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UAE Visa Overstay Penalties and Regulations-2023

Every UAE visit visa or Dubai tourist visa has a stipulated time in which you can stay in the country legally. After this time, if the visitor is supposed to exit the country and if they don't, it is considered a visa overstay, which is illegal. The UAE government has clarified that tourists should not overstay their visa to Dubai under any circumstances.

Overstaying a tourist visa for Dubai can result in severe consequences that could even lead to travel agencies filing absconding and getting blacklisted. Once blacklisted, the visitor could never enter the UAE or any other GCC country.

The visitor would also be subject to penalties which include fines, imprisonment, and deportation. So, it is important for a visitor to apply for Extended Dubai Visa or UAE Online Tourist Visa before his current visa expires.

Does Overstay Apply to All Types of UAE Visas?

  • Visas in Dubai can be categorized into different types, such as residency visas, tourist visas, Dubai jobseeker visa, a Transit visa for Dubai, etc. Each visa has its own requirements and validity period.
  • For instance, a UAE online tourist visa may be applied through eDubai visa services, and it allows a visitor to stay in Dubai for a short period, such as a 14 days Dubai visa, 30 Days UAE visa, or a 60 days UAE visa. A residency visa may permit you to stay for a more extended period. No matter which visa you are on, if you overstay, you are subject to a penalty.

What is Absconding Filed By Travel Agencies?

  • If a visitor wants to come to the UAE, he needs a sponsor in the country to take care of his Dubai visa application online. A Dubai visa travel agency will be your sponsor that gets the visitor his eVisa to UAE.
  • If a visitor that was sponsored by the agency overstays, fines will be incurred by the agency, and they will suffer a huge loss of money. This is why they choose to file absconding cases against visitors who overstay on UAE tourist visas.

How Much Is The Overstay Fine and Absconding Penalty?

  • If a person is in Dubai on a UAE tourist visa or residence visa, it is important to keep track of when his visa expires. Previously, the fine for overstaying depended on the type of visa the visitor had.
  • However, the changes made to the online Dubai visa system in October 2022 have standardized the fine for overstaying, regardless of the visa type.
  • Dubai imposes a fine of AED 50 per day for visa overstay charges, and the new visa system applies the same fine amount for any offenders.
  • It is to be noted that visitors who are unable to leave Dubai due to airport closures or flight cancellations won't be charged a fine for overstaying. The absconding penalty is around 2000 AED minimum which increases every day.

What Is A UAE Outpass?

  • According to the latest Dubai visa changes, a foreigner who intends to exit the country, but does not have a valid visa because it has expired, will have to obtain an outpass, which facilitates their exit. This is basically an exit permit which allows the holders to leave the country. It costs around 250-300 AED.

How To Pay The Overstay Fine?

  • If you have overstayed the visa and want to pay the fine or get any UAE Visa Information on overstaying, you can do it via typing centers that provide visa services in Dubai, the immigration center at the airport or online. You can also contact the embassy or consulate for Visa and Services related enquiries.

Follow these steps to pay the Dubai visa overstay fee online

  • Go to the ICA website
  • Click on the virtual assistant on the bottom right side of your screen.
  • Select ‘Apply for Services' from the list of services.
  • Choose ‘Pay Fine' or type in the service number.
  • Enter your unified number.
  • Enter your date of birth in the format MM/DD/YYYY.
  • The website will show you the details of your violation and the fines you have to pay. If there is a link to pay the fine, click on it.
  • You will be redirected to the payment page. Review the information and click ‘next.'
  • Finally, click ‘pay' to complete the process.