Pay for overstay – Penalties in the UAE you should know about

Millions of visitors arrive in UAE every year. The robust system of visa management clearly lays out and implements the UAE’s immigration and tourist visa policies. An important part of the law addresses the issue of overstay by the visa holders.

Those who arrive in Dubai on visitor visas often skip the expiry dates of their visas. This happens with resident immigrants too.

Ask any visa consultant and he will reiterate the importance of keeping tab of the expiry dates of the visas issued. Still, a delay by a few days or due to genuine reasons can be rectified as per the rules of the UAE.

Grace period:

Visitors/residents get a grace period of 10 days after the visa has expired. In these 10 days, they are free to leave the country without paying any fine. From the 11th day, they will need to pay a fine. The fine amount will increase with the extension of stay.

Penalty on tourist or visitor visa:

The overstaying tourist/visitor will have to pay AED 200 for the first day after the grace period. For every additional day of overstay, he/she will be fined an additional AED 100. While leaving the country, he/she will also need to pay AED 100 as a service fee at the immigration office/airport.

Penalty on resident visa holders:

The grace period for resident visa holders in UAE is 30 days. In these 30 days, the visa holder has the option of leaving the country or renewing the visa without a fine. On the first day after the grace period, AED 125 is levied on the visa holder. Subsequently, for each day of overstay from the second day, AED 25 will be additionally charged.

If the overstay extends beyond 6 months, he/she will need to pay AED 50 as fine per day. After one year, this increases to AED 100 per day!

Avoiding penalties:

To avoid penalties of overstay, the visa holder should do the renewal of the visa on time. He/she can apply for an extension and avoid paying fines. Any type of tourist or visit visa can be extended for 30 days without leaving the country. This can be done twice. They can apply for second renewal before the first one expires, by paying a charge of AED 600. If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Immigrate to UAE, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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