UAE | Visa
Missing visas add to visitor woes
Residents have complained that some visitors are stuck at the airport for hours because the naturalisation and residency department staff have misplaced their visas.
- By Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:11 June 4, 2008
Dubai: Residents have complained that some visitors are stuck at the airport for hours because the naturalisation and residency department staff have misplaced their visas.
"I deposited the original copy of a visit visa for our visitor who was coming on our company sponsorship at 1.30pm," said Paul who works as a public relation officer for a company in Dubai.
"Our visitor reached the airport at 7.30pm but the immigration officers denied they received any copy of his visa," he said. Paul said that even as the hours passed, the department staff refused to let him in.
"I tried many times to tell them that I have handed over the original but they accused me of telling lies. They asked me to get another visa with another duplicate sticker and then they would let the visitor in," he said. Paul told them that it was very late and he cannot access his office to get the duplicate copy for the visit visa.
"Four hours later another officer came and when he searched the counter he found the deposited visa," Paul said. His company's visitor was finally allowed to enter the country at around 12 midnight.
Another resident said he had a similar incident at Terminal 2 when his friend went to Kish Island for changing her visa and returned to Dubai.
"At the airport I was told that they cannot find the original copy of her visa which I deposited early in the morning the same day of her arrival. But the visa disappeared," said Mario who works at a restaurant in Dubai
"I had to explain to them several times that the visa is with them but they insisted that I never deposited the original copy," Mario said.
Mario said his friend was finally allowed out after a full night at the airport as I had to wait till our office opened to bring the sticker for the visa.
An officer at the airport said that since thousands of visitors enter and leave the country every day, such mistakes could have happened.
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