With thousands of residency visas expiring around the turn of the calendar year, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) used 16 February 2026 to remind foreign residents how to verify their post-cancellation ‘grace-period’ entitlement through the ICP Smart Services portal.
Since October 2022, the UAE has offered flexible grace windows ranging from 30 days (for most skilled workers) to 180 days (for Golden-Visa holders and high-skilled professionals), allowing time for job searches or status adjustments without incurring overstay fines. Yet mobility consultants report persistent confusion, particularly among newly cancelled employees who assume a flat 30-day rule still applies.
![ICP Publishes Step-by-Step Guide to Check UAE Visa Grace Periods Online]()
The ICP’s updated tutorial walks users through logging in with Emirates ID, entering the Unified Number (UID) and retrieving a personalised expiry-and-grace timeline. It also shows how to trigger a one-click status-change request—useful for employees switching sponsors without leaving the country.
HR teams are encouraged to circulate the link in termination packs and onboarding kits. Failure to act within the allotted period now incurs the recently unified AED 50-per-day overstay fine, a cost that corporate assignees often assume the company will reimburse.
Law firms specialising in immigration compliance welcomed the public-education push, noting that overstays—even unintentional ones—can trigger exit bans and jeopardise future entry privileges. The guide is available in Arabic, English, Hindi and Tagalog, reflecting the UAE’s diverse workforce.
Since October 2022, the UAE has offered flexible grace windows ranging from 30 days (for most skilled workers) to 180 days (for Golden-Visa holders and high-skilled professionals), allowing time for job searches or status adjustments without incurring overstay fines. Yet mobility consultants report persistent confusion, particularly among newly cancelled employees who assume a flat 30-day rule still applies.
The ICP’s updated tutorial walks users through logging in with Emirates ID, entering the Unified Number (UID) and retrieving a personalised expiry-and-grace timeline. It also shows how to trigger a one-click status-change request—useful for employees switching sponsors without leaving the country.
HR teams are encouraged to circulate the link in termination packs and onboarding kits. Failure to act within the allotted period now incurs the recently unified AED 50-per-day overstay fine, a cost that corporate assignees often assume the company will reimburse.
Law firms specialising in immigration compliance welcomed the public-education push, noting that overstays—even unintentional ones—can trigger exit bans and jeopardise future entry privileges. The guide is available in Arabic, English, Hindi and Tagalog, reflecting the UAE’s diverse workforce.
Source: Gulf News
