GDRFA — Dubai's residency authority.
The Dubai-emirate immigration authority. Entry permits, residency visa stamping, family sponsorship, Emirates ID coordination. Public-facing channel: Amer typing centres + the gdrfad.gov.ae smart-services portal.
What GDRFA is, in one paragraph.
The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) Dubai is the emirate-level residency and immigration authority for the Emirate of Dubai. GDRFA issues entry permits (employment, family, visit), processes residency visa stamping, approves family sponsorship applications, coordinates Emirates ID issuance with ICP, and handles cancellations. Operating alongside MOHRE on the labour side and ICP on the federal identity side, GDRFA's public-facing channel is the Amer typing-centre network plus the gdrfad.gov.ae smart-services portal. Outside Dubai, residency is handled by ICP Smart Services. GDRFA was established under Federal Law No. 6 of 1973 (Immigration and Residence) which has since been replaced by Federal Decree-Law No. 29 of 2021 governing entry and residence of foreigners.
Common transactions.
- Employment entry permit: issued after MOHRE work permit approval; allows foreign hire to enter UAE.
- Investor / partner entry permit: against active DED licence with shareholder MoA.
- Family entry permits: spouse + children + parents (sponsor income re-checked).
- Residency visa stamping: after medical fitness + EID biometrics.
- Status changes + cancellations: visit-visa to residency, sponsor transfers.
- Golden Visa applications: for property / investor / talent / entrepreneur routes.
Where GDRFA comes up.
Connected concepts.
UAE business administration is a graph of overlapping authorities. Each term below intersects with the one you're reading.
Dubai DED
Dubai's mainland trade-licensing authority.
ICP
UAE federal identity authority — Emirates ID + non-Dubai residency.
MOHRE
UAE federal labour ministry — work permits + employment contracts.
FTA
UAE Federal Tax Authority — Corporate Tax + VAT.
MoFAIC
UAE Foreign Affairs ministry — foreign-document attestation.
Tasheel
MOHRE labour-services delivery network.
Ejari
Dubai Land Department's tenancy registration system.
Amer
GDRFA Dubai residency-services delivery channel.
Frequently asked questions
What is GDRFA?
GDRFA — General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs — is Dubai's emirate-level residency and immigration authority. Issues entry permits, residency visas, family sponsorship approvals, and coordinates Emirates ID issuance. Operates the Amer typing-centre network for public-facing residency transactions and the smart-services portal at gdrfad.gov.ae.
What's the difference between GDRFA and ICP?
GDRFA is Dubai's emirate-level residency authority. ICP — Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security — is the federal authority covering Abu Dhabi and other emirates. For Dubai-based applicants, GDRFA is the primary route (via Amer). For Abu Dhabi and other emirates, ICP Smart Services is used. EmaraDubai (DGRFAD) sometimes appears in the same context — that's an old name for GDRFA Dubai.
How does GDRFA Dubai differ from MOHRE?
Different scope. MOHRE handles the labour side — work permits, employment contracts, MOHRE quota. GDRFA handles the residency side — entry permits, visa stamping, family sponsorship. A typical employment-visa hire goes through MOHRE first (Tasheel) for the work permit, then GDRFA (Amer) for the entry permit and stamping. They run sequentially.
Process a GDRFA transaction
YABS holds Amer access. Entry permits, residency, family sponsorship, cancellations — handled in your portal.
This page was last reviewed by the YABS compliance team in Q2 2026 and reflects current Dubai DED, Dubai Municipality, DHA, MOHRE, FTA, and DLD requirements.