Forgery can earn you penalty, jail, deportation in the UAE

UAE has a lot of charm and dignity. Those are built on a warm welcoming attitude and a devoted adherence to the law. So, when you decide to be in the UAE, you should have clarity and integrity. Falling for risky tricks can cost you a lot on many counts.

The recent case that came up should make you alert of authorities in the UAE. The Dubai Public Prosecution referred 4 Asians to court for forgery. They were also charged with the use of forged official documents. The suspects had trusted a forger to get Schengen visas. Such crimes of document manipulation and identity theft are severely dealt with in the UAE.

The consequences of underestimating the system of detection of passport manipulations are serious. For forging passports and making fake visas, you could face imprisonment. This could be from 3 months to a year or more of imprisonment. You will be deported after imprisonment too. A black mark on your visa status will affect your visa possibilities anywhere else.

How they find the fakes?

There are 3 different points where the authorities can detect your fake passport.

The first-line officers to detect forgery are deployed by the GDRFA (General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs). These officers use the ‘retro check’ machine to single out fake passports. This machine has ultraviolet light, transmitted light, and magnifier. This apparatus is often enough to find a fake passport.

The second-line officers take up the case if the first-line officers are in doubt. The document then goes to examiners at the main center. Here, every property of the document like the background and printing technique are used to check the document.

The punishment

Forgery is a crime that has 3 types identified by the law in the UAE:

• The forgery of official documents. This includes title deeds, birth and marriage certificates, passports etc. This may lead to 10 years of imprisonment or more.
• The forgery of government obligations. This could be about money, bonds, postage stamps, etc. This leads to 15 years of imprisonment.
• The forgery of regular documents. These could be agreements or invoices. This may lead to 3 years of imprisonment.

Forgery of passports could happen on two levels. One involves a material change to the document like changing photographs or visa stamps with fake ink. Other is using a genuine passport by assuming the original passport holder’s identity. The latter amounts to identity theft and hence more severe an offense. Such identity theft can happen online too.

Identity theft can result in imprisonment from 3 to 30 years. The culprit can be also put to community service, probation, and severe monetary fines. The deportation follows all this.

In a strictly law-abiding country like UAE, any attempt to bypass the law or fool it will be a big risk. Here are a few tips to stay safe as a traveler to a country like UAE:

• Get your documentation done with a legitimate visa or immigration agent
• Be clear about the visa specifications and terms to avoid issues
• Never trust anyone who offers services for money that bypasses legitimate procedures
• Always be honest yourself and never attempt to forge or misinform

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to UAE, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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