UAE hikes visit visa fees

ABU DHABI -- The price of visit visas to the United Arab Emirates is to be increased from 100 dirhams to 500 dirhams beginning August 1, a senior official has announced.

“Visit visas valid for 30 days will cost 500 dirhams. This cannot be renewed. A visitor wishing to stay for an extended period must obtain a visit visa valid for 90 days that costs 1,000 dirhams,” said Lieutenant General Mohammad Salem Al-Khaili, director general of the Federal Naturalization and Residency Department (FNRD).

Al-Khaili said multiple entry visas are valid for six months from the date of issuance and allow visitors to remain in the country for 14 days.

“A person who wants to undergo treatment must take a visa for treatment. This visa costs 1,000 dirhams and the duration is 90 days,” he added.

People wishing to get student visas, which cost 1,000 dirhams, must be registered at one of the UAE universities, obtain health insurance and place a refundable deposit of 1,000 dirhams. Student visas can be renewed for a similar period at a cost of 500 dirhams. One-month tourist visas cost 100 dirhams.

However, citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Finland, Malta, Spain, Monaco, Vatican, Iceland, Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein and Hong Kong can obtain a 60-day visit visa free of charge upon arrival.

The Naturalization Department also introduced a new visa, Mission Visa, which is issued for the purpose of temporary work in the country. It is issued for a maximum of 180 days with a combined fee of 1,800 dirhams. It is issued for three months against a fee of 600 dirhams and can be renewed for another three months against a fee of 1,200 dirhams.

It has been introduced to facilitate the Labor Ministry’s temporary work permit. An applicant must obtain the permit from the Labor Ministry first to get the visa.

Meanwhile, Labor Ministry officials said that six-month and one-year labor bans have been reinstated.

All expatriate employees in the UAE face an automatic six-month ban if they cancel their employment visa or quit their jobs.

“If the former employer issues a no-objection certificate, there won’t be a ban,” said a Labor Ministry official.

However, the six-month ban does not apply to government departments or free zones. K.T. Abdurabb, Arab News INQUIRER.net, June 09, 2008