The UAE’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs has suspended the employment sponsorship visa transfer option across free zones for companies.
Key Points:
- Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) announced that visa transfer services have been suspended effective immediately to all free zones until further notice.
- Companies can no longer apply for a visa transfer application from free zone to free zone and must now follow the standard immigration process.
- All applications for residence visa transfers will be managed through a new visa service. Individuals seeking to transfer their visa must first apply for cancellation and then proceed with an application under the new visa service.
Additional Information: There are no changes for a new residence visa application, and the same in-country visa amendment and change status process is still applicable. The suspension applies only to visa transfer applications for company employees operating from free zone to free zone and changes in the sponsor for dependents. Sponsors may still apply for dependent visas before applying for the visa cancellation for the main applicant.
©2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden. All Rights Reserved.
National Law Review, Volume XIV, Number 3