UAE Visit Visa Extension - Everything You need to Know

UAE is a great destination for a variety of reasons. Its various emirates offer experiences tailored to meet the needs of all visitors. The UAE offers incredible beaches, adventure, stunning landscapes, shopping malls, dining experiences, and cultural heritage that are sure to satisfy any travel itinerary. A UAE visa grants you access to the emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as Sharjah, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, and Umm Al Quwain, which have their own unique nuances. From the date of arrival, you can explore the UAE for a maximum of 90 days with a UAE visit visa. The validity of a visa depends on whether you have a pre-paid visa or an on-arrival visa for Dubai. In case you loved your time in the UAE and want to extend it, there are a few ways to do it. Let's take a look.

 Pre-paid and on-arrival UAE visas - an overview

 An on-arrival visa is offered to individuals of a country who are eligible to enter the UAE without a valid visa acquired in advance. Specific nationalities are eligible for this benefit. The UAE requires all other nationals who are not eligible for a visa on arrival entry to apply for a valid UAE visa before departing.

 These nationalities are eligible for a 30-day on-arrival UAE visa:

 Andorra,  UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland,  Brunei, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Macau,  Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mauritius, San Marino, Singapore, Ukraine, Monaco,  Vatican City.

 For 90 days, the following citizens can apply for an on-arrival UAE visa

 Argentina, Austria, Bahamas Islands, Finland,  Barbados, Liechtenstein, Belgium, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Croatia, Hungary,  Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, El-Salvador, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Peru,  Iceland, Paraguay,  Italy, Kiribati, Latvia, Switzerland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Malta, Nauru, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sweden, Uruguay.

 There is a 180-day of visa on arrival eligibility for Mexicans, and Indians with an additional 6 months UK, or USA resident permit is also capable of getting a 14-day visa on arrival if they are eligible for it. This 14-day visa is not extendable, and the holder of the visa will need to exit the country and re-enter to get a  new 14-day visa.

 For all other nationalities, a pre-paid, pre-acquired UAE visa is required before entering UAE borders. To obtain a pre-approved visa, one must apply through a UAE sponsor, such as a family member, relative, acquaintance living in the UAE, or a UAE travel agency. It is also possible to obtain a visa through the hotel you are staying at and the airline you are flying with to the UAE.

 It is imperative that UAE visa holders leave the country or extend their visit visa before their valid visa expires. It is possible to extend visas during grace periods and the visa holder should take advantage of this time. Once a visa's validity expires, the visa holder is charged with overstaying fees. These fees are about 100 AED per day. The following options are available to visa holders who wish to extend their stay.

 Visa extension processes in the UAE

 It is possible to extend a 30-day visa twice for another 30 days without having to leave the country. Basically, one has to apply for the renewal before the first visa expires with the immigration check. The following options are available for UAE visit visa extension:

 Oman border visa run

 This option lets you exit UAE borders with a valid Oman visa, enter Oman, and then re-enter UAE to get a new visa at the immigration check. It's one of the easiest and cheapest ways to extend a UAE visit visa. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic may have affected this type of UAE visa extension.

 Visa Extension without exit

Also known as the inside country visa process, this is another option for extending a UAE visa. With this option, the applicant does not need to leave the UAE to change their visa status, which eliminates all the hassles of leaving the country and saves time. To extend your UAE visa, you simply need to contact an expert who offers visa services, submit the necessary documents, pay the visa fees, and wait for your visa's status to change.

 Additionally, there is an Airport to Airport Visa Change, but it has been halted indefinitely in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Documents needed for an extension of a UAE visa

 To facilitate your UAE visa extension, you will need to keep the following ready:

• -          A valid travel and health insurance.
• -          Proof of vaccination against Covid-19
• -          Photocopies of passports
• -          Recently taken colour photographs
• -          A copy of a valid visa for the UAE
• -          A copy of the sponsor's identification, if they are holding a residence visa or permit in the UAE

Only UAE visas that are currently valid are eligible for visa extensions. It is recommended that you note the expiration date of your current visa and start planning for an extension at least a week before it expires. It's best not to wait until the last minute and get stressed if things don't go as planned. During your stay in Dubai, you should ensure that your passport has a validity of at least 6 months. The validity of your passport is also taken into consideration when applying for a visa extension, and if your passport has less than six months' validity, your request may be denied.

Conclusion

As a country, the UAE offers a wide range of leisure and business opportunities. Leisure travellers, however, have several easy options for extending their UAE visa if they wish to stay longer and enjoy more of this fascinating Middle Eastern country. Time and again, the UAE has worked to make its destinations easily accessible to visitors, and this includes its visa process as well. Visitors to the UAE can take advantage of the above-mentioned visa extension options for a hassle-free and convenient way to extend their stay in the UAE.