Which residence visas remain valid Six months outside the UAE
If you are a UAE resident studying abroad or planning to stay outside the UAE for an extended period, you may be wondering about the status of your UAE residence visa.
If you hold a UAE residence visa and continuously stay outside the UAE for more than six months, the visa is normally automatically nullified.
If your UAE residence visa has been nullified for this reason, you will need to apply for a new entry permit to re-enter the UAE.
However, there are certain exceptions to this rule. On April 18, the UAE government announced major updates to its Golden Visa residency scheme.
According to the update, Golden Visa holders have no restriction on the maximum duration of stay outside the UAE in order to keep the Golden Residency valid.
Along with Golden Visa holders, there are some other categories of residence visa holders who are also exempted from this rule. These include:
✅ A wife with foreign nationality, of an Emirati citizen, who is on the sponsorship of her husband.
✅ Domestic helpers accompanying Emiratis for studies or medical treatment.
✅Domestic helpers accompanying members of diplomatic and consular missions representing the UAE abroad and employees of such missions holding residence visas in the UAE.
✅ Expatriate residents working for the public sector sent by their employers to attend a training or a specialist course or those working in their employers offices abroad and their families who are holders of valid residence visas.
✅ Expatriate students who are studying in universities or institutes abroad.
This is as per the Dubai General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) .
If your visa was issued from a different Emirate, you would need to check with the respective GDRFA to see if it applies to your Emirate of residence or not.
