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Dubai flights: GDRFA confirms extension of expired visas of some stranded expats

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Dubai - Expats who meet these conditions will have their visas extended, with an expiry date of November 9.

Published: Tue 24 Aug 2021, 2:26 AM

Updated: Tue 23 Nov 2021, 1:33 PM

  • By
  • Team KT

The expired residency visas of some expatriates stranded abroad will be extended, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) - Dubai has confirmed.

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The procedure will be done “according to certain conditions”. Beneficiaries must have been outside the UAE since the expiry date of residency between April 20 and November 8, 2021. The residency file must not have been cancelled at the request of the sponsor during this period.

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Expats who meet these conditions will have their visas extended, with an expiry date of November 9.

Additionally, when the stranded residents enter the country, the system will give them a period of 30 days from the date of entry to change their and renew their visas.

As Khaleej Times reported earlier today, flydubai airline’s website said expired visas of citizens of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Uganda, who are stranded abroad, would be automatically extended.

“This applies to Dubai-issued UAE resident visas which have expired or will expire between April 20, 2021, and November 9, 2021, inclusive,” the airline had said.

Flydubai said on Monday that the expiry will not be extended for UAE residents with Dubai-issued visas who have stayed outside the UAE for more than six months if they left before October 20, 2020. Expatriates can check the status of Dubai-issued resident visas on the Amer website.

However, passengers whose residence visa has been issued by an Emirate other than Dubai will need to confirm their entry/re-entry to the UAE before booking the flight.

Several residents from the countries where flight restrictions apply had been struggling to return to the UAE as their visas had expired while they were stranded.

Like Khaleej Times reported earlier this month, some expats with expired visas stranded abroad were granted automatic visa extensions.

sahim@khaleejtimes.com



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