# Should I have to pay these visa overstay fines?



## smc1993 (May 12, 2014)

I have been a resident in Dubai for years. I traveled back to the US last summer and while I was there I replaced my expiring passport. Upon returning to the UAE I made it clear to the immigration officer that I was a resident. I handed him my new passport, emirates ID, and a copy of my visa page and he stamped my passport and sent me on my way without a second thought. I did not staple my expired passport containing my visa to my new passport which I realize now was a mistake.
A few weeks ago I attempted to renew my visa and I was told I could not because I have over 20,000 AED in overstay tourist visa fines. These have accumulated since October without my knowledge. I had no idea they had even entered me into the system as a tourist on my new passport. I was told it would be better to pay the tourist visa fees since informing immigration that there was a clash could land me in trouble somehow. My residence visa has expired now and I have a school exams in a few weeks. The entire situation is utterly perplexing and I do not have the slightest clue how to go about resolving it. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks a bunch


----------



## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Hi,
This does not sound correct - I have my old and new passport and they are not stapled together.
The immigration system is fully computerised - so when you entered, your passport details would have been read by the system and linked to your existing residency status.
If you still have both passports and the stamps in your passport - then a personal visit to immigration should get this resolved - if you know any locals or Arabic speakers, the process would be a little easier to manage.
Best of Luck.
Steve


----------



## INFAMOUS (Apr 19, 2011)

No offense but you really don't seem like you're on the ball here.. 

#1 Why did you not carry your old passport with your residence visa with you when you entered the country? Never assume anything! 

#2 Why is your residency visa expired and now you are asking the questions? You should have gone prior to expiration to get it sorted/renewed.

I would think you would have learned as a resident that no process in this country is easy and now you may have to pay a serious price for ignorance. 

Sorry to be so harsh but really... You're stuck here now and assume your fines are increasing daily regardless. Take the advice above and I wish you the best of luck.


----------



## smc1993 (May 12, 2014)

I realize now that I should have stapled my old passport to my new one and I am knocking myself now for not doing that. I know I must seem like an idiot but there are a lot of extenuating circumstances here.
I could not renew my visa any earlier because my passport (the new one I entered the country on) was stolen about a month before my visa expired. (I thought it best not to put that in the original post for the sake of brevity)  I went through a huge ordeal and finally got a new passport. I wasn't worried about the overstay fines on my residence visa because the officials at immigration said they would be waived if I showed my police report and documents. 

*When I went to file the police report I was told there was no record of me entering the country at all! I was not in the system. I had to go to the DNATA office at the airport so they could check the passenger manifest and make a record of my entry. The whole situation makes absolutely no sense to me. I was not in the system at first and now I'm in the system but on a tourist visa. Is this perhaps where the root of the problem is?


----------



## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

smc1993 said:


> *When I went to file the police report I was told there was no record of me entering the country at all! I was not in the system. I had to go to the DNATA office at the airport so they could check the passenger manifest and make a record of my entry. The whole situation makes absolutely no sense to me. I was not in the system at first and now I'm in the system but on a tourist visa. Is this perhaps where the root of the problem is?


That might be it. When they 'put you in the system', they put you in as a tourist and back dated you from the day you entered. Perhaps try taking a copy of your residence visa or preferably the old passport with the old residence visa back to DNATA to see if they can fix the problem? But I have a feeling the immigration department will have to fix this and DNATA probably won't do anything - might be worth a try though.

Personally, it's a mistake, from your end but also from 'their' end. I wouldn't pay until I have tried going to the highest person on the ladder to see if they can simply fix the problem in the system.

Good luck - this really sucks!


----------



## Enzoo (May 15, 2012)

what a predicament i hope this one will be solved


----------



## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

I wonder if it would help if you had the full account in writing, accompanied by copies of all the supporting documentation? If you could get it translated into Arabic, you could probably submit it the entire set of documents to whomever you saw and get it stamped to confirm receipt. I doubt you will get the full amount waived, but you might be able to come to some sort of agreement. Also, guessing you want to return to or stay in the UAE, it would be beneficial to have your full account registered somewhere in writing in case it comes back and bites you in the proverbial b*m later.


----------



## smc1993 (May 12, 2014)

Hey all! Just writing to inform you that ALL OF THE FINES WERE CLEARED! I went to DNRD for the billionth time and this time I was referred to a top immigration official who heard my case and cleared the tourist visa from the system. Then he gave me a residence visa renewal form and today I spent the entire morning dancing around my apartment with my passport and new visa! I had absolutely NO hope that this would be resolved but I'm glad it was! And don't be afraid to stand up for yourself when you think something is not right! Beaurocracy in Dubai has a way of intimidating you into submission (especially if you're a young woman on your own). It was exhausting but I'd rather do it all again then give in and pay one dirham for something I knew wasn't fair. Thanks for all your advice! It really helped!

eace:eace:eace:


----------

