How can you apply for a travel report in the UAE?
Explained: What is the travel report or the exit/entry certificate and why you need it
Dubai: If you wish to apply for a travel report in the UAE but do not know how to go about the process, here is all you need to know about travel reports in the UAE?
What is a travel report?
A travel report also goes by a few other names, like:
- Entry/Exit report
- Entry/Exit certificate
- Movement report
The report is issued by an immigration authority and shows the exit and entry dates and locations (ports of entry or exit), the applicant’s passport number and other immigration related details.
In the UAE, the report will be issued either by the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA), or, in case of Dubai visas, by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA).
According to Sirajudeen Ummer, Public Relations Officer at Dubai-based First Gate Business Services, there are two types of travel reports.
“One is the overall travel report and the other is the last trip information. Also, the cost of the travel report for a person on a family visa and an employee on a company visa is slightly different,” he said.
Sirajudeen Ummer, Public Relations Officer at Dubai-based First Gate Business Services
2. Detailed or Overall Entry/ Exit Passenger Report: This reflects the full history of entry/exit status for the applicant.
Where can I go to get a travel report?
- DubaiNow app - Recently, the app DubaiNow has enabled Dubai visa holders to apply for immigration services online. This includes the service of getting a travel report for one’s dependents.
- Amer centre for Dubai visa
- ICA customer happiness centre
- Tasjeel
- Authorised typing centres
Documents required
According to Sardar Ali, public relations officer at Al Ain-based Saifee Typing Services, if you are applying for the travel report in person, you would be required to provide the following documents:
- Sponsor’s or applicant’s original Emirates ID
- Applicant’s original passport with visa page copy
- Passport sized photograph
Cost of a travel report
Overall travel report for employees - Dh276
Overall travel report for family Dh240
Sponsor and sponsored Dh256
Who needs an ICA report?
There are various situations when you may need to get a travel report.
1. Cancelling residence visa when outside the UAE - According to Ummer, quite often when a person is outside the UAE and wishes to cancel their residence visa, they request for a travel report.
“This is done in order to know whether the individual is inside or outside the country,” she said.
2. Company closure – If a company is shutting down, the business owner is required to prove that they have no employee left on the company’s visa.
3. Migrating to a new country – at times the country that you are migrating to may require your travel history to conduct background checks.
4. Expat applying for tax exemption from country of origin – In some cases, you may need to apply for tax exemption if you are not living in your home country.
5. Other Applying for an equivalency certificate – When you are applying for in UAE, the ICA report is a mandatory document to be uploaded while applying for certificate equivalency on the Ministry of Education portal.