Question
What is the difference between an entry permit and a residence visa?
The short answer
They are two different authorisations, issued as two different services, and the first does not turn into the second by itself. An entry permit authorises you to enter the country for a stated purpose and period. A residence permit authorises you to live here, and is issued after entry, after the medical and Emirates ID steps, and against a sponsor. ICP publishes them as separate services with separate fee panels — issuance of a visa, and issuing a residency permit — and separate cancellation services, each with its own published application fee: AED 100 to apply for a visa, AED 100 to apply for a residence permit, AED 50 to cancel an entry permit, AED 50 to apply to cancel a residence permit, with a AED 100 smart-services line on each. The practical consequence is that an approval at the first stage is not an approval at the second.
The sequence, stated as authorisations rather than steps
- The sponsor is registered with the immigration authority — for a company, that is the establishment card.
- An entry permit is issued to the individual, for a stated purpose and a stated period.
- The individual enters, or where they are already in the country, their status is adjusted through a separate published service rather than by leaving and re-entering.
- The medical and Emirates ID steps are completed, each with its own authority and its own charges.
- The residence permit is issued, per year, against the sponsor.
Where people get caught between the two
The gap is where the risk lives. ICP publishes an overstay fine of AED 50 per day running after an entry permit expires or is cancelled, in the terms and conditions of the residence services themselves — so the exposure begins the moment the first authorisation lapses, whether or not the second is in progress.
Extensions are their own service, not an adjustment to the first one: ICP publishes an application fee of AED 100 for visa extensions generally, and a separate AED 50 fee for extending an entry permit's validity before arriving in the country. Status adjustment inside the country is likewise a published service with its own fee, which is materially larger than the small lines above and which we do not quote as though it were incidental.
Who the sponsor is changes what happens next
The residence permit is issued against a sponsor, and the sponsor determines what happens when things change. A company-sponsored residence follows the company: if the licence lapses or the establishment file closes, the residence attached to it is affected. A self-sponsored long-term residence does not have that dependency, which is the structural reason people pursue one.
It also determines who can cancel it, and how dependants under the same sponsor are handled when it is cancelled.
Where this stops
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Where this comes from
This page is general information about UAE business setup, not legal, tax, immigration, or banking advice. Rules, fees, permitted activities, and bank policies can change. Final eligibility depends on your facts and the applicable rules at the time of application.