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Yes I need an answer to the Sharjah question too? DNRD have told me to contact Sharjah but when I do, the guy there told me he can't speak English. ARGH. UAE Gov website said a 30 day stamp is valid for 60 days but I don't know how upto date that is.

Mrs Scratcher's 30 day Dubai entry stamp was confirmed as valid for 60 days at the DNRD office. After nearly 60 days we went to Oman for the weekend via the Hatta border and had no problems exiting UAE.

2 days later we returned to Dubai and Mrs Scratcher recieved a new stamp, this time valid for 60 days. Mrs Scratcher has a passport from one the privaliged 33 countries.

All of this is very recent. I hope this info helps those who are considering a visa run.

Scratcher

I did a visa run last week to Oman as a Brit. I did one 60 days before that. With effect from 2nd October, Brits get 60 days on a visit visa. Granted the stamp does show 30 days but we guess that is because they don't have any 60 day rubber stamps! The cost of a 30 day extension is far more than popping over the border. Furthermore, you don't have to buy car insurance anymore providing you return immediately. Make sure they stamp your passport for exit at the same time they stamp you for entry. Also, take a pen with you, there's none in the Oman passport office.

I have spent a day on the phone enquiring about entry visas into the UAE via Abu Dhabi for a UK passport holder ... the rules are different to Dubai. Yes you get a 30 days visa but you must apply for an extension of a further 30 days by applying at the Immigration office in Abu Dhabi .. this cannot be done in Dubai. It costs 620.00AED.

Does anyone know if a visa run to Hatta would still be OK on tourists entering through Abu Dhabi?

Thanks

Since my previous post, my parents and maternal grandmother came over to live with me. As such due to Visa complications (in short they refused my grandmother a Visa as they say she should be living with her son back in Britain!) they have been doing the Hatta run ever since every 60 days. They were on their 4th or 5th (lost count!), and decided to leave the UAE today, 60 days since the last Hatta run.

Immigration handed them a fine of AED6500, that's about £1300, for overstaying their '30 days' Visa, by 30 days, the immigration official (Terminal 2 Dubai airport) simply insisted it says 30 day, so it's 30 days.

The 'government' website (which I can't post since I have less than 15 posts on this board):- w w w dot government.ae/gov/en/visitors/uae/visas.jsp

STILL states:-

"Citizens of the UK (with right of abode in the UK) will be granted a free of charge visit visa on arrival in the UAE: Passports will be stamped with the visit visa as you pass through Immigration at any airport in the UAE. Although the visa may be stamped for 30 days, it entitles the holder to stay in the country for 60 days and may be renewed once for an additional period of 30 days for a fee of Dh500."

So this appears to be a lie, and we were also lied to at the Hatta border post last time telling us that you could stay for 60 days.

Yes, all concerned are British citizens with British passports.

So you have been warned, the 30 days/60 days limit IS subjective. I'll get my father to e-mail me the proof of fine so that I can take it up with immigration here and see what they have to say, which I doubt will be very much.

I feel very bad for your grandparents - this visa situation really needs to be clarified. I am interested to hear what feedback you get from the immigration department about their case. In the end I did the Hatta run with my parents. They came out on holiday to Dubai for 2 months but entered via Abu Dhabi - we had to do the visa run before the 30 days expired as we were informed they would also be charged a fine on departure if the visa was not renewed, as Abu Dhabi have different regulations to Dubai. However, when they were stamped with the new visa at the Hatta border, the officer stated that although it says 30 days, UK passport holders can stay for 60 .....!!! It seems its a different rule for whoever is on duty at the time ......
Please post your update ... I am interested to hear what they say .....

I complained, had a 'resolution' i.e. they are keeping the money and ignored my questions (so much for the 'through investigation'), I claimed a 'grievance', to which I received a reply:-

"Dear Customer,

Your complaint number xxxxx has been resolved. We hope that our resolution will meet your expectations.

You can provide us with your feedback on the proposed resolution within 10 days if it by currier & within 3 days if by other means; otherwise the complaint will be automatically closed."

So I thought let's have a look, within minutes of reading the e-mail, however they had closed it anyway.

"Dear Complainant : This is our procedures.. If you have stamp on your passport for 60 days before the rules has been changed we will return your money otherwise we cannot if the is stamp is for 30 days.. Our official web site is: w ww.dnrd.ae Best Regards.. DNRD.."


Well, read the following (parts of their reply are in slightly garbled grammar, but still intelligible).

If it's too much to read, in short, they have simply refused to answer the direct question "Why does your OWN government website say you can stay 60 days, but you imposed a fine for staying over 30 days?", and "Why do they tell you the same at the Hatta border post, i.e. that it's valid for 60 days, even if it is stamped for 30 days". They're insisting that it should have been stamped for 60 days.



