UAE Overstay Fine 2026: AED 50 a Day and Out Pass Rules for Pakistanis
If you are a Pakistani living, working or visiting in the United Arab Emirates, the cost of letting a visa lapse changed this year. Since 11 February 2026, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) has applied a single flat overstay penalty of AED 50 per day across every emirate and every visa category — tourist, visit, employment and cancelled residence alike. The old split between visit-visa and residence-visa rates is gone.
What the flat AED 50 fine actually means
One rate, one calculation. Thirty days of overstay is AED 1,500; ninety days is AED 4,500. At current exchange rates that is roughly PKR 115,000 for three months — enough to wipe out several months of savings for a worker on a modest Gulf salary. The fine accrues daily and does not stop until you either regularise your status or leave the country.
Grace periods: who still gets one, who does not
The most important change for visitors is that the old ten-day cushion on pre-arranged tourist and visit visas has been removed. Fines start from the day after expiry. If you are in the UAE on a UAE visit visa, treat the expiry date on the entry permit as a hard deadline.
Residence visa holders are treated differently. When a residence visa is cancelled, the standard grace period for most employment categories is around 30 days, while Golden Visa, Green Visa and some investor categories can carry a much longer window — reported at up to 180 days. Confirm your own date with ICP or GDRFA rather than relying on what a colleague was told.
When you need an out pass (exit permit)
An out pass is a temporary exit document issued by ICP or Dubai’s GDRFA for people whose visa has expired or been cancelled and who need to leave legally. As a rule of thumb, if your overstay has passed roughly 30 days you will be asked for one; shorter overstays can often be settled at the airport or an Amer/typing centre by paying the fine alone.
- Check your outstanding fine on the official ICP or GDRFA portal using your passport or Emirates ID details.
- Settle the full amount — an out pass is not issued while fines are unpaid.
- Apply for the out pass through ICP, GDRFA or an authorised typing centre. Reported fees sit around AED 250–300 and processing is commonly quoted at up to 48 hours.
- Book your flight inside the out pass validity window, which is usually about ten days. Miss it and the document is cancelled.
- If your passport has expired or been lost, contact the Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabi or the Consulate General in Dubai for an emergency travel document before you apply.
Is there an amnesty in 2026?
No general amnesty is running at the time of writing. The UAE held a broad amnesty in 2024, and two narrower relief windows opened and closed earlier in 2026 — the most recent ended on 9 July 2026. Since 10 July, full AED 50-per-day fines have applied again. Amnesties are announced at short notice; if one opens it is a bonus, not a strategy.
The cost that is not measured in dirhams
Unpaid fines can trigger a departure ban, block future UAE visa applications, and in longer or more serious cases lead to deportation and a re-entry ban that may be felt across the GCC. For Pakistani workers planning to return on a fresh UAE work visa or to sponsor relatives later under family sponsorship, a clean immigration record matters more than the fine itself. Clearing everything before you fly is almost always cheaper than fixing it from Pakistan.
Where Hijrat can help
We cannot pay a fine inside the UAE or file an out pass for you — those are done by the applicant or a licensed UAE agent. What we handle from Islamabad is the Pakistan side: passport and NICOP paperwork, attestation, and a clean re-application once you are home and eligible again. Unsure whether an old overstay will block your next application? Bring us the details. You can also browse our visa services.
Hijrat handles passport, NICOP, attestation and fresh UAE visa applications from our Aabpara office in Islamabad, serving Rawalpindi and overseas Pakistanis. Honest assessment first, fees itemised before you pay.
UAE immigration fines, grace periods and amnesty windows change frequently and are announced at short notice. This article reflects information available on the date of publication — always confirm your own position directly with ICP, GDRFA or the Pakistan mission in the UAE before acting. All decisions rest with the UAE authorities.