The United Arab Emirates has standardised visa-overstay penalties across all permit types, levying a flat fine of AED 50 (≈ CHF 12.50) per day from the very first day of irregular stay. The new regime, confirmed on 11 February, ends a patchwork of tiered fines and grace periods and is already catching European visitors unaware.
Citizens of Switzerland – who enjoy a 90-day visa-on-arrival – are now subject to the same daily penalty as every other nationality. Business travellers who routinely tack on leisure days in Dubai or Abu Dhabi must therefore track their permitted stay meticulously; an unplanned 30-day overstay would cost AED 1,500 plus potential exit-bans until payment is made.
![UAE Imposes Flat AED 50 Daily Overstay Fine – Swiss Travellers Advised to Double-Check Visa Dates]()
Swiss travellers who prefer professional assistance can turn to VisaHQ, whose dedicated Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) provides up-to-date entry requirements, personalised reminder tools and facilitation of UAE visa extensions. Using such services can sharply reduce the risk—and cost—of an inadvertent AED 50-a-day overstay.
Travel-risk advisers note that the change could dent Switzerland–Gulf commercial ties at the margin: Swiss firms run more than 300 regional offices in the UAE, and many executives make multiple short trips. In addition to financial penalties, unpaid fines can block future visa applications, complicating deal-making timetables.
Corporate mobility teams are updating pre-trip checklists: reminding staff to retain entry stamps, scheduling calendar alerts before the 90-day limit, and engaging local PROs to handle extension filings well in advance. The UAE has hinted at future digital-status trackers inside its immigration app, but no timeline has been fixed.
Citizens of Switzerland – who enjoy a 90-day visa-on-arrival – are now subject to the same daily penalty as every other nationality. Business travellers who routinely tack on leisure days in Dubai or Abu Dhabi must therefore track their permitted stay meticulously; an unplanned 30-day overstay would cost AED 1,500 plus potential exit-bans until payment is made.
Swiss travellers who prefer professional assistance can turn to VisaHQ, whose dedicated Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) provides up-to-date entry requirements, personalised reminder tools and facilitation of UAE visa extensions. Using such services can sharply reduce the risk—and cost—of an inadvertent AED 50-a-day overstay.
Travel-risk advisers note that the change could dent Switzerland–Gulf commercial ties at the margin: Swiss firms run more than 300 regional offices in the UAE, and many executives make multiple short trips. In addition to financial penalties, unpaid fines can block future visa applications, complicating deal-making timetables.
Corporate mobility teams are updating pre-trip checklists: reminding staff to retain entry stamps, scheduling calendar alerts before the 90-day limit, and engaging local PROs to handle extension filings well in advance. The UAE has hinted at future digital-status trackers inside its immigration app, but no timeline has been fixed.
