Expired UAE residence visas, ID cards no longer valid until December-end

The UAE cabinet has approved a decision to amend a number of resolutions related to visas and ID cards in the country, which were announced when the Covid-19 pandemic began.

The decision came after the current situation was “studied in detail to ensure that there were no negative effects or repercussions on various sectors”, official news agency WAM reported.

It comes even as most government departments have resumed work.

Cancelled regulations:

* The extended validity of residency visas for expatriates – inside or outside the country – which expired after March 1, 2020 until year-end

* The validity of visas and entry permits for those inside the country from March 1 until the end of December 2020

* The extended validity of identity cards that expired after March 1 2020 until the end of December 2020

* The decision to cancel administrative fines for violations with regards to services provided by the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) as of July 11

The resolution will come into effect from July 11, 2020.

The ICA will start collecting the fees due for providing services from July 12, 2020.

However, the cabinet decided to grant three months to UAE citizens, GCC nationals and residents inside the country to renew their documents.

It also agreed to grant one month to UAE citizens, GCC citizens and residents from the date of their arrival in the country (who spent less than six months outside the country) to renew their documents.

Residents who are outside the country and whose residency expired after March 1, 2020, or who have exceeded a period of six months outside the country, will be granted a grace period to return to the country from the date of opening the airspace between the two countries. The time frame will be determined by the ICA.

Administrative fees or fines will be collected after the deadlines specified in the resolution, and no financial fines for the exemption period will be collected.

The UAE cabinet issued a number of amendments to the decisions issued recently in the identity and nationality sector#إقامة_دبي#الاستعداد_للخمسين#إقامة_دبي_مستعدة#gdrfadubai pic.twitter.com/8IyNYjS6rZ

— GDRFA DUBAI إقامة دبي (@GDRFADUBAI) July 10, 2020

The cabinet also stressed that services should be provided through electronic systems as far as possible to facilitate and limit the crowding of customers.

Service departments should consider the renewed electronic identity card in the smart application of the ICA until the issuance of the identity card.