It was announced over the weekend the rules regarding expired visas and Emirates IDs had changed.
Back in April when the coronavirus pandemic started to greatly affect travel worldwide, UAE authorities announced all residency visas and Emirates IDs that expired after March 1 would be valid until the end of the year.
However, this has now been changed by the Federal Authority of Citizenship and Identity (ICA) which announced that all expired visas and Emirates IDs will need to be renewed.
From today, July 12, the standard fees will be applied for the renewal of visas and Emirates IDs.
The UAE Cabinet issued a number of amendments to the decisions isuued recently in their Identity and citizenship sector#ICAUAE #IdentityandCitizenship #UAE pic.twitter.com/MLNSMQBAJE
— Identity and Citizenship- UAE (@ICAUAE) July 10, 2020
For those who have been stuck outside the country for less than six months, whether you’re a UAE citizen, GCC citizen or a UAE resident, a one month grace period for the renewal of visas and Emirates IDs will be given upon entry to the UAE.
For those who have been inside the UAE since the outbreak of the pandemic, a three-month grace period will be given to Emiratis, GCC citizens and UAE residents to renew their documents.
Fines will begin to apply once the above grace periods end.
Depending on when your visa expired, whether it was in March or April, May, June or July, there are different dates for when you can apply to renew your visa.
For those whose documents expired in March and April, you can apply to renew your visas and Emirates IDs today, July 12. For later dates refer to the table published by the ICA on their official Twitter page.
