How to keep, then cancel, your UAE mobile number

Keep your UAE number active until your last refund and bank closure are done, because banks, DEWA and UAE PASS send one-time codes to it. Add your email and overseas number to every account first. Then move to a small prepaid plan with roaming on and clear any postpaid balance. The number stops some time after your Emirates ID is no longer valid, so do not rely on it for long.

When
3 weeks before to 3 weeks after your flight
Time
20 min
Cost
A small prepaid plan

Find your operatore& (Etisalat), du, Virgin Mobile: how each one does it, with its own page.

Have ready

  • Emirates ID

How to do it

  1. Add your email and overseas number to every bank, DEWA and school account, and move logins to an app or email where you can. Do this first: it still works if the UAE number stops.
  2. Decide how long you need the number. Most people need it until the last refund and bank closure, a few weeks after the flight.
  3. If you are on postpaid, move the line to prepaid while your Emirates ID is still valid, and check that roaming is on so codes reach you abroad. See your operator below.
  4. Clear any postpaid balance and exit fee.
  5. Cancel the line once the last refund and bank closure are done, the way your operator takes it.

How each operator does it

Taken from each operator’s own help pages. Moving from postpaid to prepaid needs a valid Emirates ID, so do it before your visa is cancelled.

e& (Etisalat)

To cancel postpaid: call 800 6665 at least 48 hours before you fly. You pay the balance and any exit fee on the call and the line stops at once. To keep the number after you leave: move to Wasel prepaid first, then buy a Homebound Pack. AED 105 or AED 420 keeps the number for up to 30 days, AED 630 for up to 60 days. When the pack ends, the number goes back to e&. Wasel lines receive SMS abroad free of charge.

e&: Leaving the UAE (cancelling, and the Homebound Pack) · e&: Wasel prepaid line (validity, SMS abroad)

du

Postpaid: cancel at a du store. You pay the balance, any early termination fee and the full current month, and du calls back within 24 hours to process it. Postpaid to prepaid: also at a store. It takes effect on the first day of your next bill cycle, so ask at least a month before you fly. Prepaid: cancel in the du app under Manage plan, or at a self-service kiosk. Unused balance is lost.

du: cancel a postpaid line or move it to prepaid · du: How can I cancel my Prepaid line?

Virgin Mobile

Everything is in the Virgin Mobile app. Monthly plan: pause it at any time, or close the account. 6 or 12-month plan: you can cancel only in the last month; before that, write to the care team in the app chat. To close the account, tap your name, then Terminate my account. You can get the number back within 12 months by signing up again with the same email. From abroad the phone number is +971 800 165.

Virgin Mobile: cancel my account

Watch out

  • A number you cancel or let lapse can be given to someone else, and your codes would then go to them.
  • The number does not last for ever. Your SIM is registered to your Emirates ID; when the ID is no longer valid, the operator gives a grace period, then deactivates the line and later disconnects it. Finish refunds and bank closures as soon as you can.

Questions people ask

Should I cancel my UAE number before I leave?

Not yet. Keep it on a small prepaid plan until refunds and bank closures are done, because logins send codes to it.

What happens if I cancel my postpaid number?

It can be given to someone else, and your codes would then go to them. e& lets you ask for the same number again within one year, if it is still free.

How long can I keep a UAE number after my visa is cancelled?

Not indefinitely. The line is registered to your Emirates ID. Once the ID is no longer valid the operator gives a grace period, then deactivates and later disconnects the line. Ask your operator for its dates before you fly.

How do I keep my e& (Etisalat) number after leaving the UAE?

Move to Wasel prepaid, then buy a Homebound Pack: AED 105 or AED 420 keeps the number for up to 30 days and AED 630 for up to 60 days. After that the number goes back to e&.

How do I cancel a du postpaid line?

At a du store. You pay the balance, any early termination fee and the full current month, and du calls back within 24 hours to process the cancellation.

How do I cancel Virgin Mobile?

In the Virgin Mobile app: tap your name, then Terminate my account. On a 6 or 12-month plan you can cancel only in the last month; before that, write to the care team in the app chat.

Sources

Also checked against: e&: Code of Practice (cancelling services) · Arab Times: disconnecting e&, du and Virgin

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