Overstaying on a visit visa in UAE can result in deportation, imprisonment and a fine. Expats are warned to keep abreast of the visa rules and regulations.
It is no secret that the UAE has strict expat laws. There are many immigrants who want to migrate to the country but don’t seem to understand what kind of visa works for them. But not all visas work equally. If you decide to overstay on a visit visa, you can be deported, which is why it’s important to know your visa conditions and extend only as required.
Visas are issued by different countries to allow people to enter and travel within the country’s borders. Many people who travel to the United States are not aware that their visa could be limited in time. An overstay on a visit visa means that a visitor is entering the US with a legal visa but then remaining beyond the time for which their visa is valid.
Overstay On Visit Visa In Uae
When you arrive on UAE visit visa, it is your responsibility to leave the country before your visa expires. Failure to do so could lead to a fine and imprisonment.
As the expiry of your visit visa in UAE approaches, you are likely to face a number of problems and start feeling stressed out. Here’s how you can overcome those issues.
What are overstay fines in UAE & how much is it?
Any visitors overstaying on pre-paid or on-arrival visit visa will be charged a fine of 200 AED for the first day of overstaying and 100 AED per day from the second day onwards. Any UAE resident overstaying with an expired residence visa will be fined 125 AED on the first day and 25 AED per day from the second day onwards.
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Over staying fine for visitors – Explained
- A. 30 days on arrival
- B. 90 days on arrival
- C. Prepaid visa holders
- D. Indian passport holders with USA Visa, EU Residency visa & UK Residency visa
- E. Mexican passport 180 days on arrival
- F. Brazil 90 days on arrival
A 30 days on arrival
If you are a passport holder of the countries mentioned below then you don’t require a prepaid visa as you will be eligible for a 30 day visa that will be stamped on arrival at the UAE port of entry (airport, land border or seaport). All you have to do is disembark your flight at Dubai International Airport and head to immigration where your 30 day on arrival visa will be stamped on your passport free of charge.
| Andorra | Australia | Brunei |
| Canada | China | Hong Kong, China |
| Japan | Kazakhstan | Macau, China |
| Malaysia | Mauritius | Monaco |
| New Zealand | Republic of Ireland | San Marino |
| Singapore | Ukraine | United Kingdom and Northern Ireland |
| United States of America | Vatican City |
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Important Note
Individuals staying in UAE with a 30 days on arrival visa are given a grace period of 10 days. If you overstay after your grace period is over you will have to pay a fine of 200 AED for the first day of overstaying and 100 AED per day from the second day onwards. Additionally, at the time of exiting UAE you will have to pay a service charge of 100 AED. If you extend your stay via immigration or a tourism company you will be charged 100 AED per day as overstaying fine.
B 90 days on arrival
If you hold a passport from any of the countries or territories mentioned below, your passport will be stamped with a 90 day multiple entry visa upon arrival at any of UAE’s ports of entry. This multiple entry visit visa is valid for a total of 6 months from the date of issue and permits the holder for a stay totaling to 90 days within that time span.
| Argentina | Austria | Bahamas Islands |
| Barbados | Belgium | Brazil |
| Bulgaria | Chile | Colombia |
| Costa Rica | Croatia | Cyprus |
| Czech Republic | Denmark | El Salvador |
| Estonia | Finland | France |
| Germany | Greece | Honduras |
| Hungary | Iceland | Italy |
| Kiribati | Latvia | Liechtenstein |
| Lithuania | Luxembourg | Maldives |
| Malta | Montenegro | Nauru |
| Netherlands | Norway | Paraguay |
| Peru | Poland | Portugal |
| Romania | Russian Federation | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| San Marino | Serbia | Seychelles |
| Slovakia | Slovenia | Solomon Islands |
| South Korea | Spain | Sweden |
| Switzerland | Uruguay |
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Important Note
Citizens from European countries mentioned in the above list don’t get a grace period. If the individual overstays beyond grace period he will be charged a fine of 200 AED for the first day of overstaying and 100 AED per day from the second day onwards. A service fee of 100 AED will be charged upon exit. If you have extended your stay by opting for an inside country visa without exit you will be charged 100 AED per day of overstaying. And above nationals are eligible for a pre-paid visa extension after the 90-day visa on arrival has been used as it’s valid for 6 months
C Prepaid visa holders
If you hold a passport from Asian, African or other developing countries in the world you need to apply for a entry visa before entering UAE. You can apply for a single entry UAE visit visa or a multiple entry UAE visit visa via an airline or local tour companies.×i
Important Note
All prepaid single entry visas (30 days and 90 days) have a 10 day grace period. Overstaying beyond this grace period will incur a fine of 200 AED for the first day of overstaying and 100 AED per day from the second day onwards. Upon exit a service fee of 100 AED will also be charged. If you take a visa extension via your current sponsor or a new tour company you will be fined 100 AED per day of overstaying. All multiple entry visas (30 days and 90 days) do not get a grace period of 10 days. The overstay charges are 200 AED on day one and 100 AED per day from day 2 of overstaying. A service fee of 100 AED will also be charged while exiting UAE.
D Indian passport holders with USA Visa or USA Green card holder, EU Residency visa & UK Residency visa
Indian passport holders holding a USA green card or having USA visa, EU residency visa or UK residency visa are eligible for a UAE visa on arrival that is valid for 14 days. It is extendable once for a period of 14 days. The fee for this on-arrival permit is 100 AED and renewal fee is 250 AED and 20 AED service charge.×i
Important Note
On the first entry you are eligible for a 10 day grace period after your 14 day stay is completed. You can extend one more time after which you can’t extend anymore you have to exit UAE. Another option is to contact a tourism company for a visa change without exit. If the individual overstays beyond the grave period he will be fined 200 AED for the first day and 100 AED per day from the second day onwards. A service fee of 100 AED will also be added while exiting UAE.
