The UAE government has published, via its official legislation portal, a list of 11 categories of residents who can remain outside the country for longer than 180 days without losing their residency status.
Under the UAE’s standard residency framework, any permit holder who stays abroad beyond the permitted period faces cancellation of their residency. The newly published exemptions allow qualifying residents to keep their permits valid until the stated expiry date, regardless of how long they remain outside the country.
The 11 named categories are: spouses of foreign citizens; domestic workers accompanying UAE nationals on overseas scholarships; domestic workers travelling with sick UAE citizens seeking medical treatment abroad; foreign patients and their companions who hold valid UAE residence permits; domestic workers attached to UAE diplomatic and consular staff stationed abroad; foreigners on scholarship from public-sector institutions undergoing training or specialised courses abroad, along with their families holding valid permits; domestic workers for ruling-family members working at homes abroad; students enrolled at educational institutions outside the UAE; investors holding valid residence permits; UAE diplomatic and consular representatives and their sponsored companions; and any additional category designated by a resolution from the relevant Chairman, provided the individual holds a valid permit and has settled applicable fees.
Most exemptions apply automatically as long as the residence permit stays valid. The fourth category — foreign patients and their companions — carries an added condition: those individuals must produce a medical report certified by the relevant UAE authorities, or they lose the protection. The final, catch-all provision gives the Chairman authority to extend the exemption to groups not specifically named, subject to the same conditions. Residents who fall outside all 11 categories remain bound by the standard 180-day rule and are advised to return to the UAE within the permitted window to avoid cancellation of their residency.
