The UAE government on 13 July announced that holders of visit visas that expired after March 1 must leave the country within the next one month. Failure to do so will lead to fines for overstay. The one month grace period starts from July 12, with the deadline falling on August 10. The new rules applies for visit and tourist visas that expired after 1 March. On that note, here’s how Travel To The US Will Be Affected After H1-B Visa Revisions.
What about visit visas that expired before March 1?
The UAE Cabinet earlier announced that people with visit visas that expired before 1 March must leave the country during the amnesty period from May 18 till August 18. In addition, overstay penalties will not be applicable to them. As of the date of publishing, this decision remains unchanged.
How to check your visa validity?
Enter your passport details onto ICA’s smart service and it will give you all the required details.
UAE Cabinet Announces Grace Period Residents With Expired Visas
The UAE Cabinet on 10 July issued a number of amendments to the decisions issued recently in the identity and nationality sector. The cabinet has cancelled the extension of visas until the end of this year. A new grace period has also been announced for all residents, Emirates and GCC citizens.
In June, a short-term amnesty was announced. Holders of residency and visit visas that expired on 1 March 2020 were given until 1 August 2020 to leave the country without incurring any fines. The rule applies to people who were in the country before 1 March, but without a valid visa. The rule applied to workers with expired permits, jobseekers on expired visit visas and people working without any documents. But, it did not apply to people who have lost their job since March 1, who must pay a AED 200 one-off fee and a fine of AED 25 per day.
From expired visas and Emirates ID to fines for violations, here’s everything you need to know about UAE’s new visa decision. On that note, here’s Everything You Need To Know About Cancelled UAE Visas.
1. What happens to visa and Emirates ID expired in March?
Earlier, the UAE Cabinet announced that residency and visit visas that expired after 1 March 2020, will be valid until the end of the year- 31 December, 2020. However, this decision has now been amended. The validity of visas and entry permits that was extended until the end of December this year has been cancelled. Identity cards that expired on March 1, will now be deemed invalid.
“All the decisions related to the residency of expatriates, visas, entry permits and ID cards are stopped with effect from July 11, while the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) has been assigned to start collecting the fees due for providing the services from July 12.”
Check this Guide To Bring Your Family On A Residence Visa To UAE.
2. How much time do you have to renew your documents?
Emiratis, GCC citizens and residents in the UAE, will be given three months to renew your documents. ICA will start collecting fees for providing their services from Sunday, July 12, 2020.
3. Will there be any fines for violations?
Administrative fees or fines will be collected after the end of the mentioned deadlines. However, no fines will be collected during the exemption period. The Cabinet will start collecting fees from from July 12. On that note, here’s what has changed about getting a driving license in the UAE.
The UAE Cabinet issued a number of amendments to the decisions isuued recently in their Identity and citizenship sector#ICAUAE #IdentityandCitizenship #UAE pic.twitter.com/MLNSMQBAJE
— Identity and Citizenship- UAE (@ICAUAE) July 10, 2020
4. Where should I go to renew documents?
The UAE will start renewing expired ID cards and visas from 12 July. The process will start with the renewal for residency visas and ID cards that expired between March and April. Here’s the timeline for other renewals:
- Residence visas that expired in May- August 8.
- Visas that expired between June 1 and July 11- From September 10
- Those expiring from July 12 onwards- the renewal applications are not restricted to a specific date.
5. What happens to unused visit visas?
All unused issued visit visas have been automatically cancelled as on 17 March, 2020. There will be no refund for auto cancelled visit visas, as per GDRFA policy. Meanwhile, here’s Everything You Need To Know About UAE Tourist Visa For Indians.