Coronavirus: UAE grace period for expired visit visas ends on Friday

People must settle their visa status or leave the country to avoid fines

A model of a transformer robot wears a mask and carries a sign saying 'Stay home' outside a shop in Ras Al Khaimah. All photos by Chris Whiteoak / The National

A cleaner disinfects different surfaces at the H Hotel in Dubai.

Tailor Zeeshan Javed makes a pair of trousers in his workshop with protection measures in place.

A lifeguard watches over the pool at the H Hotel in Dubai.

An employee at Century Financial in Dubai sterilises a conference room.

A manager at Stone Grey, a tailoring business, rearranges dresses.

A hotel receptionist works behind a plastic partition at the H Hotel in Dubai.

Two colleagues keep a safe distance at Century Financial in Dubai.

Motorists get laser based DPI tests at the Mina Rashid screening centre in Dubai.

Motorists get laser based DPI tests at the Mina Rashid screening centre in Dubai.

Motorists get laser based DPI tests at the Mina Rashid screening centre in Dubai.

People who remain in the UAE on visit visas which expired after March 1 must finalise their residency status by Friday or leave the country to avoid overstay fines

The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) had previously extended an August 11 deadline by one month as part of efforts to support those impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many travellers who entered the country to seek work were unable to exit the Emirates when the pandemic triggered air travel bans across the world in March.

Others who had lost jobs applied for temporary visit visas while they looked for new employment.

The ICA confirmed last month that anyone who remained in the country with invalid visas beyond the grace period would face financial penalties.

According to UAE Government guidelines, tourists and visit visa holders will incur overstay fines of Dh200 for the first day and Dh100 for each day thereafter, as well as a Dh100 service charge.

The ICA called on anyone with an expired tourist or visit visa to take advantage of the grace period and settle their status by leaving the country and re-entering.

Once they amend their status, "they are welcome to visit the country anytime," the authority said.

Thousands have approached their embassies to sign up for repatriation after running out of money to fly home.

In July, a senior official announced that regular visa rules pre-coronavirus would apply as services reopened across the country.

“The purpose of the amendments was for things to gradually return to normal,” said Brig Gen Khamis Al Kaabi, ICA spokesman, in a radio interview.