Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA-Dubai) has swapped the queues of its main service hall for the fair-grounds of Global Village. From 5 January to 5 February 2026, the authority will run a pop-up immigration centre inside the theme park as part of its new ‘Closer to You’ outreach campaign.
Multilingual officers equipped with mobile POS terminals and a bank of self-service kiosks will allow residents and visitors to renew residency visas, apply for entry permits, clear overstay fines and even register for Smart Gates while enjoying the park’s entertainment offerings. GDRFA processed 2.2 million e-transactions in 2025 and says the roadshow is designed to push that figure higher by “meeting customers where they socialise rather than where they work”.
The set-up mirrors trends in other service-oriented government entities that have begun co-locating desks in malls and transport hubs. By moving immigration services into a leisure venue that draws more than seven million visits a season, officials hope to reduce footfall at the main Al Jafiliya head-office and shorten processing times for simple transactions.
![Dubai’s GDRFA brings visa services to Global Village in month-long ‘Closer to You’ roadshow]()
Whether you’re a resident looking to renew a visa or a tourist planning your first UAE trip, VisaHQ can streamline the process long before you reach Global Village. Its UAE page (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) lets travellers review requirements, upload documents and submit applications for a range of visas entirely online—complementing GDRFA’s push for faster, more accessible services.
For global mobility managers the initiative offers practical upside. Short-term assignees can file for visa extensions during an after-work outing instead of losing billable hours, while families on tourist visas can avoid a costly last-minute airport dash to settle fines. Travel-management companies have been advised to highlight the new option in pre-departure briefings during the peak winter travel window.
GDRFA says the roadshow will serve as a live testbed for future ‘service-on-the-move’ concepts, including scan-and-go passport kiosks that could eventually be deployed in hotels and conference centres. If the pilot proves successful, similar pop-ups may appear in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island and Sharjah’s Al Majaz Waterfront later this year.
Multilingual officers equipped with mobile POS terminals and a bank of self-service kiosks will allow residents and visitors to renew residency visas, apply for entry permits, clear overstay fines and even register for Smart Gates while enjoying the park’s entertainment offerings. GDRFA processed 2.2 million e-transactions in 2025 and says the roadshow is designed to push that figure higher by “meeting customers where they socialise rather than where they work”.
The set-up mirrors trends in other service-oriented government entities that have begun co-locating desks in malls and transport hubs. By moving immigration services into a leisure venue that draws more than seven million visits a season, officials hope to reduce footfall at the main Al Jafiliya head-office and shorten processing times for simple transactions.
Whether you’re a resident looking to renew a visa or a tourist planning your first UAE trip, VisaHQ can streamline the process long before you reach Global Village. Its UAE page (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) lets travellers review requirements, upload documents and submit applications for a range of visas entirely online—complementing GDRFA’s push for faster, more accessible services.
For global mobility managers the initiative offers practical upside. Short-term assignees can file for visa extensions during an after-work outing instead of losing billable hours, while families on tourist visas can avoid a costly last-minute airport dash to settle fines. Travel-management companies have been advised to highlight the new option in pre-departure briefings during the peak winter travel window.
GDRFA says the roadshow will serve as a live testbed for future ‘service-on-the-move’ concepts, including scan-and-go passport kiosks that could eventually be deployed in hotels and conference centres. If the pilot proves successful, similar pop-ups may appear in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island and Sharjah’s Al Majaz Waterfront later this year.
