# Tourist visa change to Employment visa



## alliyah22

Hi everyone, 

I am here on a TOURIST visa(extended 60days) that will expire on Aug.28. I already found an employer and visa is already being processed, and i was told that my visa isnt due to come out till 1st week of sept. So that means ill have to overstay or leave uae to a nearby state before my visa expires and wait for my visa to come out then come back. But i fear if i leave without the visa in hand, it might take me a weeks or days before i can comeback.

My question is; Can i just wait for the visa, pay for the overstay fine then leave uae with the visa in my hand so i can return same day from oman or kish doing the visa change? How much is the penalty per day of overstay? would overstaying get my employment visa rejected by immigration?

Please help!!! does anyone here have done this before? 
Im desperate for advice. 

thanks


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## peter.abing

The penalty:
200 dhs for the first day
100/day for the subsequent days you overstay

You can wait for your visa. Pay the penalty when you leave uae and come back the same day with your employment VISA. I personally know someone who experienced that.


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## alliyah22

peter.abing said:


> The penalty:
> 200 dhs for the first day
> 100/day for the subsequent days you overstay
> 
> You can wait for your visa. Pay the penalty when you leave uae and come back the same day with your employment VISA. I personally know someone who experienced that.


@peter.abing
thanks for your reply, 
I assume he didnt had any problems with immigration coming back with the employment visa. 100 a day?! a bit steep! I was told 25dhms a day. oh well, I guess just have to pay. May only conscern is being banned from ever entering UAE if you overstay regardless of having a proper employment visa. How many days did that guy overstayed for?


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## peter.abing

My friend overstayed for two days. Another friend of mine overstayed for twelve days. It is not really a problem. You can come back anytime you want. You will be banned if you were deported because of grave violation of the law (e.i. consensual sex, theft, etc), having positive result in the medical screening upon applying for residence VISA.


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## KC1

Alliyah - I don't know how long you've been in dubai, and I'm certainly not claiming to be an expert, as I've only been here a few months and don't know the answer to your question. But you may want to see if you can find anyone else from the Philippines who has been in the same situation (or maybe Peter's friend is also from Philippines??). Whether in law or in practice, sometimes rules can be different for different passports. Don't want you to get out and not be able to get back in! Good Luck!


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## BedouGirl

KC1 said:


> Alliyah - I don't know how long you've been in dubai, and I'm certainly not claiming to be an expert, as I've only been here a few months and don't know the answer to your question. But you may want to see if you can find anyone else from the Philippines who has been in the same situation (or maybe Peter's friend is also from Philippines??). Whether in law or in practice, sometimes rules can be different for different passports. Don't want you to get out and not be able to get back in! Good Luck!


I think Peter is from the Philippines?


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## peter.abing

I'm from the Philippines. My friends are also from the Philippines.

I understand that the rules may be different for each country but the OP is also from the Philippines. The same rule should apply.

I am not an expert either but I think the rules would be similar even if the passports are from different countries. There may be slight differences.

Thanks for the previous poster. Now I know I have to check the nationality of the OP before posting a reply.


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## peter.abing

Differences I know of:
•A westerner can get a tourist/visit VISA upon arrival at Dubai Airport. People from other parts of the world needs to apply for a tourist/visit VISA before they can even fly to Dubai.
•A westerner can cross the border and come back to UAE (literally turn around after the passport control) and get another 30-day VISA. Others need to exit UAE for a specified length of time.

But in the case of the OP, the VISA can be changed from visit VISA to employment VISA with just an airport-to-airport exit even if she overstays in UAE for a few days. Just pay the penalty and you will be clean. My friend has done that already just a month ago. I also had an airport-to-airport exit to Kish but I did not overstay.


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## peter.abing

Alliyah,

If you have other concerns, don't hesitate to ask. I'm glad to help, especially that you are a "Kabayan".


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## KC1

Great! Just wanted to make sure OP wasn't stuck outside the country.


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## ali4wisdom

*Converting Tourist to Residence/ Work Visa*

Hi All,

I am on tourist visa, i got a job and my work entry permit is issued. Now i asked my employer that i will exit to come back on work permit but he says he already paid the convert fees so no need to exit. Please can anybody explain me this because as per my knowledge i must have to exit on tourist visa however, visit visa can be converted to work. I am really confuse.


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## naveedalidewa

Guys,

I am also on tourist visa nd my visa is coming next week. 

