Since the UAE visa amnesty started on September 1, thousands of overstayers have been granted a pass that ended years of anxiety while illegally staying in the UAE. Mounting fines were waived and penalties were cleared, giving visa violators a chance to start anew either in the Emirates or back home.
Terms and conditions were clearly laid down, determining who can’t and cannot apply for the amnesty and which requirements should be filed to be eligible. The scheme runs until the end of October.
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Over the past few weeks, as scores of applications are submitted, UAE authorities have found ways to further ease the process and provide some flexibility to amnesty-seekers.
Here are three changes that were recently introduced to the ongoing visa amnesty programme:
1. 14-day exit pass validity extended
Besides getting their fines cleared, those given amnesty are handed an exit pass so they can leave the country and fly home without having to pay penalties.
Initially, they were given a 14-day grace period to depart the UAE. Now, this period has been extended until the end of the amnesty programme. This means those holding an exit pass have until October 31 to get their flight tickets and leave.
2. Required passport validity period amended
Typically, a passport is considered valid if the expiry date is at least six months away. In an advisory issued on September 24, however, UAE authorities reduced the required six-month passport validity period to one month.
Visa violators will now be able to apply for amnesty and get their residency status rectified without having to renew their passports, if they still have one month of validity left.
“This will allow violators to overcome the challenge related to the long period of time required to renew passports through the embassies present in the country,” a top ICP official said.
3. Health insurance fines to be waived
Abu Dhabi health insurance fines will be waived for visa violators who were granted amnesty and wished to stay in the emirate.
To benefit from the waiver, however, those granted amnesty have to “promptly initiate the process to obtain health insurance documentation”.
“We reiterate our call for individuals to take advantage of this initiative and complete the health insurance enrolment procedures within the designated time-frame,” said Bina Al Awani, executive director of the Health Care Financing Providers Sector at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi.