UAE Employment Visa Cancellation - DIFC

Important Update for Employees Outside the UAE

No More 180-Day Waiting Period for Certain Visa Cancellations

Executive Summary

What Has Changed

Based on the latest update received from the DIFC, an employment visa cancellation can now be processed for an employee who is outside the UAE without waiting for the standard 180 days and without submitting the employee's original passport.

1. No 180-Day Wait

   Cancellation can proceed immediately, rather than waiting for the employee to be outside the UAE for six months.

2. No Original Passport

   The application can be submitted without the employee's original passport being provided to Government Service Operations (GSO).

3. Exit Date Requirement

   The application must state an exit date that falls within the past six months.

4. Applicable Fee Applies

   The standard fee for cancellation without a passport applies to these applications.

The Update

Previous Process vs Updated Process

Reference

Current Cancellation Scenarios

1. Employee Inside the UAE

Apply for Visa Cancellation – Inside UAE / With Passport.

Original passport is not required to be submitted to GSO with this request.

2. Outside UAE - Under 6 Months (Updated)

Apply for Visa Cancellation – Outside UAE / Without Passport.

Standard route for employees who have already completed 180 days abroad.

3. Outside UAE — Over 6 Months

Apply for Employment Visa Cancellation – Outside UAE, citing an exit date within the past six months.

No need to wait for 180 days or submit the original passport: applicable fee applies.

How the Updated Scenario Works

Filing Under Employment Visa Cancellation - Outside UAE

1. Confirm Exit: Verify the employee's exit date from the UAE falls within the past six months.
2. Select Category: Choose “Employment Visa Cancellation – Outside UAE / Without Passport” as the application type.
3. Submit Exit Date: State the confirmed exit date in the application in place of the original passport.
4. Pay Applicable Fee: Settle the standard fee that applies to cancellation without passport submission.
5. Cancellation Processed: GSO processes the cancellation without requiring the 180-day wait to elapse.

Key Requirement

The exit date declared in the application must fall within the six months preceding submission. There is no requirement to wait for the employee to complete a full 180 days outside the UAE and the original passport does not need to be provided to GSO.

Impact

What This Means for Employers

This change can significantly simplify the visa cancellation process for companies where employees have already left the UAE but have not yet completed 180 days outside the country.

1. Complete Cancellations Earlier

   Close out an employee's UAE immigration status without waiting for the standard six-month window.

2. Proceed Without the Passport

   No need to recover or courier the employee's original passport back to the UAE for GSO submission.

3. Avoid the 180-Day Delay

   Remove a major administrative bottleneck for employees who have already exited the country.

4. Smoother Offboarding

   Streamlines company administration and final settlement processes for departed employees.

How BAM Advisors Can Help

Navigating UAE Visa Cancellation and Employee Offboarding

• UAE employment visa cancellations across all scenarios, inside or outside the UAE.
• Verification of current requirements directly with GDRFA / GSO before filing.
• End-to-end employee offboarding and final settlement coordination.
• Broader PRO and corporate services support for UAE-based entities.

Need assistance with UAE visa cancellation or employee offboarding?

Contact our Corporate Services team.