E Mexican passport 180 days on arrival
If you are a Mexican passport holder you are eligible for a 180 day multiple entry visit visa that is valid for a total of 6 months from the date of issue. This allows you to stay for a total of 180 days in the UAE.×i
Important Note
No 10 day grace period is given for Mexican citizens who overstay. Overstay fines are 200 AED for the first day and 100 AED for each day from the second day onwards. A service fee of 100 AED will be charged at the time of exit. If an inside country visa without exit is used to extend the stay then 100 AED will be charged per day of overstaying.
F Brazil passport 90 days on arrival
If you are a Brazil passport holder you get free 90 days on arrival visa that is valid for 365 days where as 90 total days can be used with in an year×i
Important Note
No 10 days grace period given for Brazil nationals & Overstay fines are 200 AED for the first day and 100 AED for each day from the second day onwards. A service fee of 100 AED will be charged at the time of exit.
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Overstaying fine for residents – Explained
If you are a UAE resident after your residence visa gets expired, you have a 30 day grace period to change your status, apply for a new residence visa or exit the country. There won’t be any fines charged during the grace period. If the individual overstays after the grace period, a fine of 125 AED will be charged for the first day and 25 AED for every day from the second day onwards. Additionally, 50 AED will be charged per day after six months of overstaying and 100 AED per day after one year of overstaying. If your new employer is taking a long time to process your residence visa you can apply for a tourist visa with or without exit and get a status change. For more details check our UAE tourist visa extension option for a better idea.
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Where to pay the fine
You can settle your overstaying fines at any of the entry ports (airport, land border, sea ports), immigration offices, Amer offices and typing centres. If you are opting for an extension, the tourism company will make the payment for you.
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Upon exit – Airports, Ports & boarders
Most UAE residents and visitors are settling their overstaying fines while exiting UAE through the airports, Ports and land borders in any of the 7 Emirates. Every point of entry is equipped with well-trained immigration officers and systemized processes to collect the overstaying fines and help make your exit a hassle-free process
B
Ministry of Interior MOI – Immigration offices, Amer offices & typing center
If you feel like settling any overstaying dues before you leave to make the exit process less time consuming, feel free to make the payments in any of the local immigration offices, Amer offices or typing centres.
C
Upon extending tourism companies will pay
30 day or 90 day on arrival visa holders, prepaid visa holders or Mexicans are eligible to extend their stay via a local tourism firm. While extending their stay, they can settle any overstaying fines of the previous visa. Visit visa holders who are extending their stay need to make a payment of 100 AED per day of overstay (they are not required to pay 200 AED for the first day of overstay) and residence visa holders need to pay 25 AED per day (not required to pay 125 AED for the first day of overstay).
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How to avoid paying fines
Make sure to adhere to these tips and you won’t have to pay any overstaying fines.
- 1. Plan your return trip beforehand. This trick will save you lots of money as you won’t need to pay any overstay fines. Use Visa days calculator to count your days of stay accurately.
- 2. Make use of the Days Calculator Days Between Two Dates and tick the ‘Include end date in calculation’ box. 1 day will be added as UAE immigration counts your date of entry into the country too
- 3. Use the UAE Immigration’s file validity checking systems to confirm your last day of stay after you have entered the country.
- 4. Request your visa provider to send you screenshots from the immigration system to confirm your last day of stay in UAE.
- 5. Get to know your visa type and read the Type of visas in UAE for a better understanding of grace periods and their availability.
- 6. Avoid any travels on the last day of your grace period as delays in flights can postpone your stay resulting in fines being charged. Always travel a minimum of 2 days before your last day of grace period.
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Fines During Corona-virus
Any UAE visit visa holders waiting for an announcement for a stay extension for the individuals unable to leave UAE due to airport closures and flight cancellations there won’t be any overstaying fines charged. The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship had made a statement on March 23, 2020 that such individuals will be able to extend their stay in the country until situations improve.
Source : Khaleej Time
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Modifying visa status – Status change
Under the Ministerial Resolution No. 377 of 2014, visa holders of all types can modify the status of their entry while staying in the country if they wish to get a residency visa. A payment of 550 to 650 AED and compliance to certain requirements and conditions have to be met for successfully modifying visa status into residency visa. However, the applicant must ensure to perform this step before his current visa expires to avoid any fines being charged.
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Is it criminal?
In UK, overstaying without a valid reason is a criminal offence under section 24 of the Immigration Act 1971. In UAE, there is no law that says overstaying a visitor’s visa or expired residence visa is a criminal offence. Most of the visit visa holders and cancelled residence visa holders overstay due to reasons like flight cancellations (Now due to corona), delays in processing new visa or employment visa. In most cases the average period of overstaying is between 5 to 15 days. In certain cases, Asian visitors have been scammed into believing that their visit visa is an employment visa resulting in them overstaying for many months. In such an instance, it is regarded as a criminal offence and the individual will be deported upon getting caught. As UAE practices many humanitarian acts, once every one or two years, The UAE visa amnesty requests all individuals who are overstaying to exit the country and waive off their overstaying fines.
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Overstaying affect my re-entry?
We have heard news that overstaying for more than 1 to 2 months could affect any prospective employment opportunities. There are no laws confirmed about how overstaying will affect a visitor’s or resident’s next re-entry. In our experience some individuals who had overstayed and re applied for a new visa were approved while some were rejected. This decision is solely reliant on the Immigration departments’ security team.