted. Our assistant answers from our own service guide, written and kept up to date by the desk. It shows you where each answer came from.DigantaTravels & TypingAI-Assisted. Our assistant answers from our own service guide, written and kept up to date by the desk. It shows you where each answer came from.User Guide
Pick the journey that matches your situation. Each one lists the documents to bring, who owns the file, and the mistake that most often sends a file back.
Joining a UAE employer, or sponsoring a family member.
Typical time
Entry permit: 2–4 weeks · Residency visa: 2–4 weeks
ICP / GDRFA
Everything below is needed before the file is typed. One missing item is the most common reason a file is sent back.
Bring: Passport · photos · sponsor Emirates ID · medical fitness
Your sponsor applies while you are still abroad. You travel on the entry permit and hand it in at the medical and Emirates ID stages.
Bring: Your original passport, for the medical appointment
A medical fitness test, then Emirates ID issuance at an ICP centre or approved clinic. Both must fall inside the entry permit window.
Bring: Entry permit · passport photos · medical report
Your Emirates ID is cancelled and the residence visa is stamped in its place. The original ID is retained by ICP — ask for the receipt.
Bring: Your Emirates ID card
The most common mistake
The entry permit is valid for a limited window. Missing the medical or Emirates ID appointment can send you back out and cost a second trip — the costliest mistake on this journey.
The short names that appear on every UAE government form, in plain language. Tap or click any of them for the detail.
Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security
Federal. Handles Emirates ID, residence visas and entry permits nationwide.
General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs — Dubai
Dubai only. If your address is in Abu Dhabi, ICP is the right office, not this one.
Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation
Work permits, labour contracts and wage disputes. Labour claims: 80084.
Unique Identity Number
The 15-digit number on your Emirates ID, sometimes called your "UID". Quote it on every filing — it is how an authority finds your record.
Tawtheeq tenancy registration (Abu Dhabi)
Rent is registered with the emirate. A tenancy is enforceable only once it is registered.
Have your documents checked before you file. We will tell you what is missing, at no charge.