Key Takeaways
• Visa runs remain legal in UAE through July 2025 to extend stays without breaking immigration laws.
• Overstaying now incurs fines immediately as the 10-day grace period is eliminated in 2025.
• Multiple-entry visit visas for 30, 60, and 90 days reduce frequent visa run needs.
Visa Runs in the UAE: A Complete Guide to Legal Extensions, Requirements, and Practical Steps
Visa runs have become a well-known way for many people to extend their stay in the United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪 without breaking immigration laws. As of July 2025, this method remains legal and widely used, especially by tourists, job seekers, and remote workers who want to stay longer than their original visa allows. This guide explains what visa runs are, how they work, recent changes in immigration laws, and what travelers need to know to avoid problems like fines or deportation.
What Is a Visa Run in the UAE?
A visa run is when someone leaves the UAE for a short time—often just a few hours or a day—usually by crossing the border into a nearby country like Oman. After leaving, the person returns to the UAE and gets a new visa or resets the number of days they are allowed to stay. This process is especially popular with people who enter the UAE on short-term visit visas, such as 30-day or 90-day tourist visas, and want to stay longer without switching to a long-term residency visa.
Visa runs are not a loophole or a trick. They are allowed by UAE immigration laws as long as the traveler follows the rules and has the right documents. Many people use visa runs to avoid overstaying, which can lead to heavy fines or even being banned from returning to the UAE.
Current Legal Status and Recent Policy Changes
Visa runs are legal in the UAE, but there have been some important changes in immigration laws and policies in 2024 and 2025 that travelers need to know:
- No More Grace Period: Before, visitors had a 10-day grace period after their visa expired to leave the country without a fine. As of 2025, this grace period is gone. Now, if you overstay even by one day, you face fines and possible deportation.
- Visa Extensions from Inside the UAE: Visitors can now renew or extend their visit visas from within the UAE, usually for an extra 30 days each time. This means you don’t always have to leave the country to extend your stay, but visa runs are still needed in some cases.
- Multiple-Entry Visit Visas: The UAE now offers multiple-entry visit visas for 30, 60, and 90 days. These visas let you enter and leave the country several times during the visa’s validity.
- Limits on Visa Runs: For some nationalities, especially those who get a 90-day visa on arrival, there are new rules about how often you can do visa runs. After using up your allowed days, you may need to apply for a new visa before returning.
These changes are meant to make the visa system clearer and to encourage people to follow the rules. They also help the UAE manage its borders while still welcoming tourists and business visitors.
Types of Visit Visas and How Extensions Work
The UAE offers several types of visit visas, each with its own rules about how long you can stay and how you can extend your visit. Here’s a simple breakdown:
- 30-Day Tourist Visa: Lets you stay for 30 days. You can usually extend it twice from inside the UAE, each time for another 30 days.
- 60-Day Tourist Visa: Lets you stay for 60 days. Like the 30-day visa, you can often extend it twice for 30 days each time. Multiple-entry options are available.
- 90-Day Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa: Lets you stay up to 90 days and enter and leave the UAE as needed. Extensions are possible, but you may need to get a new visa after using up your days.
- Five-Year Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa: Lets you visit the UAE many times over five years, but each visit can last up to 90 days. This is popular with business travelers and people who visit family often.
Important: Always check your visa’s exact rules and keep track of your allowed days. Overstaying can lead to fines and trouble with immigration.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Do a Visa Run
If you decide to do a visa run to extend your UAE visa, here’s what you need to do:
1. Preparation
- Check Your Visa: Know exactly when your visa expires. Don’t wait until the last minute.
- Gather Documents: You’ll need your passport (valid for at least six months), a copy of your current UAE entry stamp, a passport-sized photo, and sometimes car documents or a guarantor if you’re driving.
- Plan Your Route: Most people do visa runs by land to Oman, especially through the Hatta border. Some choose to fly to nearby countries, depending on their situation.
2. The Visa Run
- Land Border Runs: The Hatta border crossing to Oman is the most popular. It’s a smooth drive and usually takes just a few hours. You leave the UAE, enter Oman, then return to the UAE and get a new visa.
- Airport Runs: Some travelers fly to a nearby country and return the same or next day. This can be more expensive and take longer but may be needed if you’ve already done several land border runs.
- Visa Run Packages: Many travel agencies offer visa run packages. Prices start around AED 440 (about USD 120) for a simple border run, and AED 1250 (about USD 340) for a 60-day visa extension that includes hotel accommodation.
3. Re-Entry
- Get Your New Visa: When you return to the UAE, you’ll be given a new visa or a new period of stay, depending on your nationality and visa type.
- Time Needed: Most border runs take one day. Airport runs can take one or two days.
4. Limitations
- Number of Runs: Usually, you can only do three land border visa runs in a row. After that, you may need to do an airport-to-airport visa change or apply for a different type of visa.
- Check for Updates: Immigration laws can change, so always check the latest rules before planning a visa run.
Recent Changes That Affect Visa Runs
Several new rules have changed how visa runs work:
- 90-Day Multiple-Entry Visas for Some Countries: Nationals from the United States 🇺🇸, United Kingdom 🇬🇧, Canada 🇨🇦, Australia 🇦🇺, Japan 🇯🇵, and New Zealand 🇳🇿 now get a 90-day multiple-entry visa on arrival, valid for 180 days total. After using up the 90 days, they must apply for a new visa before returning. This limits how often they can do visa runs.
