New UAE tourist visa rules kick in from September
September is just around the corner and that means that new UAE tourist visa rules are coming into play in the UAE.
Announced in April, this is something visitors to the UAE have been looking forward to.
From next month tourists entering the UAE will receive a 60-day visa on arrival.
Who loves the sound of being able to stay in the sunny city of Dubai for two months? We do.
Unsure how the new UAE tourist visa rules are different to before? Previously, many nationalities received a 30-day visa on arrival.
When the 30 days were up you would have a nine-day grace period before being required to pay to renew your visa, or face fines.
Tourists who frequently visit Dubai can now also apply for a five-year multi-entry tourist visa.
The new visa will grant them 90 days in the country without a sponsor. These tourists will be able to stay in UAE for up to 180 days per year.
In order to apply for this visa, you can apply on the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA) website and mobile application.
An application for a five-year multiple entry visa costs Dh1500 and you need to provide documentation with your application.
Documentation required includes proof that you have a balance of USD4,000 in your bank account via a bank statement for the last six months, proof of UAE health insurance, photocopies of the front and last page of your passport, and recent coloured passport-sized photos.
Some applicants may also need to provide additional paperwork such as a copy of the flight ticket, proof of residence (which can be a letter from friends and family in the UAE) or a hotel booking/lease agreement.
According to the GDRFA, if some documents from the application, the applicant will be notified and have 30 days to attach the missing information.
If the applicant does not do so within 30 days the application will be cancelled.
Once all the paperwork is in place, the applicant will find out if they have received approval by email. The new rules mean that all types of visit and tourist visas can be extended twice.
Visitors and tourists can apply for the second renewal before the expiry of the first one. The price for the renewal will be Dhs600.
Visa overstayers who do not renew, as per the new rules, will have to pay a Dhs100 fine for each day of their overstay, to be calculated from 10 days after the visa expiry.