UAE amends residency visa rules announced after coronavirus-led service disruptions
The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) can resume charging administrative fees for visa services from today.
The Cabinet announced a three-month grace period until October for GCC passport holders and UAE residents to renew their visa and residency documents.
The Cabinet also granted a one-month grace period to renew visas from the date of arrival in the UAE for GCC passport holders and UAE residents who have spent less than six months out of the country.
The same applies for Emirati citizens, according to an announcement carried by state news agency Wam.
UAE residents who have been out of the country for longer than six months or whose visas expired after March 1 have been granted a grace period – that will be determined by the ICA – to return to the Emirates from the date flights resume between the UAE and the country they are currently in.
Administrative fees cannot be charged during that grace period but will begin immediately after, the Cabinet said.
Authorities said the changes come as normalcy returns to the Emirates and economic activities resume.
The earlier decision to extend the validity of visas and entry permits for people in the Emirates from March 1 until the end of December has been cancelled.
The grace period given until the end of the year for identity cards that expired on March 1 has also been cancelled, as per a government resolution that came into effect from yesterday.
The Cabinet instructed the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship to start collecting fees due for providing visa and residency services from today.
The authorities had earlier said all UAE residency visas that expired after March 1 would remain valid until the end of the year because of the global lockdowns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Most recently, in June, immigration officials said a shortterm amnesty for people who have lived in the country without a visa since before March 1 would run until August 18.
It applied to people who were in the country before March 1 without a valid visa – such as workers with expired permits, job seekers on expired visit visas and people working without necessary labour documents.
The amnesty did not extend to people who lost their job since March 1, who must pay a Dh200 one-off fee and a fine of Dh25 per day.
The Cabinet said all services would be provided online to limit crowds at visa centres.