UAE Overstay Fines: The Daily Rate, Grace Periods and How to Pay

The short answer: The UAE fines anyone who stays past their visa AED 50 for every day of overstay, and the rate is the same for a visit visa and a residence visa, whichever emirate issued it. ICP, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, states it on its Visa Extension, Issuance of a Visa and Issuing Residency Permit service pages. No maximum is published, so the total keeps growing until the file is settled. A visit visa has no grace period on any ICP or GDRFA Dubai page, so its expiry date is the last day. To leave on an expired visa you also need an exit permit, which is issued only after the fines are paid.

Most people who search for this are in one of two places: a visit visa is close to its last day and plans have slipped, or a fine is already on the file and the question is how much it is and how to clear it. This guide covers both, with the figures ICP and GDRFA Dubai publish themselves.

UAE overstay fines at a glance

Question	Answer (October 2026)
Overstay fine, visit visa	AED 50 a day
Overstay fine, residence visa	AED 50 a day
Maximum	None published
Grace period, visit visa	None stated by ICP or GDRFA Dubai
Grace period, residence visa	Depends on the category: ICP states 180 days for a student after their studies and 90 days for a GCC national's sponsored family member
Exit permit, Dubai-issued visa	AED 241 at GDRFA Dubai, after all fines are paid
Check a fine, Dubai-issued visa	GDRFA Dubai's fines inquiry service, or 800 5111
Check a fine, other emirates	ICP Smart Services or the UAEICP app
Standing waiver	None; amnesties are occasional and time-limited

How much is the fine

ICP's Visa Extension page lists the fine for the "expiry of the permitted stay period for the visa holder, or expiration of the entry visa" at AED 50 per day. Its Issuing Residency Permit page applies the same AED 50 a day once an entry permit or residence permit has expired or been cancelled, and its Issuance of a Visa page repeats the figure. None of the three pages sets a cap.

It is one rate for the whole country. A visit visa and a residence visa cost the same per day, and a Dubai-issued visa costs the same as one issued in Abu Dhabi or Sharjah. GDRFA Dubai does not publish a separate daily figure: its fines inquiry service shows what is owed on your own file instead. Some older guides still quote different daily rates, such as AED 25 or AED 100 a day; ICP's current pages give AED 50.

A quick way to size it: 10 days over is AED 500, and 30 days over is AED 1,500, before any exit permit or other charges.

Is there a grace period

Visit visa: no. ICP's Visa Extension page, which covers visit entry permits, states the fine but no free days after expiry, and GDRFA Dubai's pages do not mention any either. Treat the expiry date on the visa as the last day you can be in the country without a fine, not the start of a cushion.

Residence visa: it depends on the category. ICP's Issuing Residency Permit page states two grace periods: a student may stay 180 days after finishing their studies, and a family member sponsored by a GCC national has 90 days after the residence is cancelled or expires. The page does not give a figure for other residence visas, such as an employment visa or a family visa sponsored by a resident, so check the date on your own cancellation paperwork, or ask ICP or GDRFA, rather than relying on a figure you read elsewhere.

One more deadline catches new residents: ICP's page says a residence permit must be completed, medical test and Emirates ID included, within 60 days of entry on the entry permit, and that overstay fines apply if it is not.

Leaving the UAE on an expired visa

Paying the fine does not by itself let you fly. You also need an exit permit, and it is issued only once the fines are cleared.

• Dubai-issued visa: GDRFA Dubai's Departure Permit costs AED 241. It needs your passport, a personal photo and a ticket for a flight within 7 days of the permit being issued, and GDRFA says a regular exit permit requires payment of all outstanding fines first. Processing takes around 48 hours. Individuals apply at an Amer centre. If you do not leave within the 7 days, the permit has to be cancelled and applied for again.
• Visa from another emirate: ICP runs its own Issue Exit Permit service. Check the current fee in ICP Smart Services or the UAEICP app.

ICP and GDRFA do not publish a fixed ban length, or the number of days that leads to one, so we do not give a figure here. What their pages do make clear is that unpaid fines block the formal way out, which is reason enough to settle a fine as soon as you find it rather than at the airport.

