Starting Sunday, new visa rules for visitors
STAY CAN BE EXTENDED BY 30 DAYS TWICE WITHOUT EXITING THE COUNTRY
Effective Sunday, visit and tourist visas will be extended for 30 days twice without the need to leave the country, a senior official said yesterday.
Brigadier Saeed Rakan Al Rashidi, Acting Director of Foreigners Affairs and Ports at the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, said that all types of visit and tourist visas, regardless of their period, will be extended for 30 days twice. Dh600 will be charged for each extension.
“Those who overstayed their visas will have to pay Dh100 fine for each day of their overstay, to be calculated 10 days after the expiry of the visa. A visitor must apply for the second extension before the expiry of the first visa,” he said.
Al Rashidi said the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship will start implementation of the decisions to extend the residence of widows, divorcees and their children for one year without a sponsor from the date of death or divorce, and renewal of residence for dependents after completing their university or secondary education or 18 years of age.
He added extending the residence visa of the widows, divorcees and their dependents will be subject to a set of conditions. They should be under the sponsorship of the deceased or the ex-husband at the time of death or divorce, and their visas should be valid at the time of death or divorce, and the dependents must not overstay their mother’s visa.
Anew visa system that will extend the residency period for widows, divorcees and their children without a sponsor, for one year from the date of death or divorce, comes into effect on Sunday.
The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship said yesterday that visit and tourist visas will also be extended without the need to leave the country, while students or dependants who are 18 years old will get one-year visas, which will be extendable for one more year.
Brigadier Saeed Rakan Al Rashidi, Acting Director of Foreigners Affairs and Ports at the Authority, said extending the residence visas of widows, divorcees and their dependants will be subject to a set of conditions, mainly that they are sponsored by the deceased or the exhusband at the time of death or divorce, their visas are valid at the time of death or divorce, and that dependents don’t overstay their mother’s visa.
Al Rashidi said widows and divorcees without any children may enjoy the same facility.
Conditions and fees
Applications for visa extension for divorcees and widows can be submitted along with the divorce or widowhood certificates, tenancy contracts, and medical fitness certificates for themselves and their children, Emirates ID cards, insurance and income certificates.
The fees will include visa cancelling charges and Dh100 for a one-year residence visa.
For students sponsored by their parents, Al Rashidi said those who graduate from their universities or secondary schools or complete 18 years of age will be granted a one-year residence visa, renewable for another year from the graduation date or on completing 18 years of age. Dh100 will be charged for the visa and similar fees for the renewal, but no bank deposits will be required. Duly attested graduation certificates from universities or schools, both in the UAE or overseas, are needed.
Al Rashidi said all types of visit and tourist visas, regardless of their validity, will be extended for 30 days twice, at Dh600 for each extension.
Those who overstay their visas will have to pay a Dh100 fine for each day of their overstay, to be calculated 10 days after the visa expiry. A visitor can then apply for the second extension before the expiry of the fist visa.
Al Rashidi said this decision does not cover visitors who are resident in other GCC countries, or those on special entry permits and the 96-hour permit for special missions. Applications for all facilities can be submitted online via e-channel, Tas’heel offices and residency departments across the UAE.
Al Rashidi predicted that the three decisions will contribute towards supporting the country’s tourism sector, as it enables tourists and visitors to spend more time here.
It will also support the labour market by providing organisations the opportunity to benefit from skilled and talented people already in the country and reduce the need to recruit workers from abroad, saving time and costs. Visitors seeking jobs in the UAE also get a longer period of time to find suitable opportunities.