Are you concerned that you may have overstayed your tourist visa in the United Arab Emirates? Or have you missed the deadline for renewing your resident visa? Whether you are a visitor to the UAE or a resident, it is critical that you follow all of the criteria for your visa, whether they are related to applying for a renewal or paying any costs that are necessary.
If you have any worries about your visa status or if you may have incurred any fines, here is how you may check with the UAE’s immigration authorities.
Grace period
To begin, it’s crucial to remember that UAE visa holders are given grace periods by immigration authorities, giving them time to get their visa status in order before fines are imposed. According to the official UAE government website – u.ae – if you have a resident visa, you have 30 days following the visa’s expiry date to either modify your status and seek another residence visa or leave the country. Similarly, the website notes that tourists and visitors with visit visas get a 10-day grace period after their visa expires. Fines will be imposed if they overstay their visa over the grace period.
How does one check if he/she has a fine on their UAE visa?
You can quickly verify if you have any visa fines in the UAE by looking them up online. Your visa may be issued by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) for the emirate of Dubai, or the Federal Authority of Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP) for all other emirates – Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, and Fujairah.
You can check for visa fines on the websites of either of these two immigration authorities, regardless of which Emirate granted the visa. Because the online systems are linked, even if your visa was issued in Dubai, the ICP website will give you information on the visa fines.
- GDRFA website – www.gdrfa.gov.ae
- ICP website – www.icp.gov.ae
Step 1: Access the service online
You must first go to beta.smartservices.icp.gov.ae and scroll down to see if you have any outstanding penalties. Click on the ‘Start Service’ link to access the service titled ‘Fines – Pay Fines – Violations Of Entry Permissions Or Residences – Pay New Fine.’
Step 2: Fill in the details
After that, you’ll have two choices:
- File Number – this is the option to choose if you’re looking for a fine on a resident visa.
- Citizens Of Specific Countries – choose this option if you have questions about fines on a visit visa.
For UAE Residents:
- Click on ‘file number’.
- Enter the file number. The file number can be found on the UAE resident visa page of your passport. Read our in-depth tutorial here to learn more about what a file number is.
- Fill in your birth date.
- After you’ve finished filling out the form, check the captcha box and click the blue ‘Search’ option. The system will then display any visa fines that have been imposed.
For visitors:
- Click on ‘Citizens of Certain Countries’.
- Enter the following details:
- Your passport number
- Passport type – for example diplomatic, UN, or ordinary passport
- Date of Birth
- Current nationality
Click ‘Search’ after checking the captcha box. The system will then display any visa fines that have been imposed.
Visa fine inquiry through GDRFA
If your visa was granted in Dubai, you can check if you owe any penalties by using the GDRFA’s ‘Fines Inquiry Service.’
- On the home page, scroll down to the ‘Fines inquiry’ tab. (Alternatively, you can go straight to https://www.gdrfad.gov.ae/en/fines-inquiry-service.html.)
a. Choose a file type from the first dropdown menu:
b. Resident (for residence visa holders)
- Permit (for visit or tourist visa holders)
- Provide the following details:
a. Place of issue (select the Emirate that issued the visa)
b. File number
c. Date of birth
d. Gender
- As part of the captcha verification procedure, you will be required to answer a simple math equation.
- Finally, press the red ‘Submit’ button.
- The system will then display any visa fines that have been imposed. If you don’t have any fines, you’ll see a green pop-up notification on the GDRFA website stating that your file number has no fines.