Cabinet okays grace period for visa renewal

Those stranded outside the country will be granted a period of one month to get their visas, documents and IDs in order once they arrive on special or other commercial flights

dubai — With the UAE returning to normalcy and the wheels of the economy gathering speed, normal fees and fines will be charged for residency, visas, entry permits and identity cards from July 12, the UAE Cabinet said on Friday.

However, a three-month ‘grace period’ has been granted to Emiratis, GCC citizens and expat residents in the country to renew their visas and IDs. This will cover residency visas that have expired as of March 1, 2020.

Those stranded outside the country will be granted a month’s time to get their visas, documents and IDs in order once they arrive on special or other commercial flights. No fines will be levied during this period.

“All previous decisions on residency of expatriates, visas, entry permits and ID cards stand cancelled with effect from July 11. The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) has been assigned to start collecting the fees for providing residency and other services from July 12,” a series of tweets on the official UAE Government handle said.

Expatriates who have stayed outside the country for more than six months will also be granted a grace period to return to the country and complete procedures for visa renewal.

This grace period will be announced once the date for reopening of the airspace between the UAE and the respective countries is announced, and the exemption period will be determined by the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, the Cabinet said.

“Administrative fees or fines shall be collected after the end of these said deadlines. No fines shall be collected during the exemption period. Administrative fees and fines shall be reactivated on all services provided by the authority from July 12.”