- No Grace Period: Overstaying is now penalized right away. There is no extra time after your visa expires, so you must leave or extend your visa before the last day.
- Online Extensions: The UAE has made it easier to extend visas online, so you may not need to do a visa run as often. However, some people still need to leave and re-enter to get a new visa.
These changes mean travelers must be more careful about planning their stays and extensions.
Practical Implications for Travelers
Visa runs are still a legal and flexible way to extend your stay in the UAE, but they come with costs and risks:
- Cost: Border runs are usually cheaper and faster than airport runs. Expect to pay at least AED 440 for a basic land border run.
- Time: Most border runs can be done in a day, but airport runs or visa change packages may take longer.
- Tracking Days: It’s very important to keep track of your visa days and extension deadlines. Overstaying, even by one day, can lead to fines or being banned from returning.
- Fewer Runs Needed: With new multiple-entry and longer-duration visas, you may not need to do visa runs as often as before. But for some people, especially those who have used up all their allowed extensions, visa runs are still necessary.
Real-World Examples
Example 1:
Sarah, a tourist from the United States 🇺🇸, arrives in Dubai on a 90-day multiple-entry visa. She spends 60 days in the UAE, travels to Oman for a weekend, then returns and uses her remaining 30 days. After 90 days total, she must apply for a new visa before coming back.
Example 2:
Ahmed, a job seeker from Egypt, enters the UAE on a 30-day tourist visa. He extends his visa twice from inside the UAE, giving him 90 days total. When his extensions run out, he does a visa run to Oman, returns, and gets a new 30-day visa.
Example 3:
Maria, a remote worker from the United Kingdom 🇬🇧, uses a visa run package from a travel agency. She pays AED 1250 for a 60-day visa extension that includes hotel accommodation and transport to the Oman border.
These examples show how people from different backgrounds use visa runs to stay in the UAE legally.
Expert and Stakeholder Perspectives
Immigration experts say that the removal of the grace period is a big change. It means visitors must be more careful about renewing or extending their visas on time. Tourism and business leaders welcome the new longer and multiple-entry visas, as they make it easier for people to visit and stay longer, which helps the economy.
Visa run service providers have responded by offering more options, like same-day border runs and full-service packages. The Oman border remains the most popular choice because it’s close and the process is usually quick.
Background and Historical Context
In the past, most UAE visit visas were for 30 days, with a 10-day grace period. This meant people often had to leave the country or risk overstaying. Over time, the UAE has added more visa options, like 60-day and 90-day visas, and allowed extensions from inside the country. These changes are meant to support tourism and business, while also making sure people follow immigration laws.
Visa runs have always been a practical way for short-term visitors to stay longer. But with new rules and more ways to extend visas, the process is now more regulated and formal.
Future Outlook
The UAE is likely to keep updating its visa policies to balance security with the need to attract tourists and business visitors. We may see more digital visa processes, new long-term visa options, and even stricter rules against overstaying in the future.
Travelers should always check the latest information on official UAE immigration websites or with trusted visa service providers before making plans. For the most up-to-date rules and online applications, visit the UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security.
Official Resources and Contacts
- UAE Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA): Official visa rules and application portal
- Dubai Immigration and Residency Department: For Dubai-specific questions about visas and extensions
- Flydubai Visa Information: For updated visa types and extension policies
- VisaRun.ae: A popular service provider for visa runs and extensions
- Emirates Airlines Visa Information: For visa details linked to travel bookings
Key Takeaways and Practical Guidance
- Visa runs are still legal and widely used in the UAE as of mid-2025, but travelers must follow all immigration laws and deadlines.
- No grace period: Overstaying is penalized immediately, so plan your visa runs or extensions carefully.
- New visa options: Multiple-entry and longer-duration visas reduce the need for frequent visa runs, but some visitors will still need them.
- Track your days: Always know how many days you have left on your visa and act before it expires.
- Use official resources: For the latest rules and online applications, use the official UAE government websites.
As reported by VisaVerge.com, staying informed about the latest immigration laws and visa options is the best way to avoid problems and enjoy your time in the UAE. Whether you’re a tourist, job seeker, or remote worker, understanding how visa runs work and planning ahead will help you stay legal and stress-free during your visit.
Learn Today
Visa Run → Leaving the UAE briefly to reset or obtain a new visa to extend the allowed stay period.
Multiple-Entry Visa → A visa allowing the holder to enter and exit the UAE multiple times during validity.
Grace Period → An additional time after visa expiry allowing overstay without penalties, eliminated in 2025 UAE rules.
Overstay → Remaining in the UAE beyond the authorized visa period, which now results in immediate fines or deportation.
Visa Extension → Renewing the duration of a visa stay without leaving the UAE, often available for 30 days at a time.
This Article in a Nutshell
Visa runs allow tourists and workers to legally extend UAE stays by briefly exiting. New 2025 rules eliminate grace periods but permit visa renewals inside the UAE, with multiple-entry visas offering more flexibility and less need for repeated border crossings or costly airport runs.
— By VisaVerge.com
