The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) quietly rolled out a single, unified penalty of AED 50 (about US $13.60) per day for anyone who remains in the UAE after their visa expires. Previously, different visa types – tourist, visit, residence and cancelled-residence permits – attracted different daily fines that many travellers found confusing. The flat-rate approach, which took effect this week, is designed to make the rules easier to understand and to remove any doubt about how quickly penalties accrue.
Just as significant is the expansion of digital channels that allow overstayers to settle their dues before departure. Visitors can now log on to the ICP platform, while Dubai residents can use the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) portal or an Amer service centre to view real-time fine balances and pay by credit card. Immigration counters at airports and land borders remain a last-resort payment point, but authorities warn that travellers who arrive at the airport with unpaid fines risk being stopped from boarding outbound flights.
![UAE standardises visa-overstay fines to AED 50 per day and launches easier online payment options]()
VisaHQ’s online visa-processing service (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) can further streamline compliance by keeping travellers informed of their UAE visa status, flagging upcoming expiry dates and assisting with renewals or new applications—helping both individuals and HR teams avoid last-minute scrambles and unexpected fines.
For HR and global-mobility teams, the change simplifies compliance calculations when issuing assignment letters or advising staff on grace-period deadlines. Tourist- and visit-visa holders now incur fines from the first day after expiry; residents whose visas have been cancelled still receive a 30-day grace period, after which the AED 50 daily charge starts. Failure to pay can trigger travel bans, blocked future visa applications and, in extreme cases, deportation orders.
Companies are therefore urged to build automated reminders into travel-management systems, especially for short-term assignees and dependants whose visa validity may differ from that of the primary employee. Mobility managers should also instruct travellers to keep screenshots or e-receipts of paid fines, as proof may be requested by airlines at check-in or by immigration officers on departure. Taken together, the unified tariff and streamlined payment tools are intended to tighten compliance while reducing last-minute airport drama for the UAE’s vast expatriate and business-visitor community.
Just as significant is the expansion of digital channels that allow overstayers to settle their dues before departure. Visitors can now log on to the ICP platform, while Dubai residents can use the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) portal or an Amer service centre to view real-time fine balances and pay by credit card. Immigration counters at airports and land borders remain a last-resort payment point, but authorities warn that travellers who arrive at the airport with unpaid fines risk being stopped from boarding outbound flights.
VisaHQ’s online visa-processing service (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) can further streamline compliance by keeping travellers informed of their UAE visa status, flagging upcoming expiry dates and assisting with renewals or new applications—helping both individuals and HR teams avoid last-minute scrambles and unexpected fines.
For HR and global-mobility teams, the change simplifies compliance calculations when issuing assignment letters or advising staff on grace-period deadlines. Tourist- and visit-visa holders now incur fines from the first day after expiry; residents whose visas have been cancelled still receive a 30-day grace period, after which the AED 50 daily charge starts. Failure to pay can trigger travel bans, blocked future visa applications and, in extreme cases, deportation orders.
Companies are therefore urged to build automated reminders into travel-management systems, especially for short-term assignees and dependants whose visa validity may differ from that of the primary employee. Mobility managers should also instruct travellers to keep screenshots or e-receipts of paid fines, as proof may be requested by airlines at check-in or by immigration officers on departure. Taken together, the unified tariff and streamlined payment tools are intended to tighten compliance while reducing last-minute airport drama for the UAE’s vast expatriate and business-visitor community.