Please let me know what should i do for exist and reentry ?


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## Venice K.

*UAE Employment Visa*

Hi Guys, I'm just new in this page and don't really know to use this. Hope I'm in the right spot of my post. BTW, my friend is currently in Thailand and she suppose to come in Dubai for a visit. Since my company is looking for an additional staff in urgent, I applied her for employment and she's also willing to work. Now, does she need her original visa letter to leave Bangkok airport or a scanned copy will do and I will just deposit the original in Dubai airport before her arrival..?


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## rsinner

Venice K. said:


> Now, does she need her original visa letter to leave Bangkok airport or a scanned copy will do and I will just deposit the original in Dubai airport before her arrival..?


Scanned copy will do at BKK airport.


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## james5234

*Help to stay in Grermany*

Peter !!
I hope everything is all right for you regarding going out 
then coming back up. I hope no to many fees.,,,

I am planning to go to Germany with a tourist visa
How hard is now to find a job now a days 
and then do what you doing exactly?

You know you can extend the visa by registering in a German course
of study and then you wouldn't have to go out or pay penalties ??


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## james5234

peter.abing said:


> The penalty:
> 200 dhs for the first day
> 100/day for the subsequent days you overstay
> 
> You can wait for your visa. Pay the penalty when you leave uae and come back the same day with your employment VISA. I personally know someone who experienced that.


Peter !!
Do you know about the following situation

I am planning to go to Germany with a tourist visa
How hard is now to find a job now a days 
and then do what you doing exactly?

You know you can extend the visa by registering in a German course
of study and then you wouldn't have to go out or pay penalties ??


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## Kevin Roy

Hello,

My girlfriend has come to Dubai for 30 days visit visa on Feb 2013 and she found a job here in Dubai. But the company asked her to extend the visa to one more month and now her visa expires on 6th April. The company has already started processing of the visa. I would like to know how many days are required for processing the visa. Also please let me know on whether the visit visa can bee changed to employment visa at the Dubai airport itself. If yes please also mention what will be the charge for transferring the visa at the airport. 
Thank you.
Awaiting your valuable response.
Kevin


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## shorty1982

Hi,

I have this situation and hope I will find an answer to it.
I will be getting my residency visa very soon and meanwhile my wife came to dubai on a visit visa issue by her sister who lives in sharjah. My question is once I get my residency visa can I just change my wife visit visa to a residency visa without her leaving the country and coming back? If there is any additional fees to do this please let me know how much does it cost


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## jeovy

*URGENT !overstaying in tourist visa*

Hi,

I was reading this thread, i am in the same situation right now but with a little more complications...and i wonder if something have change since 2012. Any way heres my story. I am a philippine passport holder. I enter dubai in a tourist visa with my 2 year old son. our visa soon be expiring on Feb 26 and my employer told me my employment visa will be done maybe around march 10. 

I have done my homework about this situation and found out that my option is to go out dubai for a month (which is for me very stressfull and expensive since i have a baby with me)

But i am contiplating on the idea of overstaying untill my employment visa comes out, then i exit A to A to change to employment visa pay the penalty then i will start processing the visa for my son which the imigration said it takes 3 days.


my question is the following:

1. Can i overstay without having problem with imigration?
2. If yes whats the maximum that i can over stay?
3. How much is the fee?
4. Where should i pay the fee?
5. For my son can he overstay also while waiting for his visa? how long can he overstay that its still safe? I mean there will be no issues if i apply for him his visa if he is overstaying?
6. Do I have any other option?


I hope maybe somebody over there have similar experience and can share it with me. Hope to hear from you all thanks.


