Dubai Visa Rejected, Delayed or “Under Process”: What an Indian Applicant Does Next

A Dubai tourist visa that is rejected, late or stuck at “under process” usually involves three different parties, and families lose time and money by treating them as one. Dubai’s immigration authority, GDRFA, decides on the visa. An agent, tourism company or airline submits the application and takes your payment. And your flight and hotel each have their own rules. This page shows you how to find out which of the three your problem sits with, how to check it yourself, what money can come back and from whom, and what to look at before you apply again.

Everything here comes from GDRFA Dubai, the federal authority ICP, the UAE government portal, airline pages and, for one insurance point, Indian insurers’ policy wordings, read on Oct. 1, 2026. Where an official page does not say something, we tell you, rather than fill the gap with what agents say.

Which situation are you in?

What you are seeing	What to do first
“Rejected”	Confirm it with the reference number before you do anything else; then check for an old UAE issue and read the refund terms
“Under process” on an official page	Note the reference and the date it was submitted; follow up with whoever submitted it
“Pending” only on WhatsApp or a phone call	Ask for the application number, then check it yourself
Your flight is close	Treat the visa and the ticket as two separate deadlines; read the ticket’s change rules today
You overstayed on an earlier UAE trip	Check for unpaid fines before you treat this as a new-application problem

Three systems, three different answers

The immigration authority. For a visa to Dubai, that is GDRFA Dubai. For the other six emirates, it is ICP. The UAE government portal is explicit: “If you applied to Dubai, track your visa application through General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai”, and visas for Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah are tracked with ICP.

The intermediary. You almost certainly did not apply to GDRFA yourself. Its tourist visa page says “Only accredited tourism offices in the emirate can issue this kind of visa”. That office, or an airline’s visa service, files the application, and it may show you its own status, which is not the same as the government’s.

Your bookings. A rejected visa does not change your flight’s or hotel’s cancellation rules. Each booking has its own terms.

If you have not applied yet, how a tourist visa is normally arranged for Indian travellers comes first. This page starts where that one ends.

What “under process” can mean

“Under process” is not one status. It depends on who is showing it to you.

Where you see it	What it may represent	What to ask for
GDRFA’s or ICP’s own status page	The government’s record of an application	Nothing more; note the reference and the date
An agent’s or airline’s portal	The provider’s own workflow, which may be before or after submission	Whether and when it was submitted to GDRFA, and the application number
A WhatsApp message or a phone call	Someone’s description of either of the above	The application number and a screenshot from the official page

How long is normal? GDRFA’s service page for a single-entry tourist visa gives an “Expected Completion Time: 48.0 Hour(s)”. ICP’s visa issuance service gives “2 Days”. Airlines give their own lead times: Emirates asks for “A minimum of four international working days prior to arrival in Dubai”, and flydubai for “a minimum of 5 working days from the date of submission”. None of these is a promise for your application, but if your agent says “under process” well past the lead time its own channel publishes, it is fair to ask for evidence.

“Under process” does not mean approval is likely, and it does not mean a rejection is coming. It means you do not know yet, and the reference number is how you find out.

Checking it yourself

For a Dubai visa. GDRFA’s “Visa Status” link leads to a tracking page on its smart-services site (smart.gdrfad.gov.ae). The page is in Arabic. You can search by application, by file, by establishment inquiry, by a request for reconsideration (طلب لإعادة النظر) or by counter service.

Depending on the search, it asks for details such as the application number, transaction number, payment date, first name in English, file number, passport, nationality and date of birth. We could not confirm which fields go with which option, or whether you must log in, because the result screen needs a real application number. Email did not appear as an input.

For a visa to another emirate. ICP’s tracking runs on its smart-services site, which did not load for our reading tool. ICP’s service pages for visa issuance, refunds and fines all say “This service requires you to login using UAE Pass”.

