UAE visa amnesty: Minimum passport validity period reduced from 6 to 1 month
Move makes it easier for holders of soon-to-expire passports to apply during grace period
Abu Dhabi: The remaining validity period of passports has been reduced from six months to one month, as a requirement for availing the ongoing amnesty for UAE residency violators.
The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP) on Tuesday announced it has decided to reduce the passport validity period to facilitate the task of amending the status of the violator, who can then apply for a residence visa or exit the UAE without fines.
Previously, violators with passports valid for less than six months had to first renew their passport before applying for the amnesty, which began on September 1 and ends on October 31.
ICP Director-General Major General Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, of the Authority, said that the validity period of passports for residency and visa violators, foreign-born children in the country and those on the administrative lists has been changed to one month only, which allows violators to overcome the challenge related to the long period of time required to renew passports through the embassies present in the UAE.
He pointed out that the decision reflects the Authority’s keenness to develop solutions to the challenges facing amnesty seekers. The director-general called on violators to contact the Authority’s call centre and for inquiries and identify the challenges they face so the Authority’s team can find solutions for them.