How to Check Absconding Status in the UAE (MOHRE and GDRFA)

Last updated: 12 October 2026

You can check whether an absconding report has been filed against you through the MOHRE Inquiry Service at inquiry.mohre.gov.ae, the MOHRE app, or MOHRE’s call centre on 600590000. If your work permit was issued by GDRFA Dubai rather than MOHRE, disputes and absconding matters go through GDRFA Dubai’s Conciliation and Reconciliation service instead. If a report exists, you can challenge it — and you should, because it affects your ability to work and to hold a new visa.

What an absconding report is

An absconding report — MOHRE calls it an “absence from work” complaint — is filed by an employer when an employee has been absent for more than seven days and the employer cannot locate or contact them. Once MOHRE approves the complaint, the work permit is cancelled.

For many people, the first sign of a report is a problem when they try to take a new job, renew a visa, or leave the country. Checking early avoids that surprise.

How to check with MOHRE

For employees of private-sector companies, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) is the starting point.

1. MOHRE Inquiry Service — visit inquiry.mohre.gov.ae. Alongside work permit and application status inquiries, it includes an absconding inquiry.
2. MOHRE app — the same inquiries are available in the smart app.
3. Call centre — call 600590000.
4. Chatbot — available on the MOHRE website.

MOHRE’s digital channels are available 24/7. Have your passport number or work permit number ready.

How to check with GDRFA Dubai

Most private-sector employees hold a MOHRE work permit, so MOHRE is the right place to check. Some workers’ permits are issued by the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA Dubai) instead. For them, GDRFA Dubai’s Conciliation and Reconciliation service handles complaints and disputes between workers and companies, including absconding reports, dues and residence cancellation.

The service is available 24/7 on GDRFA Dubai’s website and smart app, and at Amer centres during working hours.

What to do if a report has been filed

Do not ignore it. An active report can stop a new employer from hiring you and can complicate a visa renewal or exit.

1. Check the details. Confirm who filed it and when.
2. Gather evidence. Resignation letters, emails, messages, salary records, and anything showing you gave notice or were prevented from working.
3. Challenge it. Raise it with MOHRE, which also has a service for cancelling an absence-from-work complaint. If GDRFA Dubai issued your permit, use its Conciliation and Reconciliation service.
4. Ask the employer to withdraw it. Where the report was a mistake or a dispute has been settled, the employer can withdraw it.

If you believe the report was filed to avoid paying your dues, say so in your complaint and include your evidence.

How to avoid one in the first place

• Resign in writing and keep a copy.
• Serve your notice period — during probation it is one month if you are joining another UAE employer, or 14 days if you are leaving the UAE (see our probation rules guide).
• Do not simply stop attending work, even in a dispute. File a complaint with MOHRE instead.
• Keep your records — contract, payslips, leave approvals and messages.

Once it is cleared: your next job

When the report is resolved and you move to a new employer, the new visa application often needs your documents in order — typically an attested degree, and for some roles a recognised qualification. If your documents were issued abroad, attestation takes weeks, so start early.