Question
What is the difference between an entry permit and a residence visa?
The short answer
An entry permit lets you enter the UAE for a stated purpose and period. A residence permit lets you live here, and the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) issues it as a separate service. The first does not turn into the second: a foreigner's stay must not exceed 60 days from entry while the residence is completed, or overstay fines apply. ICP publishes a separate fee panel for each service. Issuing a visa and issuing a residence permit each carry a AED 100 application fee and a AED 100 smart-services fee, and the residence permit adds AED 100 per year of validity. Cancelling an entry permit costs AED 50, and applying to cancel a residence permit costs AED 50, each with a AED 100 smart-services fee. An approval at the first stage is not an approval at the second.
The order of authorisations, from sponsor file to residence permit
- The sponsor is registered with ICP. For a company, that is the establishment card, and ICP publishes a fine for obtaining entry visas for an establishment that is not conducting business. A resident sponsoring family needs an active sponsor file instead.
- An entry permit is issued to the individual for a stated purpose, such as tourism, a visit, treatment, study, or completing a work or family residence procedure. The holder must enter within 60 days of issue, and the validity can be extended once for an equal period before arrival.
- The individual enters. Someone already inside the country uses ICP's status adjustment service rather than leaving and re-entering. A tourist entry permit can be cancelled after entry only when the cancellation is tied to a status-adjustment application.
- ICP lists a medical report among the documents for some residence categories, and the residence permit is tied to an Emirates ID application. The card follows by courier once the residence is issued.
- ICP issues the residence permit against the sponsor and charges AED 100 per year of validity. It publishes a service completion time of 2 days.
Where the gap between the two permits costs money
ICP charges AED 50 per day of overstay once an entry permit has expired or been cancelled, counted from the day after the grace period for that permit type. Separately, the foreigner's stay must not exceed 60 days from entry while the residence is completed. If the residence is not finished in that time, overstay fines fall on the applicant.
Extensions are their own service, not an adjustment to the first permit. ICP charges a AED 100 application fee on every visa extension and lists a AED 500 extend-entry fee. Extending an entry permit's validity before arrival costs a separate AED 50 and can be done once, for an equal period. A visit permit for tourism can run to 120 days in total, and one for visiting a relative or friend to 180 days. Status adjustment is also a separate service: ICP's residence fee panel lists it at AED 500 for some categories, five times the AED 100 application fee.
How the sponsor type changes what happens after cancellation
The residence permit is issued against a sponsor, and the category sets the grace period ICP allows after expiry or cancellation. A permit issued with a guarantor or host gets 60 days. Skilled workers in levels 1 to 3 and property owners get 90 days. Golden, Green and Blue Residence holders and their family members get 180 days. All other categories get 30 days. The AED 50 daily fine starts the day after the grace period ends. Whether an office is needed for visas is answered in [do you need an office for a UAE visa](/questions/do-i-need-an-office-to-get-a-visa), where the tier sets the quota.
The sponsor's cancellation also reaches dependants. Under a foreign worker's sponsorship, family members' permits must be cancelled before his residence is cancelled, or placed on hold for a limited period with fees. ICP lists a AED 5000 guarantee fee for cancelling a sponsor's permit without cancelling the family members' permits.
Where this stops
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Where this comes from
General information drawn from the CBUAE Rulebook, including the Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes Regulation (C 15/2021), and Cabinet Resolution No. (134) of 2025 as published, not legal or tax advice. Rules and guidance change, so confirm the current text and each institution's own requirements before you submit.