Key step It blocks other steps, or costs money if you miss it.

How to cancel a UAE credit card and get the clearance letter

Late transactions can still post after you cancel a credit card, so banks wait before issuing the clearance letter: 45 days at Emirates NBD, 30 at Emirates Islamic. Pay the full balance first and keep the cancellation reference. If you are moving away, cancel at least 45 days before you fly.

When
2 months to 7 weeks before your flight
Time
30 min per bank
Cost
Free at Emirates NBD. Other banks can charge for the letter; the Central Bank cap for a credit card liability or no-liability letter is AED 50.

Find your bankEmirates NBD, FAB, ADCB and 4 more: how each one does it, with its own page.

Have ready

  • Card details
  • Emirates ID

How to do it

  1. Move subscriptions and autopays off the card.
  2. Pay the full balance, including anything pending.
  3. Request cancellation in writing (app, email or branch) and keep the reference.
  4. The card is blocked right away; new spending stops.
  5. When your bank’s waiting period is over (up to 45 days), request the clearance letter for each card. Emirates NBD and Emirates Islamic text your registered mobile when it is ready and hand it over at a branch, so allow a few working days and bring your Emirates ID or passport.

How each bank cancels a card

Taken from each bank’s own page or card terms. Always ask for the cancellation in writing and keep the reference.

Emirates NBD

In online or mobile banking, or by phone on 600 54 0000. The card is blocked once the request is processed, and an email confirms it when the card account is closed. Use up any credit balance first: above AED 100 it comes back as a manager’s cheque sent to your registered address. You can request the clearance letter 45 days after you cancel.

Emirates NBD: cancelling your credit card · Emirates NBD: request a clearance letter

FAB

Only in the FAB Mobile app, which also takes the requests for a liability letter and a clearance letter. FAB’s card terms ask for 45 days’ notice, so start early and keep the app working after you fly.

FAB: services now only in the app · FAB: credit card terms (PDF)

ADCB

Ask ADCB to close the card and to confirm it in writing. If the card has a card loan or balance transfer, the whole amount becomes due at once, with an AED 210 fee for a card loan. The Letter of Clearance is requested in the ADCB app or internet banking, under Service Requests.

ADCB: credit card loans (questions) · ADCB: mobile banking services

Dubai Islamic Bank

By phone at any hour on 04 609 2222, or at a branch. The full balance is due when the request is processed. DIB’s card terms let it keep any security for 60 days after cancellation, so ask on the call when the clearance letter will be ready.

Dubai Islamic Bank: card services key facts (PDF) · Dubai Islamic Bank: card terms (PDF)

Mashreq

Pay the full balance, then ask for cancellation in the Mashreq Mobile app. Mashreq takes 3 working days and may call you to offer to keep the card. If you accept, the card is not cancelled. Its key facts note that some transactions can still post up to 45 days later.

Mashreq: credit card key facts (PDF)

Emirates Islamic

You can request the clearance letter 30 days after you cancel the card. The bank texts your registered mobile when it is ready and hands it over at a branch.

Emirates Islamic: request a clearance letter

HSBC

Credit cards cannot be closed in the HSBC app. Ask by phone, on the number on the back of the card, or at a branch.

HSBC UAE: closing your account

Watch out

  • A card that is not formally closed keeps charging fees after you leave.
  • Some employers ask for a no-liability letter before final settlement.
  • If the card has a credit balance, spend it or ask for a refund to your account before you cancel. Emirates NBD sends a balance above AED 100 as a cheque to your registered address.
Copy-ready messagePaste it, fill the brackets, send
Subject: Cancel credit card ending [last 4 digits]

Dear [bank],

I am leaving the UAE and ask you to cancel my credit card ending [last 4 digits] from today. I have paid the outstanding balance in full.

Please block the card for new transactions, confirm the cancellation in writing with a reference number, tell me the date from which I can request the clearance letter, and how I can receive it if I am outside the UAE by then.

[Your name]
[Mobile]
Short on time?What to do if you’re starting late

Cancel today anyway. Leave a small buffer in the linked account for late transactions, keep that account open as a non-resident, and ask the bank in writing today how you will receive the clearance letter once you are abroad. Emirates NBD and Emirates Islamic normally hand it over at a branch.

Questions people ask

How long does a credit card clearance letter take in the UAE?

It depends on the bank, within a Central Bank limit of 45 calendar days to close a card. Emirates NBD lets you request the letter 45 days after you cancel the card and Emirates Islamic after 30. Loans have no such wait.

Does closing my bank account cancel my credit card?

No. Cancel the card separately. A card that isn’t formally closed keeps charging fees after you leave.

What if I fly in less than 45 days?

Cancel today anyway, leave a small buffer in the linked account, keep that account open as a non-resident, and request the clearance letter from abroad when the waiting period is over.

How do I cancel a FAB credit card?

Only in the FAB Mobile app. Since 1 October 2025 the bank takes card cancellation, liability letter and clearance letter requests there and nowhere else.

Sources

Official: Central Bank of the UAE: card closure rules (clause 5.1.1.32)

Outro is an independent guide, not a government service or legal advice. If an official page says something different, follow it and .