UAE scraps visa residency passport stamps
The new rule will take effect from Monday, 12 December 2022
UAE will remove its visa stamp residency from Monday, December 12, 2022, according to a directive sent to business owners in the nation. General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) will revoke stamping the residence visa in the passport. Effective Monday, December 12, 2022, the Emirates ID will replace residence visa stickers.
The news follows an announcement earlier this year that the UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Ports Security (ICA) would be cancelling residency stickers affixed to residents’ passports.
The UAE has instead been issuing a new generation of Emirates ID cards to foreigners residing in the UAE that includes all the details that were previously mentioned on the residency stickers affixed to passports.
Passports will no longer need to be collected for stamping, and once the residency has been approved the applicant will be able to download a copy of their e-Residence and use their Emirates ID for travel.
