Visitors who overstay in the UAE will have to pay fines for the number of extra days stayed beyond the expiry of their visa. They will have to obtain an out-pass or leave permit at the airports / immigration office at the land borders.
A representative at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), confirmed that anyone overstaying in the country should obtain an out-pass or leave permit either at airport or immigration offices at the land borders.
The permit can also be obtained at the Al Awir Immigration Office. Any visitor who overstays will have to pay fines for the days they extended their stay in the country.
Travel industry experts say that this process has begun a few days ago, and several of their clients who overstayed in the country, had to acquire the permit by paying Dh.200 to Dh.300 before their exit from country.>Manager of MICE & Holidays at Galadari International Travel Services, Mr. Wasim Raja said, “An outpass or leave permit is necessary for those visitors who continue to reside in the country after visa expiry or after the grace period offered by the emirates.”
Several visitors have been obtaining a leave permit for overstaying and exiting the country, confirmed Deepak Kaushik, Marketing Manager, Rooh Travel and Tourism.
The Sales Manager at Kingsland Travel and Tourism LLC, Robin Pathrose, said that once the outpass is obtained, the visitor should exit the country. Citing the example of one of his clients who arrived in the UAE on visit visa and manged to secure a job here, he said that the client was already overstaying in the country, and had applied for a leave permit at the Al Awir Immigration centre, which he forgot about. Meanwhile, his employer applied for work permit and permanent residency status a couple of times, which got rejected by the authorities. On enquiry, it was found that the reason for rejection is because he should have exited the country, as the leave permit was issued against his name.