What you can and cannot check:

Can I check this myself?	Answer
Where my Dubai application stands	Try GDRFA’s status page with the application details; we could not confirm whether it needs a login
Whether there are fines on my record	GDRFA’s Fines Inquiry Service lets you search by “File Number”, “UDB Number”, “Emirates ID” or “Passport Number”
The reason for a rejection	We found no official page that says reasons are given
An ICP application, refund or fine payment	Through ICP’s services, which say they need UAE Pass
Everything without any reference number	No. Without the application number, you depend on the agent

The practical answer to “can I check without UAE Pass?” is: for a Dubai visa, try GDRFA’s status page with your application number, though we could not confirm whether it needs a login or UAE Pass; for anything else, expect to need either UAE Pass or the provider’s help.

If your visa is rejected

Work through this in order. The order saves money.

1. Confirm it. Get the application number and see the result on GDRFA’s status page, or ask for a screenshot from it. A message saying “rejected” is not confirmation.
2. Write down who submitted it, on what date and for which visa type.
3. Ask what information came with the decision. We found no official page that says reasons are given, so if an agent gives you a reason, ask whether it came from the authority or is the agent’s own explanation.
4. Check for an old UAE issue, such as an unpaid overstay fine, before anything else (see the overstay section below).
5. Look at what can be corrected. If the agent can point to a specific problem, such as a document or a mismatch in the details, fix that.
6. Read the refund terms for each payment (see the refund section).
7. Only then think about applying again.

GDRFA’s status page includes a search option for a request for reconsideration. We found no official page explaining how such a request works, what it costs or who can file it, so ask the agent or GDRFA directly before counting on it.

Why tourist visas are refused: what is and is not published

There is no official list of rejection reasons for Dubai tourist visas on the pages we read, and we will not invent one. What can be said falls into three groups.

Published conditions. GDRFA lists conditions for the tourist visa, including “Medical insurance valid in UAE”, and ICP’s FAQ says “Health insurance and a travel ticket are required”. The pages do not say what happens to an application that misses one of these conditions, so make sure yours meets them before you apply.

Unresolved fines. We found no official page that says an unpaid fine or an old overstay causes a tourist visa to be refused. GDRFA does publish fine-checking and fine-payment services, and an unresolved fine is something you can find and settle yourself, so check it before you apply again (see the overstay section below).

Everything else. Other explanations you may hear from an agent, such as mismatched names, an unclear photo, an earlier rejection or a problem with the sponsor, are not on any official page we read. They may be right in your case, so ask the agent what specifically was wrong and how it will be different this time.

Before you apply again

We found no official waiting period after a rejection. Any agent quoting a fixed number of days should be able to show you where it comes from. Before a new application, check:

• Is the old application closed, or still open?
• Was a specific problem identified, and has it changed?
• Is there any old fine or overstay on your record?
• Is the new application different, or the same file sent again?
• Is the same provider submitting it, and what will it change?
• What will this one cost, and what comes back if it fails?

Applying again with the same details through a second agent, without knowing what happened to the first application, is the most expensive way to find out nothing new.

Your visa is pending and the flight is close

Run two timelines side by side.

The visa	The travel
Application number and submission date	Flight date and time
Current status on the official page	The ticket’s change and cancellation rules, and their deadlines
Who is handling it, and their deadline for an update	Hotel cancellation deadline
Any request for more documents	Whether any travel insurance covers this (the policy wordings we have read do not list visa refusal as a reason for cancellation)

In order:

1. Check the status yourself.
2. Ask the party that submitted the application for a written update with the reference number.
3. Read the airline’s change rules before you assume anything; they differ from fare to fare.
4. Decide on changing the booking only once you know what each option costs.

A pending visa does not mean it will arrive before the flight. On the other hand, do not cancel a non-refundable ticket on the strength of a verbal “it will come tomorrow” or “it will not come”. Without an issued visa, an ordinary Indian passport can enter only if the traveller also holds certain foreign documents, and the official lists differ. GDRFA’s service names a US green card or a UK or EU residence visa, and the UAE government portal adds a US visit visa. Emirates’ UAE visa page (published Aug. 21, 2026) lists more under “visit entry permits”: UK and EU visas, and residence permits from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Singapore, each valid for at least six months. Confirm with your airline and GDRFA before you fly on one; the passport desk at Dubai, from smart gate to visa on arrival sets out GDRFA’s route, including where its own page contradicts itself.

