UAE: Entry Permit Application For Residents Who Stayed Outside Country For Over 6 Months Can Apply Now

The UAE administration has started a new service for permitting entry for residents who stayed outside UAE for more than six months. The service launch was announced by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP) on Tuesday.

The service, which was up by last Friday, is not applicable to people holding golden visas. This new service would make it easier for residents to come back to the UAE as they might have had to stay out of the UAE for more than six months due to various reasons like work, treatment, or studies. 

The entry permit application can be accessed from the official website of ICP

Normally, this would lead to the cancellation of their resident visas and they would have to reapply. So in many ways, this comes as a breath of fresh air for residents who have valid residence permits to apply for reentry. The ICP stated that all residents who had to stay out due to multiple justifiable reasons can apply for the entry permit provided their residencies are part of the approved system of services that are provided by the authority. 

In order to apply for the entry permit, they have to submit a copy of their passport, a copy of their Emirates ID, and a valid reason for staying out of the country for more than six months. It should be noted that this service is only applicable to people who are from abroad and who stayed outside the UAE for more than six months. 

The service which can be found on the official website of ICP is available under the ‘Smart services’ option. Once the service is accessed, the individual should enter their details together with that of their sponsor, and also their residency-related information in the UAE.

Another mandatory area has to be filled with a valid reason for staying out of the country for more than six months. According to sources, before the Covid-19 pandemic, the service was offered in an in-person mode but now it has been made online which reduces a lot of accessibility issues and makes the overall process more hassle-free and user-friendly.

Another important point is that once the application for reentry is approved, then the resident has to enter the UAE within 30 days from the date of approval. 

There are a few things to keep in mind as part of the application process. The application issuance fee is Dh800 and additional fees of Dh150 will also be levied during the process. So the total expense for application for reentry can come up to Dh950.

In case the application is rejected, then the issuance fee of Dh800 will be refunded. Once the application is approved, the applicant will be intimated through email. They can also print out the approval copy through the e-channels of ICP.

The individual can only enter the country after they produce the approval at the concerned airport authority. 

A string of changes has been made to the visa and residency program in recent months. The ICP service fees for the application of Visa and Emirate ID have also been increased to Dh100. According to the new changes, visiting Visas can’t be extended while staying inside the country; rather they have to move out of the country and reapply for a fresh visiting visa.

The fine for overstaying has also been revised by the ICP and it is now charged at Dh50 per day. Individuals who come to the UAE as tourists and on a visiting Visa have to only pay Dh50 rather than Dh100 per day for the period of overstaying. People overstaying on residency visas have to pay Dh50 now in place of the earlier Dh25.

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The application for reentry will be automatically rejected after 30 days if the applicant hasn’t given the required information or if the application has not been completed.

It can also be canceled if the application is returned three times because of missing data or lack of required documents. It has to be noted that the issuance fee refund will only happen if the application is rejected by the ICP and not because of any other form of cancellation due to errors or not submitting the required documents. 

According to the official statement of ICP, the new range of services has been offered in an effort to make the procedures more simple and easy to follow for all customers.

It will also help them in accessing the necessary services without any difficulty and ICP is also planning to launch new services in the future that will be addressing the various exceptional circumstances of the customers. The UAE administration is loosening up its service availability by offering digital and online platforms and this will lead to a digitally literate economy capable of facilitating all kinds of information swiftly and promptly.