Pay Dh110 to get your visit visa deposit back

Sharjah: Getting a visit visa has become more expensive for expatriates as now they have to pay a fee even to have their visa deposit refunded, Gulf News has learnt.

They are now charged Dh110 fee in order to get a refund of the Dh2,000 deposit they have to pay to obtain a visit visa for their friends.

A decision to this effect was taken recently by the Ministry of Interior and circulated at the residency Departments across the UAE. The decision stated that all those who applied for visa and had paid Dh2,000 as deposit, will need to pay Dh110 to get their money back.

According to that decision, the residency department will charge Dh100 its cancelation counter as refund fees and the Dh10 will be charged by banks in order to issue the refund cheque.

The decision is already being implemented at all naturalisation and residency departments across the UAE, except Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD).

DNRD is charging only Dh10 to issue the refund cheque. "We are charging Dh10, which is to be collected to issue the deposit cheque. We also charge Dh100 for refunding the deposit. It is a decision taken by the Ministry itself," said an official from Ajman naturalisation and residency department.

A new rule was issued by the Ministry of Interior by the end of June which set that a Dh2,000 must be paid as refundable deposit for any kind of visa.

"We applied for a visit visa a Sharjah Naturalisation and residency Department and we paid Dh2,000. But when we cancelled the visa, we are asked to pay Dh100 at the visa cancelation counter of the residency department and another Dh10 at the bank in order to be given a cheque of the deposit amount," said Ebrahim, an expatriate from India.

Ebrahim who works for a company in Sharjah said that when he asked the officer about the fees and why they are charging the fees, an official repled: "We are not a super market. We are not selling items. It is a decision by the Ministry."

Ebrahim said the official showed him a copy from the decision posted on the notice board.