If you are travelling to UAE from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Sri Lanka and you are confused regarding the most recent travel guidelines, here is a roundup of the updated COVID-19 protocols that need to be adhered to.

According to the Emirates airline’s website, UAE residence visa holders coming from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Sudan must have approval from either the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) or the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICA).

Good news for many helpless residents who are struggling to get an ICA Approval through the ICA Smart Service, if you are one of them then don’t worry anymore. To help these stranded citizens GDRFA started a new Return Permit Service which is more trouble free than the previous one.

List of documents required to travelling to the UAE:

1. ICA or GDRFFA approval.

2. A negative COVID‑19 PCR test certificate with a QR code for a test led within 48 hours, validity should be calculated from the time the sample was collected, prior to departure, from an approved health facility.

3. A negative COVID‑19 Rapid PCR test report with a QR code for a test conducted at the departure airport within six hours of departure.

Process to get an approval from the ICA

1. Visit the ICA website

2. In the application form enter the following details:

- UAE Identity Number

- Passport Number

- Passport Type - Select from a drop-down menu - Ordinary passport, Diplomatic passport, etc.)

- Current nationality - Select from a drop-down menu

- Enter your personal details like your name (after entering your name in English your Arabic name will be auto-filled), gender, date of birth, place of birth, expected arrival date, port of arrival and departure, and email address.

- Make sure you have entered all the details correctly – including your email address – is important, as a QR code will be sent to your email.

3. Check the Captcha box.

Once you apply for the approval, you will be getting a notification on the website itself, also through an email on your registered email address.

GDRFA Return Permit Service:

 A new system has been set up to facilitate the return of Dubai Residents stranded abroad. According to the Dubai Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management firstly these residents are required to get approval from GDRFA through its newly launched return permit service, once the application is approved, the residents can book air tickets.
Let’s learn how to apply for Entry Permit and get easy approval through the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign affairs Dubai in 5 easy steps.

Step 1: Click Return Permit Link:
First step is to visit the official website of Amer GDRFA.

(We suggest everyone to use desktop/PC to fill the form as currently to mobile version is not working properly)

Step 2: Search Your Profile:

After clicking above link, you will be redirected to a page where resident need to search his/her profile in immigration system, you need to write following

• Residence Number (File Num) from your Visa Page pasted on Passport
•  Nationality
•  Year of Birth
•  Clear the Captcha code and click search

Once the search button is clicked, you will be able to see your English/Arabic name with nationality and visa expiry date, if the applicant details are correct click on the continue button to begin form filling.

Step 3: Travel Information:

Choose the country you are stranded in right now ,and select DXB (Dubai International Airport) as a arrival airport. Mention email address on which you will receive entry permit approval mail, pass captcha and continue button.
Check the box to confirm you will bear the expenses of quarantine if you are infected with COVID-19.

Step 4: Upload Documents:

 To avoid any delay in application processing; the uploaded documents should be authentic and clear. The attachment should be clear and legible before posting.  GDRFA staff  approve or reject your application by checking your uploaded copies

We request you to upload clear face and text (High Quality) documents otherwise your application will be rejected.
 
Require documents are:
- Valid passport copy
- Residence visa copy

- Emirates ID copy (both sides)

- Photograph

- PCR test result and COVID-19 vaccine certificate.

If you have any other documents such as labour card, air ticket, etc you can upload it but the important ones are Passport and Visa page. You can upload up to 10 documents. Once uploaded, click on continue.

Step 5: Fees and Payment:

The last step is to submit the application; the service is free of charge. Click post button to send your return permit application.

Once you clicked post button, you will be redirected to a confirmation page with details of your application name, number and the uploaded documents.

You will also receive an immediate mail from GDRFA Smart channel with your filled details.

Approval of Entry Permit:

Generally, it takes one or two days to approve the request (sometimes minutes only) but as the service is reaching more and more people the system is taking more time to approve the requests, but need not to worry it will not take more than  a week time to approve your request

Once it is been approved, you will be informed through the mail with the above attached approval sample. After that, you can then book ticket to travel to Dubai.
Important Points:
• Only Dubai residence visa holders can apply for this service, but you can still take a chance and check if the system accepts your visa number or not.
• Those who applied for ICA Approval need to wait for their response, if rejected they can apply through GDRFA Return permit service.
• To get your application to approve, upload clear and legible documents.
• When you get the approval then only book your tickets.
• Returning residents can fly with any of the airlines that have approved flights to Dubai airports.
• All arriving to Dubai must register their details on the COVID-19 DXB app.
• Arriving residents must complete the Health Declaration form.
• Residents to bear the cost of COVID19 tests in UAE.
• GDRFA organizes the arrival of residents. 

How to check for GDRFA approval status?

1. Visit the GDRFA Status Tracking portal and click ‘Special Requests’.

2. Enter your application number which you have received after submitting your application.

3. Select your nationality.

4. Check the Captcha box and click the search button

5. It would either show your application “In Process” or “Approved”

6. If it’s approved you can download it and bring a copy on your travel.

Note: The validity of GDRFA approval is for 30 days.

Read Returning Residents Rules:

https://bit.ly/2YY2rb2
The guide about ICA Approval or GDRFA return permit for a resident outside UAE  ends here, if you are still facing an issue while submitting your application, leave comments to get an instant answer or join our group for your GDRFA approval queries.