A UAE visa status check goes through the portal of the emirate involved: GDRFA for Dubai, and ICP Smart Services for Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, according to the UAE government portal u.ae.
We opened both portals’ forms and the u.ae page on 15 October 2026. We entered no personal details, so this shows what each form asks for, not what a result screen prints. It is general information, not official advice.
| Visa issued in | Portal | Application status asks for | Validity check asks for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai | GDRFA Dubai | Application number, transaction number and payment date; a newer tracker asks for email, Emirates ID number and reference number | First name, file number, nationality and date of birth |
| The other six emirates | ICP Smart Services | Email address and request number | Unified, file or Emirates ID number with nationality and date of birth, or passport number, passport expiry date and nationality |
Which portal matches your visa
The u.ae tracking page, updated on 15 July 2026, splits the job by emirate. Each authority has one entry for tracking an application and another for checking validity, meaning the issue and expiry dates.
Where the visa was applied for or issued decides the portal. u.ae lists two toll-free numbers. ICP is on 600522222. For Dubai visas, GDRFA is on 800 5111 inside the UAE and +9714-313-9999 from abroad.
Checking a visa on ICP
ICP runs two separate pages, and they do not take the same details. Application Tracking, which opened for us without a sign-in, asks only for an email address and a request number. No passport option appears there.
File Validity is the page for issue and expiry dates. You search by file number or by passport information, and both routes end with a Verify step before the Search button. A GCC Citizen box sits at the top of the form.
- By file number: pick Residency, Visa or Emirates ID, then a unified number, file number or Emirates ID number, plus nationality and date of birth.
- By passport: pick Residency or Visa, then enter the passport number, passport expiry date and nationality.
On the file route the unified number is the default, so the passport route suits anyone who does not have it. Emirates ID is a type only on the file route. Our Emirates ID renewal guide covers the card itself.
Checking a Dubai visa on GDRFA
Dubai has more than one door. GDRFA’s Application Status Tracker asks for the email address, Emirates ID number and application reference number used in the application. An email verification step comes before any status shows.
A second page, the smart services Status Tracking, searches by application, file, establishment, reconsideration or over-the-counter applications. You enter an application number, a transaction number and a payment date. GDRFA’s own Visa Status page links to this one.
For validity, the Dubai government’s residency page, which shows a 2026 modification date, says you need your first name, file number, nationality and birth date.
GDRFA also runs a Unified Number Inquiry Service, described on its page as a way to find your UID. The fields are passport number, nationality, date of birth and gender, with a security check.
What a cancelled visa looks like on Reddit
A July 2026 r/dubai post shows why some people check before they travel. The poster, who said they had been abroad for about five months, described being stopped at check-in:
“They contacted the UAE immigration system and told me my visa had already been cancelled.”
– r/dubai, July 2026 (63 upvotes)
With 37 upvotes, the top reply offered one explanation:
“Your sponsor probably cancelled your visa. Have you checked with them?”
– reply in r/dubai, July 2026 (37 upvotes)
Both are single accounts. The official pages we read give the lookup routes above and say nothing about who may cancel a visa or when, so we cannot confirm the reply.
Where rival guides disagree with the official pages
On grace periods one consultancy guide splits from ICP. It says a 30-day grace period starts the day after expiry, with AED 25 a day from day 31. ICP’s visit visa extension page, which we read on 9 October, lists AED 50 a day and mentions no grace period.
That ICP line sits on the visit visa page, and we read no ICP fine rule for residence visas, so we cannot say which figure applies to a residence visa. Our tourist visa extension guide covers the visit visa side.
Another consultancy page lists 13 status messages, such as Under Process, and says to check again in 24 to 48 hours. u.ae and the forms we opened list no status words, so we cannot match them to what the portals print.
That page also says a recently renewed passport can leave a visa linked to the old passport number. We found no official statement either way. None of the six rival pages we read mentions GDRFA’s UID lookup or its email-based tracker.
What we could not confirm
Several practical points are left open by the pages we read, and we found no official answer to any of the five below.
- What a result screen shows, because we submitted no form.
- Which GDRFA tracker suits which case.
- Whether a UID found through GDRFA works in ICP’s form.
- How soon a new application appears in either system.
- Whether ICP’s AED 50 a day, or any grace period, applies to a residence visa.
For anything outside these routes, ICP and GDRFA list the phone numbers given above.
Quick answers on UAE visa status check
How do I check my UAE visa status by passport number?
On ICP, choose Passport Information, then enter the passport number, passport expiry date and nationality. The Dubai pages we read list a file number rather than a passport route.
Which portal checks a Dubai visa?
GDRFA Dubai, according to u.ae. The other six emirates use ICP.
Which phone numbers can I call?
ICP is on 600522222. GDRFA is on 800 5111 inside the UAE and +9714-313-9999 from abroad, per u.ae.
Do I need to sign in?
The ICP and GDRFA forms we opened showed their search fields without a sign-in.
Last checked on 15 October 2026. Portals and forms change, so confirm on the official site before relying on any detail.