How to check and pay a fine

• Visa issued in Dubai: GDRFA Dubai's fines inquiry service on gdrfad.gov.ae searches by file number, unified (UDB) number, Emirates ID or passport number. If the search does not show what you expect, call GDRFA on 800 5111 or ask at an Amer centre.
• Visa issued in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah or Fujairah: use ICP Smart Services (smartservices.icp.gov.ae) or the UAEICP app, and search by your file, Emirates ID or passport details.

Our UAE visa status check guide walks through both lookups. If you would rather we look for you, our free UAE visa check confirms a visa's status and expiry within 24 hours, with WhatsApp and email reminders before it runs out. It does not pay a government fine: that goes to GDRFA or ICP directly.

Can the fine be waived

There is no standing waiver. ICP has a service called "Request for Exemption from Delay Fees", but its page says it covers late fees on the Emirates ID card, for cases such as an ID that expired during a court case. It does not waive an overstay fine.

The UAE has run time-limited amnesties and fine reliefs from time to time, letting people who overstayed leave or regularise their status without the daily fine. They open and close on fixed dates, and none was open when we checked on 9 October 2026. If you are hoping for one, watch the news pages of ICP and GDRFA Dubai rather than waiting while the fine grows.

How to avoid overstaying

1. Know the exact date. The expiry date is on the visa itself. If you are not sure, check it rather than counting the days yourself: see our status check guide.
2. Extend before it expires. A visit visa can be extended from inside the country, up to the total ICP allows. Our UAE visit visa extension guide covers the fees and steps.
3. Or change the visa. If an extension is not possible, leave the UAE briefly and come back on a new visa. We arrange this as one package, the trip out and back plus the new visa: by bus for 30 days, by bus for 60 days, by flight for 30 days or by flight for 60 days. The new visa is still the authorities' decision.

Frequently asked questions

What is the UAE overstay fine per day?

AED 50 for each day, for a visit visa and a residence visa alike, according to ICP's Visa Extension, Issuance of a Visa and Issuing Residency Permit pages. No maximum is published, so the total grows for every day the file is left unresolved.

Is there a grace period before the fine starts?

Not for a visit visa: neither ICP nor GDRFA Dubai states one. For a residence visa, ICP states 180 days for a student after their studies and 90 days for a GCC national's sponsored family member. For other residence visas, check your own cancellation paperwork or ask ICP or GDRFA.

Is the overstay fine in Dubai different?

No. The same AED 50 a day applies to a Dubai-issued visa as to one issued in any other emirate. GDRFA Dubai does not publish its own rate; its fines inquiry service shows what is owed on your file.

What happens if I need to leave on an expired visa?

You need an exit permit as well as paying the fine. In Dubai, GDRFA's Departure Permit costs AED 241, needs a ticket for a flight within 7 days, and is issued only once all fines are paid. ICP runs its own exit permit for visas from the other emirates.

Can the overstay fine be waived?

Not as a standing rule. The UAE has occasionally run time-limited amnesties, and none was open when we checked in October 2026. ICP's "Exemption from Delay Fees" service covers Emirates ID late fees, not overstay fines.

How do I check if I have an overstay fine?

For a Dubai-issued visa, search GDRFA Dubai's fines inquiry service by file number, UDB number, Emirates ID or passport number, or call 800 5111. For the other emirates, use ICP Smart Services or the UAEICP app.

Sort it before it grows

An overstay fine adds up by the day, and it has to be cleared before you can extend, change your visa or fly home. If a visit visa is close to its last day, see our UAE visa services for extensions and visa changes, or talk to us about your dates. We prepare the paperwork and book the travel; the fine itself is paid to the government, and the decision on any visa is theirs.

Related guides

• UAE visit visa extension: fees, rules, how to apply
• UAE visa status check: how to confirm your visa is valid
• UAE visa guide: types, rules and status check
• What to do if your UAE visit visa is rejected

Last checked 9 October 2026 against ICP's Visa Extension, Issuance of a Visa, Issuing Residency Permit and Request for Exemption from Delay Fees service pages, and GDRFA Dubai's fines inquiry and Departure Permit services. This guide is general information, not immigration advice. Confirm the current fine, grace period and exit requirements with ICP or GDRFA before you travel.