On your government web page it clearly states the following:-

"Citizens of the UK (with right of abode in the UK) will be granted a free of charge visit visa on arrival in the UAE: Passports will be stamped with the visit visa as you pass through Immigration at any airport in the UAE. Although the visa may be stamped for 30 days, it entitles the holder to stay in the country for 60 days and may be renewed once for an additional period of 30 days for a fee of Dh500."

w ww.government.ae/gov/en/visitors/uae/visas.jsp

Also my parents and grandmother were told the same thing, that the Visa was valid for 60 days, at the Hatta border post. However when they were leaving Dubai via Terminal 2 at about 2PM on the 28th of March, 60 days from the date of their visit visa, they were fined AED6500 (£1300) by your immigration officials for overstaying their visa, they insisted it was only valid for 30 days, and when my father said they were told at Hatta that it was valid for 60 days on a British passport, he was told look at the passport stamp, which says 30 days.

As such have you changed the policy over the last 30 days, and not changed the website to reflect this? We were also told that the Visa was valid for 60 days at the Hatta border post also indicates that the immigration officials at Terminal 2 Dubai Airport did not follow their own rules.

I believe my family should be refunded the amount that has been fined, and the visa position clarified for British Citizens such as myself, my parents and grand parents. If this was a mistake, then it should be rectified by a refund of the fine imposed, otherwise I think the British Consulate should advise it's citizens to be careful when visiting Dubai, and not to stay for more than 30 days, as they could be fined, and to carry at least AED 10000 cash, in case they are fined if they take the risk based on some of your own advice that states that one can stay for 60 days on a British passport.

Regards,


Ref No. xxxxx
Token No. xxxxxx

Dear Complainant ; We thank you for raising your complain to us, because it’s our main responsibility to handle any problems that our customers faced; and provide them the suitable solutions that must satisfy their concerns. As a result from our extensive investigations that we made, we in this letter would like to clarify that the New amendments to law of entry and residence of foreigners is issue and that visitors who don't require visas (33 nationalities) must get entry permits from the UAE entry points upon arrival, free of charge. The entry permit allows the visitor to stay in the country for 30 days which can be extended for another 30 days, after paying the required fees. on 18/2/2009 exemption issue from the Assistant Director at the Department of Naturalisation and Residency say that for the passenger who arrive on Dubai and get stamp of 60 days on his passport no need to pay delay fees . If you have stamp of 60 days valid on your passport and you paid the fine , please visit DNRD Account department and meet with a head of the department , bring with you your original passport and fine receipts. Our working hours from 7:30am till 2:30pm Sunday to Thursday. But if the stamp on your passport is valid for 30 days and you over stayed we will not return your money. Best Regards.



Your reply actually shows that you did NOT read my complaint properly in the first place. on YOUR OWN e-government website, AND your staff at the Hatta border post state that:-

"Although the visa may be stamped for 30 days, it entitles the holder to stay in the country for 60 days and may be renewed once for an additional period of 30 days for a fee of Dh500."

w ww.government.ae/gov/en/visitors/uae/visas.jsp

Yet you are now saying that there must be a 60 day stamp, when NO ONE will put a 60 day stamp on. Also you have ignored that this rule appears to be for BRITISH CITIZENS, NOT for the 33 other nationalities.

You are fully aware that the stamp on my parent's and grandmothers' passport is for 30 days, yet you say that they must have a 60 day stamp (does one even exists?), otherwise no refund.

I'm trying to be civil here, and you've sent me a reply which clearly indicates that you have not even read my complaint properly. If you are adamant that this is not a mistake, but policy. i.e. telling people that their visa is valid for 60 days when stamping it for 30 days for British Citizens, and then fining them for staying the 60 days, than this is dishonest.

If I do NOT receive an assurance of a refund, then obviously you have a Visa rules that you do not follow properly yourself, and this matter must be taken up with the British Consulate, so that they can warn other British Citizens, and I will also write to the British media (newspaper and TV channels) to warn them of this, very costly, deception.

^ Sorry to hear about your difficulties mate.

Many people advised me that 30 means 60 as well, but in a country such as this where the law is subject to individual interpretation I chose to follow what's on my passport!

The Customer Service people are using canned messages, hence you getting nowhere.
Even if they agree with you, they are not empowered enough to be able to do anything about it.

I suggest you visit the DNRD and speak to the head of the dept. Your only chance of getting anywhere.

Good luck, keep us posted.

Completed a visa run yesterday; it appears they have fully instigated the 30 day rule. As a British passport holder since January I have left twice on the 60 day cusp and not a word. Yesterday I was told 30 days means 30 days and has done so since January.
I received a wacking fine and a ticking off from the friendly border peeps! I remonstrated but to no avail, showing them the last two entry and exit stamps and the days in between but it didnt help. My thoughts are that this could be a one off but now won't risk it cos I dont fancy paying the fines.

On my return a few minutes later, they wanted to refuse entry, saying a needed a visa, it took about ten minutes of arguing with them to realise I was a British citizen and was entitled to enter through the port with nothing and be stamped in.
Maybe I just had a look about me they didnt like, cos I was also pulled over, searched and had car torn apart!!!

Overall, I think from now on 30 means 30!!

We all tried to warn you mate. 30 mean 30.

At the end of the day, its what's in print that matters.