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## toyco88

*Almost...*

hello everyone.. I went to sharjah last march 6, 2014.. the agency that we hired told us that i can stay and look for a job for 90 days, they assured me and my cousin (my sponsor) that I will have 60 days then extendable for another 30 days. so I started very slow in my job hunting, I was a nurse in the philippines with 3.8 years experience BUT I don't have any eligibility exams in the UAE like moh, dha and haad. it was really hard because most clinics and hospitals would prefer FEMALE applicants, even if they don't have the exam they can be hired. I got a little depressed to I've tried doing "other sets" of CV's.. sales, HR, office, which I really don't have much idea. I have been interviewed like 8 times for a Nurse or Clinic work but to no avail because it's either i'm a guy or I don't have exam. then after a month interviews for other line of work started calling, sales, customer service and even telesales.. one work that I really wanted was the Homecare nurse, after the interview they asked me to wait for the Offer Letter after a week, after a week i received no call and I a ff-up but they told me our application is "pending" at the moment and that we do not need to ff-up they will just msg or call us. after a month and 2 weeks a great offer came, the company is Majid Al-futtaim which owns the city centres in uae, I was interviewed for a customer service job in Magic Planet, we were 6 kabayans who were interviewed, If hired I would be assigned in fujairah city centre, and I don't mind because I know I can save a lot if I would live there and I'm willing to sacrifice my happiness just to earn for my family, I'm single my family is my parents, a niece and a nephew. I have a girlfriend working in libya as a nurse and she's the one supporting me financially on this "sapalaran". after that interview my cousin told me his newborn son died just 3 days after birth so he and his 2 kids need to go home to PH asap. from april 14 I was all alone in my cousin's flat, it was the worst feeling, thought I was gonna go crazy, but I survived. let's fast-forward to may 4, 2014.. after a number of walk-ins and interviews, the agency who handles my visa called and told me that they cannot give me another 30 days, they were really sorry and even called my cousin back in the philippines to say sorry, well it was really their mistake. they told me I should exit either in oman or kish or in the philippines. I was really distraught that time and so depressed, so I told them to just book me a flight to the philippines.. They promised that they would give me a "free" 2 months visa on my return, whenever I want after june 5.. it was after a day or 2 in the philippines that I realized that leaving again for dubai would be so hard, knowing our IO's who acts like god in NAIA. I was finally home may 6, it felt good, i missed my family so much. then on may 8 I opened my email and learned that the agency tasked by Majid Al-futtaim to do the hiring sent me an E-Visa, yes I got the job.  it was very hard to accept but I want to think that it was really not for me.. I can't think of any way. it was heartbreaking, I lost a lot and that was suppose to help my family in so many ways. If you were in my shoes what would you do? if you're already in the philippines?


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## rsinner

toyco88 said:


> then on may 8 I opened my email and learned that the agency tasked by Majid Al-futtaim to do the hiring sent me an E-Visa, yes I got the job.  it was very hard to accept but I want to think that it was really not for me.. I can't think of any way. it was heartbreaking, I lost a lot and that was suppose to help my family in so many ways. If you were in my shoes what would you do? if you're already in the philippines?


If you have the job now, what's the problem? Come back?


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## toyco88

that's exactly my problem, coming back to dubai. the job agency told me that Immigration officers int he Philippines will not accept my E-Visa, I would be automatically put on-hold, and everyone else said the same thing.


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## rsinner

So ask the agency to send the hard copy of the visa?


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## toyco88

I can ask for that? ok.. so what happens after I receive the hard copy? i'm sorry mam/sir, I really don't have any idea about these things. thank you for your replies.


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## toyco88

this is what they advised me to do.

"It is actually difficult to leave and exit from Philippines going back to Dubai.
You cannot show your new E-visa to the Philippine Immigration because for sure they will not allow you to go.
What I suggest is for you to travel and go to any Asian country like Singapore or Hongkong and from there you start going to Dubai.
Pls note that this is the best way for you to go back to Dubai.

Remember, don’t you ever show or inform any of the Philippine immigration abou your new E-visa, also, that you are planning to go back to Dubai as they will put you on HOLD on their list automatically."

do you have any other advise for me? thank you...


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## conceitedghe

Hi! I was actually having the same problem. I finished my 2year contract here in UAE and I 'll go back to the Philippines for my church marriage (already married here in the embassy). My question is can I come back here in UAE having a tourist visa, my husband will be traveling with me and he has a UAE residence visa, do you think our immigration officers wouldn't give me a hard time? If so, what would be the best story to tell them, that I am really going for tour only or should I tell them that my husband plans to sponsor me? Hoping for your kind reply.


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## Georgek

*enter uae when emloyment visa in progress*

Im waiting for my employment visa to be issued in abu dhabi, can i enter the country as a tourist visa until my visa is settled and then leave again?


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## Prashant9740

hello there 
I do have same prblm.when I came here I came along with tourist visa..Now I got the job bt company told me that you have to exit from UAE for Employment visa..is it easy to change tourist visa to Employment visa..I am very worried & also my company is Indian some people told that Indian company are not so efficient to give a Employment visa..If I exit to kish how many days I have to survive their..plz help me out from this..


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