Reasons your UAE Visa May Get Rejected

Planning to travel to the UAE? If you are coming to the UAE for a visit or for work, it is important to have your requirements ironed out to have your visa approved by the UAE’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs.

UAE immigration receives a phenomenal amount of visa applications for tourist, resident and employment, and the numbers are rising every year.

Although applying for a visa is easy and hassle-free, there are still unlikely reasons and different scenarios in which your visas may get rejected. Here are some of the reasons and situations in which visas may be refused based on Gulf News article:

1. A previous visa issued under your name.

• If you previously held a residence visa and left the country without cancelling it, a new visa will not get issued under your name. Your papers have to be sorted out by a PRO (Public Relations Officer) at the immigration department.
• If you have been issued a Tourist Visa and did not enter the country up until it’s validity.
• Visa Cancellation costs around 150 to 180 AED.

2. Hand-written passports.

• Passports with hand-written entries are not accepted by UAE Authorities. This policy has been in place since 2010.’

3. Passport issued more than 10 years ago.

• If your passport has a validity of more than 10 years, immigration officials may ask for additional supporting documents such as birth certificate etc.

4. Criminal Records.

• Applicants with previous criminal records in the UAE may not get their visa approved.

5. Human error.

• A simple human error such as typographical mistakes or misspellings in the application would cause a delay in approval. So as are incomplete applications which may result in rejection. And the visa application fees are non-refundable.

6. Unclear file copies.

• Ensure copies of your passport, photographs and other documents are clear and not blurry so that your applications don’t get delayed.

7. Female, 21 years old and below, travelling alone.

• For women travelling alone to the UAE between the age of 18 to 21, a visit visa application is subject for approval. The applicant may need to provide further documentation such as information on the tour group, hotel details and itinerary.

Visa rules and regulations may be subject to change without prior notice. Hence it is advised to follow the UAE Embassy in your country or relevant UAE authorities for an up-to-date visa application policy.