Residents can renew visas after returning
UAE Cabinet grants grace period, cancels December visa validity decision
Residents who are outside the UAE and whose residency has expired after March 1, 2020, will now get a grace period from their date of return to renew visas, according to a UAE Cabinet decision announced yesterday.
The decision also covers the identity cards of citizens and GCC nationals.
The Cabinet cancelled its previous decision to automatically extend visas, which expired between March 1 and and 31, till December 31. The decision on citizens’ identity cards that expired on March 1 being valid until December 31 is also cancelled.
Citizens, GCC nationals and residents inside the UAE will have three months to renew their documents.
The decision specified that residents who have spent more than six months outside the UAE will get three months from date of return to renew their visas while those who have spent less than six months outside will get one month.
Residents will be given a timeframe to return from the date of flights resuming between the UAE and their respective countries.
The Cabinet said that no fines will be imposed during the grace period.
Any fees or fines due after the expiry of the grace period for those who have already returned, but not renewed their visas, will be collected starting Sunday.
The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship will also start collecting fees for its services from Sunday.
After the long wait for flights, many Indian expats stuck back home are now finding it difficult to get the Covid-19 test done ahead of the special flights to the UAE from July 12 to 26.
UAE residents stuck in different parts of India told Gulf News that they are facing different types of issues in getting coronavirus tests done and receiving the negative result certificate which should be issued not more than 96 hours before the flight.
From hospitals refusing to test people without referrals or coronavirus symptoms, to delays in getting results — and travel hurdles in view of lockdowns in areas where centres authorised by the Indian Council of Medical Researchers are located — Indian expats are concerned about various issues.
Special requests
Many are worried about whether they will manage to get test results in time for their flights.
Urging the authorities to be lenient with expats wishing to return back to their country of residence after months of waiting, some expats requested for exemption from prerequisites like a separate prescription and Covid-19 symptoms for availing the tests.
Meanwhile, some parents called for exemptions of predeparture tests for small children and students stuck in hostels. Others requested special arrangements to ensure the safety of small children such as home testing or separate sampling areas away from those meant for adults.
Students, especially girls, are finding it difficult to travel to testing centres because of the movement restrictions in some areas.”
Divya Raj | Parent
Long wait, travel hurdles
As per the UAE regulations, residents returning from India must produce a Covid-19 negative report after doing the RT-PCR (real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) test on their arrival.
Arun Shivakumar, who has been stranded in Karnataka with his family since March said the test results are not guaranteed to arrive within the stipulated time put up by the UAE government owing to a massive load of tests being conducted at Indian centres.
Divya Raj, whose daughter is in stranded in Bengaluru, said students like her daughter are
finding it difficult to go to the testing centres alone.
“Many of them are stuck in hostels. Students, especially girls, are finding it difficult to travel to testing centres because of the movement restrictions in some areas that are under strict lockdown. It would be great if the authorities can exempt students facing such issues from taking the pre-departure test and allow them to be tested on landing.”