How to Apply for a UAE Visa From Pakistan and Track It

A Pakistani applies for a UAE visa through one of four channels: the ICP eChannels portal or UAEICP app, the GDRFA Dubai website, a typing centre registered with either of them, or a UAE airline, hotel or licensed travel agent. Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the day you enter. Track your application on ICP for Abu Dhabi and the northern emirates, or on GDRFA for Dubai. A visit or tourist visa never gives you the right to work.

We read the UAE government's own portal, u.ae, on 22 September 2026, together with the ICP and GDRFA pages it links to. Every rule below comes from those pages and carries the date the UAE last updated it. We did not find a visa fee on any page we could read.

Whether UAE visit visas are being issued to Pakistanis at the moment can change from month to month. The steps to apply, check the result and avoid losing money stay the same.

Which UAE visa you need

Pick the visa by the reason for your trip. The person or company who applies is different for each one.

The 5 year tourist visa asks for more than the ordinary one. The u.ae page, updated on 10 August 2026, lists a bank balance of USD 4,000 or its equivalent over the last six months, health insurance valid in the UAE, and a return or onward ticket.

The jobseeker visa is narrower than many agents suggest. The u.ae page, updated on 28 July 2026, says you must be at the first, second or third skill level set by the UAE labour ministry, MOHRE, or have graduated in the last two years from one of the world's top 500 universities. You also need a bachelor's degree and a financial guarantee. The documents listed are a colour photo, a passport copy and a degree attested by HEC.

How to apply for a UAE visa from Pakistan

The u.ae page on where to apply, updated on 16 July 2026, names the official channels. Follow these steps.

1. Choose the emirate you will enter. Dubai visas go through GDRFA Dubai at gdrfad.gov.ae. Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah go through ICP at smartservices.icp.gov.ae or the UAEICP app.
2. Decide who applies. For a tourist visa you can use a UAE airline (Emirates, Etihad or flydubai), a hotel, a licensed travel agent, or the federal portal yourself. For a family visit, your relative in the UAE applies. For work, your employer applies.
3. Scan your documents. A clear colour photo and a passport copy are the minimum. Your passport must have at least six months left from the day you enter.
4. Pay only on the official screen. The fee is shown on the service card of the ICP or GDRFA site when you apply. Keep the receipt.
5. Save the application number. You need it to track the visa and to check that the visa you are handed is real.

Check that your visa is real and still valid

Do not board a flight on a PDF alone. Check it on the government system first. The u.ae tracking page, updated on 15 July 2026, gives two places to look:

• Abu Dhabi and the northern emirates: the ICP application tracking and file validity services, both on smartservices.icp.gov.ae.
• Dubai: the GDRFA status inquiry at smart.gdrfad.gov.ae.

Both loaded for us on 22 September 2026. If the number on your visa does not show up, or shows a different name, do not travel on it. Ask whoever applied for you to show you the record on the portal.

Why a visit visa is not a work visa

This is where most Pakistanis lose money. The UAE's own fraud advice, updated on 16 July 2026, says four things plainly:

1. A visit or tourist visa does not give you the right to work. Working on one brings fines and legal liability.
2. A real job offer is an offer letter issued by MOHRE and signed by the company's authorised manager.
3. Under UAE labour law, the employer pays the recruitment costs.
4. You can check that the company exists by searching its English and Arabic name in the UAE's National Economic Register.

You can check the reference number on a MOHRE offer letter through MOHRE's inquiry service. A work visa for Dubai can be checked on GDRFA, and one for the other emirates on ICP.

Pakistan adds its own step. Anyone going abroad on a work visa has to be registered with the Protector of Emigrants before leaving. It is the step that makes your contract something you can complain about later.

Warning signs of a fake UAE visa or job

An agent who says "come on a visit visa and we will change it to work later" is asking you to take all the risk. If the job never appears, you are the one who overstays and pays the fines.

• You are asked for money for a job visa. The UAE says the employer pays recruitment costs.
• The offer letter is not a MOHRE letter, or the reference number does not check out.
• The recruiter has no licence from Pakistan's Bureau of Emigration.
• You are asked to hand over your original passport or to pay into a personal account.
• The "visa" is a PDF that does not appear on ICP or GDRFA.

Where to get help

The u.ae page lists ICP's toll free line as 600522222. GDRFA Dubai lists 800 5111 inside the UAE and +971 4 313 9999 from abroad. The UAE Embassy in Islamabad's page on the UAE foreign ministry site gives the email islamabademb@mofa.gov.ae and the ministry's 24 hour line, +971 800 44444.

If a Pakistani agent took your money for a job that did not exist, complain to the Protector of Emigrants office where you registered, or to the Bureau of Emigration. Fraud through fake online portals can also be reported as a cybercrime.

Common questions

How much does a UAE visa cost for Pakistanis?

The u.ae fee page says visa charges are shown on each service card on the ICP and GDRFA websites. They are not listed on u.ae itself, and we could not read the service cards, so we do not quote a fee. Any fee an agent gives you should match what the official screen shows.

Can Pakistanis get a UAE visa on arrival?

Plan on getting your visa before you travel. The u.ae page says visa on arrival lists change and tells travellers to check with the UAE embassy before flying. Ordinary Pakistani passport holders are reported to have no general visa on arrival.

How long must my passport be valid?

At least six months from the date you enter the UAE.

Can I look for a job in the UAE on a tourist visa?

You can look, but you cannot work. The proper route for job hunting is the jobseeker visit visa, if you meet its skill and degree rules.

How do I check if my UAE visa is genuine?

Use the ICP application tracking or file validity service for Abu Dhabi and the northern emirates, or the GDRFA status inquiry for Dubai.

Do I need the Protector stamp for a UAE work visa?

Yes. Everyone leaving Pakistan on a work visa has to be registered with the Protector of Emigrants first.

Last checked and sources

Last checked 22 September 2026. Channels to apply are from the u.ae page "Where to apply for entry permits or visas", updated 16 July 2026. Tourist visa and 5 year visa rules are from the u.ae tourist visa page, updated 10 August 2026. Jobseeker visa rules are from the u.ae jobseeker visit visa page, updated 28 July 2026. The work visa rule is from the u.ae page on residence visas for working in the UAE, updated 7 August 2026. The six month passport rule is from the u.ae entry permit page, updated 13 July 2026. Tracking links and helplines are from the u.ae tracking page, updated 15 July 2026. Fraud advice is from the u.ae page "Tips to avoid labour and visa fraud", updated 16 July 2026. Embassy contacts are from the UAE foreign ministry's Islamabad mission page. We could not read any visa fee, because u.ae sends readers to ICP and GDRFA service cards that load only inside the apps. Visa rules change often; check the official portal on the day you apply.