UAE visa lapses if you're out of country for more than 6 months

It is recommended that you cancel residence visas of dependents when they are inside the country.

Q-My wife and children, who are under my sponsorship, will soon be leaving the UAE, however I will continue to live in the country. In a previous answer (to a particular question) that appeared in Legal View, it was stated that residence visas get automatically cancelled in six months' time. However, a typing centre staff told me that I am supposed to apply for the cancellation of the visas and pay a fee for the same. Please advice?
A-Pursuant to your queries, if your spouse and children are in the UAE and intend to leave the UAE, it is recommended that you cancel their residence visas when they are inside the country. The residence visas will automatically get lapsed but not cancelled if one stays outside the UAE for more than six months. Therefore, it will be prudent to cancel your spouse's and children's UAE residence visa before they travel out of the UAE.
Know the law
It is recommended that you cancel residence visas of dependents when they are inside the country. The residence visas will automatically get lapsed but not cancelled if one stays outside the UAE for more than six months.
Ashish Mehta is the founder and Managing Partner of Ashish Mehta & Associates. He is qualified to practise law in Dubai, the United Kingdom, Singapore and India. Full details of his firm on: www.amalawyers.com. Readers may e-mail their questions to: news@khaleejtimes.com or send them to Legal View, Khaleej Times, PO Box 11243, Dubai.