Emirates Visa Extension: Charges, Process & How to Extend Your Visa

A UAE visit visa extension lets you stay longer on a tourist or visit visa without leaving the country. Since the rule change that removed the old "exit and re-enter" requirement, a 30-day or 60-day visit visa can be extended from inside the UAE, whether it was issued by GDRFA Dubai or by the federal ICP for another emirate. This guide covers the extension fees, how many times you can extend, the without-exit process, the deadline that catches people out, and the step-by-step application.

Two things first. Extensions are applied for before the current visa expires — not after. And transit visas, visa on arrival stamps for most nationalities, and residence visas follow different rules; this page is about visit and tourist visas only.

Can You Extend a UAE Visit Visa Without Exit?

Yes. Visit visa extension without exit is now the standard process. You apply through a licensed sponsor or typing centre while you are in the UAE, the extension is filed with the issuing authority, and a new entry permit is issued electronically. You do not fly to Kish, Muscat or Doha and back. The old "visa run" is no longer required and, for some nationalities, no longer accepted as a way to reset the clock.

The authority depends on who issued your original visa. A Dubai-sponsored visa is extended through GDRFA Dubai. A visa sponsored from Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Ajman or another emirate is extended through ICP. The extension is still valid for travel across all seven emirates either way. If you are not sure which authority issued yours, the visa PDF says so, and our visa status check guide shows where to look.

UAE Visit Visa Extension Fees

UAE visit visa extension products are priced separately from the original visa. Each figure below is the total price per person — government fee, VAT and our filing fee together.

So the answer to "how much is a visit visa extension in the UAE" is $420 for a 30-day extension and $600 for a 60-day extension. Both are processed in one to two working days. A 1-month visa extension in Dubai therefore costs $420; a 2-month extension $600. Applicants who entered on an airport-to-airport (A2A) permit use the separate 30 Days A2A Visa Extension or 60 Days A2A Visa Extension products.

The government portion of the fee is set by GDRFA or ICP and is non-refundable once filed. If your extension is refused — usually because it was filed after expiry — the government fee is lost and the overstay clock is already running.

This is the most searched question about the UAE visit visa extension, and the honest answer is that it depends on the visa and the issuing authority. As a general rule, a 30-day or 60-day visit visa can be extended up to two times for 30 days each, giving a maximum continuous stay of around 90 to 120 days. After the second extension you must leave the UAE before applying for a new visa. Some nationalities and some sponsor types are limited to a single extension.

Multiple-entry visas are extended per entry, not per visa: leaving and re-entering resets the stay counter within the visa's validity, so extension is rarely needed. We confirm the exact number of extensions available on your specific visa before you pay — it is checked on the portal, not guessed.

UAE Visit Visa Extension Rules 2026

The rules below apply to every UAE visit visa extension whether filed with GDRFA or ICP:

• Apply before expiry. The application must be filed while the current visa is valid. There is no grace period after expiry.
• No exit required. Extensions are processed inside the country.
• Passport validity. At least six months remaining on the date of the extension.
• No pending fines or bans. Unpaid traffic or overstay fines block the extension.
• Same sponsor or a licensed agent. The extension is filed by the original sponsor or a licensed agency such as ours.
• Transit visas cannot be extended. Nor can the 14-day visa on arrival stamp for most nationalities — those travellers must exit.

Overstay is the expensive mistake here. Since February 2026 the UAE charges AED 50 per day of overstay with no grace period — see our overstay rules guide. A one-week slip on a family of four costs more than the extension would have.

How to Extend a UAE Visit Visa: Step by Step

1. Check your expiry date on the visa PDF and count back — apply at least five working days before it.
2. Choose the extension product — 30 Days or 60 Days, standard or A2A.
3. Upload your current visa, passport bio page and a photo. No original passport is needed.
4. Pay online — the total price, nothing added at checkout.
5. We file with GDRFA or ICP and send you the reference number.
6. Receive the new entry permit by email, typically in one to two working days. Your stay is extended from the original expiry date, not from the approval date.

You can track progress on our visa status page. If you are in Dubai and prefer to go in person, a GDRFA-registered Amer typing centre can file the same extension.

Inside-Country Extension vs A2A Extension

The UAE visit visa extension comes in two forms and the names confuse people. An inside-country extension is the normal case: you entered on a standard visit visa and want more days. An A2A (airport-to-airport) extension applies to travellers whose original permit was issued on an airport-to-airport basis — typically a status change or an entry arranged at short notice — and it is filed as a separate product. The stay granted and the processing time are the same; the product code differs, and filing the wrong one is refused. Send us your visa PDF and we tell you which applies before you pay.

What Happens If a UAE Visit Visa Extension Is Refused

Refusals are uncommon but they happen, and the timing makes them expensive. The usual causes are an application filed after expiry, an unpaid fine on the file, a passport with under six months' validity, or the maximum number of extensions already used. If the refusal comes after your original visa has expired, you are already accruing the AED 50 daily overstay fine and must exit. If it comes before, you can correct the issue and refile, or leave on schedule. The government fee is not returned either way, so getting the eligibility check right before paying matters more here than on any other visa product.

Extending Visit Visas for Family Members

Each family member's visa is extended separately, at the standard per-person fee, and each must individually meet the rules — a child's passport with five months' validity blocks that child's extension even if the parents qualify. Children's visas are filed alongside the parents' and approved together in most cases. If one family member has reached the maximum extensions and the others have not, that person must exit while the rest can stay.

Visit Visa Renewal vs Extension

Travellers use "renewal" and "extension" interchangeably, but the UAE does not renew visit visas. An extension adds days to the current permit while you remain inside the country. Once the maximum extensions are used, the only route to more time is to exit and apply for a new visa — that is what agents mean by "renewal". A new visa is priced at the standard rate; see the Emirates visa price page.

Extending in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Other Emirates

The extension process is the same in every emirate; only the portal differs. Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Ajman visas are extended through ICP smart services. Dubai visas through GDRFA. You do not need to be physically in the issuing emirate to extend — a Sharjah-issued visa can be extended while you are staying in Dubai.

A Worked Example: Extending a 30-Day Visa

You land on 1 October on a 30 Day Single visa. Your permitted stay ends on 30 October. On 23 October you file a 30 Days Visa Extension ($420). It is approved on 24 October and your stay now runs to 29 November — counted from the original expiry, not from the approval date. On 22 November you file a second extension, approved 23 November, taking you to 29 December. That is the maximum on most visas; on 29 December you must exit. Total cost of the two extensions: $840, against a first-day overstay fine that would have started at AED 50 and kept climbing.

Extension Timing: The Five-Day Rule

File at least five working days before expiry. Processing is one to two working days, but a document query — an expired passport page, a fine on the file — can add days, and once expiry passes the extension window closes. Filing on the last day is the single most common way people end up in overstay while an extension is technically "in progress". If you are inside five days, choose express processing and send documents the same hour.

Not Covered on This Page

Residence visa renewal is an employer or family-sponsor process with different fees and medical requirements — see employment visa. Visa on arrival extension rules for Indians with qualifying foreign visas are on the visa on arrival page. If your visa has already expired, you are in overstay territory; read overstay rules before doing anything else. To cancel a visa instead of extending it, see visa cancellation.