What money can come back, and from whom

“Visa refund” is several different refunds.

What you paid	Who has it	What decides a refund
Government visa fee	The authority, through the provider	Official rules. For a Dubai visa we found no GDRFA refund service. For other emirates, ICP’s refund service says “Only issuance fees are refundable. Application submission fees and smart services fees are non-refundable” and “Refundable fees are specified in the service receipt”; it does not mention rejected applications
Agent’s or tourism company’s service charge	The agent	The agent’s own written terms
Airline visa-service fee	The airline	The airline’s visa terms
Flight ticket	The airline	The fare’s own conditions
Hotel	The hotel or booking site	The booking’s cancellation terms

What the official pages say. ICP’s “Refund of Fees” service needs UAE Pass and a bank certificate showing your account number and IBAN. Its completion time is “5 Days”. GDRFA’s tourist visa page says “There is no security deposit amount on this type of visa”. We found no GDRFA refund service for tourist visa fees, so for a Dubai visa, the money comes back, if at all, through the provider that took it.

What airlines say. IndiGo, which does not issue visas, answers the question “Will I get a refund if my visa gets rejected?” in the general information on its Dubai visa page with: “No. Once you have paid the visa fee, it will not be refunded.” That is an airline’s general answer, not a UAE rule or the terms of a service you paid for.

Emirates’ visa terms for UAE residents sponsoring a visitor say “Visa fees are non refundable once application is submitted and processed”; we found no separate refund terms for its online visa service. Ask your own provider for its terms in writing, before you pay if you can.

Your agent says “under process” but cannot show you anything

Ask for these, in writing:

• The application number and the date it was submitted to GDRFA
• The applicant’s name exactly as submitted, and the passport number used (send only what is needed)
• The visa type
• A screenshot of the status from GDRFA’s page
• Any request from the authority for more documents
• A receipt splitting the government fee from the service charge
• Any rejection notice, and any reason the authority gave, as distinct from the agent’s own explanation
• What it proposes to do next, and what that will cost
• The refund terms

A message you can copy and send:

Please send me the GDRFA application number, the submission date, the visa type and a screenshot of the current status from GDRFA’s page. If it was rejected, please send the rejection notice and any reason the authority gave. Please also send the receipt showing the government fee and your service charge separately, and your refund terms if the visa is not issued.

“We have submitted your application” and “your application is under government processing” are different statements. An agent who has submitted it can give you the number. If one cannot or will not, ask it in writing whether anything was submitted and what it will refund, and do not pay anyone else until you have that answer.

An earlier overstay: how to check it

The fine on ICP’s current schedule. ICP’s fine-payment service lists the fine for staying past the permitted period at AED 50 a day (the page reads “per day. – 50 AED”), and says “The status must be adjusted or the individual must leave the UAE after paying any fines incurred in relation to the visa or residence permit”. GDRFA’s own FAQ, dated 2020, still gives a different figure; we use ICP’s current service page.

What it can lead to. The UAE government portal says an overstaying tourist “will be fined with a certain fee to be paid at the immigration offices or at the airport when exiting”.

GDRFA’s departure permit service, which is for people still in the UAE who need permission to leave, says that “in case of non-payment of the financial fines, an IRIS is required with permanent deprivation”. It does not define those words or say how they apply to someone who has already left the country, and we do not interpret them. An overstay that was paid and closed is a different matter from one that was not, and only your record shows which you have.

How to check it:

1. Search GDRFA’s Fines Inquiry Service with your passport number and details.
2. If something shows, GDRFA lists a “Fine Collection for Violators of Residency Law” service and an “Exemption from fines for violators of Residence Law” service, through which “one may submit a request to waive or reduce the financial penalty”. The exemption is handled in person at GDRFA service centres, not online, so ask GDRFA whether it applies to you and what it needs.
3. If you cannot tell, contact GDRFA. The UAE government portal gives its numbers: 800 5111 if you are in the UAE and +971 4 313 9999 from outside.
4. If the earlier visa was issued by another emirate, ICP’s fine services need UAE Pass; without it, call ICP on 600522222 (inside the UAE).

