Which counter you need depends on two things: the authority that owns the transaction and the emirate that issues your visa. Dubai visas and residence go to GDRFA Dubai, usually through an Amer centre. Work permits for mainland companies go to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), through what most people still call Tasheel. Visas, residence and Emirates IDs in the other emirates go to ICP, through its registered typing offices or its app.
Most of what these centres do can now be done online. This guide explains what each one handles, when a visit is still quicker, and when it is worth paying a PRO.
Who handles what
| Channel | Authority behind it | Typical work |
|---|---|---|
| Amer centre | GDRFA Dubai | Dubai entry permits, residence issue, renewal and cancellation, sponsor files |
| Business services centre (Tasheel) | MOHRE | Work permits, contracts, permit cancellations, worker insurance |
| ICP-registered typing office | ICP | Visas, residence, Emirates ID applications and cancellations outside Dubai |
| ICP customer happiness centre | ICP | Emirates ID fingerprints, urgent ID cards |
| Free zone service desk or portal | The free zone authority | Visas and employment permits for free zone companies |
| MOFA website and app | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Document attestation, online only |
One rule saves a lot of wasted trips: Dubai visas belong to GDRFA Dubai, and visas from the other six emirates belong to ICP. The UAE government portal draws the same line even for a simple status check.
Amer centres: Dubai visas and residence
Amer centres provide GDRFA Dubai's services: entry permits, residence for employees and families, renewals, cancellations and changes to residence data. Some steps are only offered there. A first-time family sponsor in Dubai, for example, opens a sponsor file at an Amer centre, and GDRFA lists no other channel for that step.
The centres themselves are private businesses. GDRFA Dubai invites investors who meet its requirements to open Amer centres that provide its services. The government fee is GDRFA's, the centre adds its own service charge, and the decision on your file is always GDRFA's.
For most routine renewals you can skip the visit. GDRFA Dubai's website and smart app run around the clock with a UAE Pass or username login, and the UAE government portal also lists the Dubai Now app as a channel for visa applications. Special cases still need a counter: GDRFA's humanitarian cases section, which handles parents and other relatives outside the standard family rules, sits at its Festival Centre branch.
GDRFA Dubai now calls itself the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs. Older documents say Residency and Foreigners Affairs. It is the same authority.
Tasheel and Tawjeeh: MOHRE's service centres
MOHRE approves three kinds of centre: business services and guidance centres, domestic workers' services centres and Tawseel service providers. The first group is what most people mean by Tasheel and Tawjeeh, and government pages still use those names alongside the new ones.
Tasheel handles transactions for companies registered with MOHRE, which in practice means mainland companies. Free zone companies deal with their free zone authority instead. Typical Tasheel work includes:
- work permit applications and renewals, which must be submitted by someone legally authorised to represent the company
- job offers, employment contracts and work permit cancellations
- the worker protection insurance policy, issued on the spot when a work permit application is submitted at an approved centre, and refunds of the older bank guarantees
- unemployment insurance subscriptions and premium payments
Much of this also runs through the MOHRE app and website. In Dubai, the Work Bundle goes further: one application on the unified Work Bundle platform (workinuae.ae) covers the work permit, residence, medical test and Emirates ID fingerprints for a new hire. The government says it cut the process from 15 steps to 5, and from 30 working days to 5. Our guide to hiring your first employee in Dubai walks through the sequence.
Typing centres and ICP centres
Typing centres are private offices registered with ICP, or with GDRFA in Dubai, that fill in and submit applications for you. Outside Dubai they are a standard ICP channel for visas, residence and Emirates ID applications, and for cancellations: the sponsor visits, the office completes the form and submits it online through ICP.
ICP's own customer happiness centres are where you go in person, mainly for Emirates ID fingerprints, which anyone aged 15 or over must give. ICP's centres in Dubai include Al Barsha and Al Rashidiya, so Dubai residents use ICP for this step even though GDRFA handles their residence. The centres also run ICP's urgent ID service, for an extra AED 150 (as of October 2026). Our Emirates ID guide covers renewal windows and fines.
Can you do it yourself online?
Usually, once you have UAE Pass, the national digital login. ICP's smart services and MOFA's attestation service require it, and GDRFA Dubai accepts it.
- ICP website and UAEICP app: visas, residence and Emirates ID outside Dubai, ID replacements and application tracking.
- GDRFA Dubai website and app, or Dubai Now: Dubai entry permits and residence.
- MOHRE app and website: work permits, contracts and insurance documents.
- UAE MOFA app: document attestation, with a courier collecting the originals.
Self-service works well for a renewal where nothing has changed: same employer, same home, same family. It works badly for first-time company files. Before MOHRE will accept the first work permit, the company needs its establishment registered and an electronic signature card, and the application has to come from an authorised signatory. For the steps behind every residence application, see how a UAE residence visa works.
When is a PRO worth paying for?
A PRO, short for public relations officer, handles a company's government transactions. You don't need one to renew your own family's visas. A PRO earns the fee when:
- you are opening company files with several authorities in sequence
- you are hiring several people at once and the permits, medicals and fingerprints have to line up
- documents need attestation abroad as well as in the UAE
- an application has come back and nobody can tell you why
- a Golden Visa route needs another authority's nomination or approval first, as described in our guide to the Golden Visa application process
Say you have just licensed a two-person consultancy on the Dubai mainland and want to hire one employee. Before the first work permit, the company needs its MOHRE registration and electronic signature card, and an establishment card with GDRFA Dubai. Then come the job offer, the permit, the entry permit, the medical test, fingerprints at ICP and the residence. Each step depends on the one before, which is exactly where someone who files them every day saves you time.
Common mistakes
- The wrong authority. Check which emirate issued the visa before you go anywhere: GDRFA Dubai for Dubai, ICP for the rest.
- Mixing up fees. Ask which part of the bill is the government fee and which is the centre's charge, and keep the official receipt.
- Losing the application number. ICP's tracking works on the application number, which starts with 010, so ask for it, not just a payment slip.
- Queueing at MOFA. Its customer centres are closed. Attestation is online, with courier collection.
- Unofficial websites. Use the authorities' own websites and apps, or registered centres.
If you would rather hand the queueing to someone else, our PRO services team files GDRFA, ICP and MOHRE transactions for individuals and companies. To check what your own case needs first, book a free consultation.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Is an Amer centre a government office?
Can I cancel my visa at a typing centre?
Do I need an appointment at an ICP centre?
Can an Amer or typing centre speed up or guarantee an approval?
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