Travel agencies introduce UAE visit visa extension and conversion packages
Travel agencies have introduced these packages following the revised rules in the UAE visa system.
Dubai (UAE Updates – Arshad Farooq Butt)
Some tourists coming to the UAE on a visit visa seek an extension or change of visa instead of leaving the country after the expiry of their visit visa. Therefore, travel agencies have introduced special packages for tourists looking for a way to change the visa.
Travel agencies have introduced these packages following the revised rules in the UAE visa system. The new UAE laws came into effect earlier this week. The UAE has closed the option that allowed UAE visit visa holders to extend their stay from within the country. Following are the details of some of the packages offered by the travel agencies.
Exit UAE by bus and then come back
Online travel agency Musafir.com is offering a package in which visa exchange is possible by bus.
Ajwah Tours offers visitors on a visit visa the opportunity to change their visa status by bus. The company is offering a 30-day visa for AED 599 and a 60-day visa for AED 799.
Currently this service is available only for passport holders of India, Philippines, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Tourists with Pakistani citizenship and those from the African continent are not allowed to exit the UAE by bus.
The demand for buses has increased tremendously after the new UAE restrictions. Most of the buses have been booked for the next one month.
Another travel agency, Anisha Tours and Travels, takes tourists out of the country to Oman by bus and then back to the UAE. The company is charging a fee of Dh850 for this process. Due to the rush, the company is offering this service only to those who need to exit the UAE urgently.
Exit UAE through the airport and then come back
Online travel agency Musafir.com is offering another package in which visa change is possible at the airport for AED 1100.
Ajwah Tours offers visitors on a visit visa the opportunity to change their visa status through the airport. The company is offering a 30-day visa for AED 999 and a 60-day visa for AED 1,999.
While the travel agency, Anisha Tours and Travels, also takes tourists out of the country to Oman through the airport and then brings them back to the UAE. The company is charging 1250 dirhams for this process.
Another travel agency, Smart Travels, in collaboration with Fly Dubai, is offering the same service at AED 1,050 for a 30-day visa and AED 1,300 for a 60-day visa.
Extension of Visit Visa from within the country
Online travel agency Musafir.com is also offering visit visa conversion from within Dubai for AED 1,800. Anisha Tours and Travels is offering visa renewal services to tourists from within Dubai for AED 2,200.
It should be noted that after the new rules are implemented in the UAE, tourists will have to leave the country after the visa expires. The purpose of implementing these laws is to crack down on people who come to Dubai on visit visas and stay in the country indefinitely.