What is ‘change status’ of a UAE visa? All you need to know.

Dubai: If you have ever been involved in the application process of a UAE visa, you may have come across a ‘change status’ fee. But what exactly is this process and when can you apply for one? Here is all you need to know.

Normally called ‘change status’, ‘in out’ or even ‘inside country visa change’ by public relations officers across the UAE, the process refers to the modification of the visa status of an individual, without the need to exit the country.

“What the change status does is add the entry date on the new visa that is being issued. This could be whether you are on a visit visa or a residence visa. The service helps people come on a new visa, after their old visa has expired, without exiting the country and entering on a new visa,” Moosa Bin Ali Dayani, a public relations manager based in Dubai, told Gulf News.

So, whether you are applying for a new visit visa, since your old visa is about to expire, or moving from one employment visa to another because you found a new job, the ‘change status’ service allows people within the UAE to move to a new visa, by paying a change status fee.

The process will be completed along with the application for the new visa, and will be handled by either your company’s public relations officer, the travel agency managing your tourist visa or the typing centre that you may have approached for the new visa. If you are handling your visa process yourself, you can apply for the change status by visiting an Amer centre in Dubai or a Tasheel centre near you anywhere in the UAE.

The cost can vary slightly, depending on the charges levied by the agency managing your visa. However, it should range between Dh550 to Dh650.