One month’s grace for people with out-of-date visit visas
Jobseekers who came into the country on a visit or tourist visa after March 1 have been told they can spend an additional month in the country before facing overstay fines.
The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship had set August 11 as the deadline to leave for people who could not travel after flights were grounded in March.
On Monday, it announced a grace period of 30 days.
Anyone who is still in the country after September 11 will be fined.
However, those who leave the country within the next month will be permitted to return.
The ICA called on anyone with an expired tourist or visit visa to take advantage of the grace period and settle their status by leaving the country and re-entering.
Once they amend their status, “they are welcome to visit the country any time”, the authority said.
The ICA called on anyone with an expired tourist or visit visa to settle their status by leaving the country and re-entering
Thousands have approached their embassies to register to be repatriated after running out of money to book their own flights home.
Last month, the authority said people with residency visas that had expired or were cancelled after July 12 would have one month to either leave the country or renew their residency documents.
That grace period expires today.
Anyone whose visa expired or was cancelled between March and July 11, was granted a three-month period in which to rectify their status or leave the UAE without being fined or banned from entry in future.
For those in the country, breaking the visa rules incurs a fine of Dh25 a day.
When leaving the country, the fine is Dh250 plus Dh25 a day.
In July, a senior official said regular visa conditions pre-coronavirus would apply as services reopened across the country.
“The purpose of the amendments was for things to gradually return to normal,” said ICA spokesman Brig Gen Khamis Al Kaabi.