Cancelling a maid visa in the UAE is straightforward and inexpensive, but the order matters. The government fee itself is small, yet cancelling before you have settled the worker’s dues, or letting the grace period lapse afterward, is where families run into trouble. Do it in the right sequence and it is a clean, low-cost process.
This guide covers cancelling a domestic-worker visa in 2026: what you must settle first, the two-step process through MOHRE and immigration, what it costs, the truth about the old deposit, the grace period after cancellation, and whether a cancellation leaves any ban. Where a figure is set by the authorities, we point you to confirm it live.
Before you cancel: settle the worker’s dues
A cancellation is a settlement moment, and UAE law requires the worker’s entitlements to be paid before she leaves your sponsorship. Close these out first:
- Final salary and any unused leave, paid through the WPS channel, plus the end-of-service gratuity. Our gratuity calculator works out the amount owed.
- The repatriation flight home, which the sponsor is legally responsible for when the worker is leaving the country.
- The worker’s passport and personal documents, returned to her.
Settling cleanly first is what keeps the cancellation itself simple and free of disputes.
How to cancel, step by step
Cancellation runs in two stages: the work permit with MOHRE, then the residence visa with ICP / GDRFA. The sequence is:
- Cancel the MOHRE domestic-worker work permit. Log in with UAE Pass through the MOHRE app or portal and follow the cancellation steps; this is usually completed in about one working day.
- Cancel the residence visa through ICP or GDRFA, which formally ends the sponsorship and the Emirates ID.
The government fee is modest: around AED 65 in most emirates, and about AED 85.75 in Dubai for an in-country cancellation. If you would rather not handle the portals yourself, a Tadbeer centre or agency will do it door-to-door for a service fee, typically over a few business days. Confirm the current fee with MOHRE or ICP.
The deposit and insurance: what you get back
This is where expectations often miss reality. The old AED 3,000 refundable deposit was replaced by the mandatory worker-protection insurance scheme back in 2018, so there is generally no large deposit to refund on cancellation. That insurance premium is a consumed cost, not a refundable balance. If someone tells you a big deposit is coming back, check what they actually mean.
The grace period after cancellation
Once the residence visa is cancelled, there is a grace period of 30 days for the worker to either leave the country or move to a new sponsor. After that window, overstay is charged at the flat AED 50 per day that has applied UAE-wide since February 2026, with no cap. You may see 28-day or 60-day figures online; the 30-day window is the one that applies to a domestic worker, and the longer periods usually relate to other visa categories. When in doubt, confirm the current grace period at the time you cancel.
Will a cancellation leave a ban?
A clean, mutually agreed cancellation after all dues are settled generally does not carry a labour or immigration ban. Bans typically arise from a different situation: an absconding report, an unresolved dispute, or an overstay after the grace period. In other words, the way to avoid a ban is exactly the way to run a proper cancellation, which is to settle everything and act within the timelines. If circumstances are contested, treat a ban as possible and get advice before proceeding.
Cancel, or transfer instead?
If the worker is not leaving the country but moving to another family, you may not need a full cancellation at all: a sponsorship transfer can move her directly to the new employer. And if you are ending one arrangement to start another, the same-visa route can be quicker and cheaper than cancelling and re-hiring. For the costs and options on the other side, see our maid visa cost and renewal guide, and our Tadbeer vs private sponsorship comparison.