Do not ask an agent to work around an old overstay. If you are in Dubai now and near the end of your visa, settling an overstay or adding days to a visit visa covers that side.

Six things not to do

1. Do not file a second application while you do not know what happened to the first.
2. Do not pay a second agent until the first one has either given you an application number or confirmed in writing that nothing was submitted.
3. Do not read “under process” as approval, or a rejection as a permanent ban.
4. Do not cancel or rebook a flight on a verbal promise either way.
5. Do not assume every fee is refundable; read each payment’s terms.
6. Do not trust “guaranteed approval” from anyone; no official page offers one.

If a child is part of the application, check the child’s documents as carefully as your own; the paperwork that holds up a child’s application lists what goes in the file. If a child is travelling without both parents, travelling with a child when one parent stays home sets out the extra paperwork GDRFA asks for.

From a vague status to a next step

1. Do you have the application number? No: get it from whoever submitted the application (message above). Yes: go to 2.
2. What does GDRFA’s status page show? Rejected: go to 3. Still in process: go to 4.
3. Rejected. Check for old fines on GDRFA’s Fines Inquiry Service, ask what was identified, read the refund terms and apply again only if something has changed.
4. In process. Ask the provider for a written update with the number, then compare the flight’s change deadline with the visa’s lead time.
5. Was there an earlier overstay? Yes: check and settle fines first, whatever the status shows. No: carry on with the steps above.

Still unsure?

What does “under process” mean?
Only that a decision has not been shown to you. Check whether it is the government’s status or your provider’s.

Can I check my Dubai visa without UAE Pass?
For a Dubai visa, GDRFA’s status page asks for application details; we could not confirm whether it also needs a login. ICP’s services say they need UAE Pass.

Is there a waiting period after a rejection?
We found no official one. Fix what can be fixed before applying again.

Do I get my visa fee back after a rejection?
Not automatically. For a Dubai visa we found no GDRFA refund service, so any refund comes from the provider that took your money, on its written terms. For other emirates, ICP refunds only “issuance fees” and its page does not mention rejections.

Does the agent have to refund the full amount?
No official rule we found says so. What you paid an agent can include the government fee it passed on and its own service charge, and the two follow different terms. Ask for the receipt that splits them and for the refund terms in writing. If the agent cannot show that anything was submitted, ask in writing what it will refund before you pay anyone else.

Can an old overstay affect a new visa?
The official pages we read do not say. Whether it matters depends on your record and whether anything is unpaid, so check GDRFA’s Fines Inquiry Service with your passport number and settle anything that shows before you apply.

Who do I contact, GDRFA or my agent?
Your agent first for the application number; GDRFA for the status and for fines. GDRFA’s numbers are 800 5111 in the UAE and +971 4 313 9999 from outside. For a visa to any other emirate, ICP’s toll-free number is 600522222.

What if my flight is before the visa comes?
An ordinary Indian passport needs the visa issued before you fly, unless the traveller holds a foreign visa, green card or residence permit that allows entry on arrival. GDRFA, the UAE government portal and Emirates each list different documents (see the flight section above), so confirm with your airline and GDRFA before relying on one. If your e-visa has just been refused, do not switch to this route without asking the airline and GDRFA first. Read your fare’s change rules and decide based on cost, not on a verbal promise.

In one table

If…	Then…
It was rejected	Confirm with the number, check for old fines, read the refund terms, then decide on a new application
It is under process	Get the number, check it yourself and run the flight deadline separately
The agent is vague	Ask for the number, a fee split and refund terms; pay no one else until you have a written answer
You overstayed before	Check fines on GDRFA’s service, settle or ask about an exemption, then apply

Booking a package? Ask the seller who will submit the visa and how you will see the application number. Trekhops sells Dubai holidays for families from India; if you book one, put the same two questions to us.