Dubai tourists get free visa extension till end of March

Tourists visiting Dubai have had their visas extended for free until the end of March, according to various local reports.

Tourists reported that their visas have been automatically extended after they had checked their e-visa status online, local daily Khaleej Times said on Sunday.

Travel agents also confirmed to the daily that the validity of Dubai visas they applied for on behalf of their clients have been automatically extended to March 31.

A source from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs told the local paper that visas been extended to those with expired one-month and three-month visit and tourist visas.

UAE Prime Minister and Dubai ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, had announced on Dec. 27 a free one-month visa extension to all tourists. The announcement came when several countries-imposed lockdowns and restrictions on movement and air travel due to the new, and more infectious, COVID-19 strain.

The embassies of Pakistan and India has also released statements stating that the UAE government had extended the validity of visit visas issued before Dec. 28 till March 31.

However, travel agents warn tourists to check their visas as the extension may not apply to all, with some having to pay fines for over staying.