At the Dubai International Airport. ARCHIVE

Dubai visit visa change: How A-to-A exit works

Since December, UAE visit visa holders were required to exit the country before they could be issued a renewed or extended visa. The practice has been in place before the pandemic, but when Covid-19 hit, authorities allowed people to renew their visas without leaving the country for health and safety reasons. However, with procedures now back to normal, the relaxed rules have been revoked and visit visa holders wanting to renew or extend their visa must exit the UAE. Airport to airport exits to countries like Kuwait, Oman or Bahrain are among the popular choices. Speaking to Expatmedia.net on Wednesday (February 8), visit visa holder Georgina S (full name withheld) said she was able to do her airport-to-airport visa change arranged by a Dubai-based travel agency. Georgina needed to extend her visa to stay longer with her family in Dubai. As advised by her travel agent, the important documents she brought with her at the airport were her passport and her old visa. The travel agency arranged for her a flydubai flight to Kuwait for her airport-to-airport exit.

How the airport-to-airport visa exit works from Dubai:

1. Reach the Dubai airport (Terminal 2) at least five hours ahead of flight departure time. 2. If you have overstayed your visa and have incurred fines, go to the Immigration area to clear the fines. Disregard this step if you have not overstayed your visa. 3. Check in at the airline check-in counter. 4. Go to the Immigration counter and clear your exit. Make sure you have an exit stamp on your passport. 5. Send a clear photo of the exit stamp to the travel agency. 6. Wait at the departure gate and take the flight on time. 7. Upon landing in your destination country, head to the transfer desk and wait for your return flight to Dubai. Board the flight on time. 8. Once you land back at the Dubai airport, go to the transfer desk and wait for your new visa. Do not go to the Immigration section without a new visa. 9. Once your new visa is approved and issued, a copy will be sent to you through WhatsApp or email. 10. You can show the new visa in your phone at the Immigration desk and enter the UAE. ICA/Expat Media ALSO READ:  Dubai tourist visa overstayers must pay for permit to exit UAE
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