Abu Dhabi: Holders of expired UAE visit visas should either leave the country by August 11, 2020 or can apply for a one-month grace period, the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) said on Thursday.
Visitor or tourist visa holders in the country have one month to leave as of July 12 to avoid fines, but in a new order by ICA, they can renew the 30-day grace period one more time after August 11.
“As per the last amendments, it has been decided to grant entry permits and visit visa holders inside the country, a period of one month (30 days) to leave the country. The grace period is renewable one time by the authority,” ICA said on their Twitter account.
“After which, the entry permit or visit visa holder needs to exit the country [to avoid fines].”
The authority added that the extension of grace period would be done by the ICA. More details are awaited on the procedure of the extension.
Reversal of extension
After the UAE authorities reversed the decision to extend any residency visas that expired during the COVID-19 outbreak, Brigadier Khamis Al Kaabi, the official spokesman of ICA, said that holders of visit visa inside the country whose visas expired after March 1, 2020, will have one month to either change their status inside the country or leave by August 11.
Moreover, UAE residents with permits that expired after March 1, 2020 will have three months to renew their residency as of July 12.
The authority has resumed its services and is receiving renewal applications for expired residency visas and ID cards.
The authority called on customers to initiate the renewal of expired ID cards and residency permits of UAE citizens, as well as citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and expatriate residents who are in the country.
The authority has requested everyone to take advantage of the smart services it provides (on its website, ica.gov.ae), and adhere to the renewal schedule to avoid incurring administrative fines.
Earlier, it had been announced that holders of UAE residency or entry permits (visit/tourist visas) that expired after March 1 would be extended until December 31. However, on Friday, that provision was cancelled and residency visa renewals started on July 12.
