Middle East 5

No hike in visa fees this month

The Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) will increase the fees for visit visas soon but not this month, Major-General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director of DNRD, confirmed yesterday.

Maj-Gen. Al Marri said the rule on the fee increase is a federal one applicable to all the Departments of Residency and Naturalisation in the UAE. He said, however, that no date has been specified yet when the new fees will come into force.

“We follow the instructions of the General Department of Naturalisation and Residency of the UAE. We have not received any formal instructions so far.”

Denying reports in a section of the local media that the fees would be hiked this month itself, Maj-Gen. Al Marri said implementing the decision by July, as reported by Khaleej Times, is also doubtful. “That would be too soon. Such a decision needs quite some time to be enforced properly. The public and the DNRD staff need to get familiar with the new types of visas. We have to get the proper mechanism of implementation.

When we get the necessary instructions, we will inform the public,” he said.

A source from the Call Centre at the DNRD said enquiries have been pouring in at the centre ever since the reports that the new fees would be enforced soon were published.

Meanwhile, Brigadier Nasir El Awadi El Menhali, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Naturalisation and Residency Department (ADNRD), told Khaleej Times yesterday that a Press conference would be held by the end of this week to announce all the details and the date of implementing the new visas and their costs.

Sources from the ADNRD had informed Khaleej Times earlier that new types of visit visas and the higher fees would be implemented from July.

According to them, visit visa for one month would cost Dh500 and that for three months would cost Dh1,000 while the six-month visa would cost Dh2,000.

The holders of the six-month visit visas can have multiple entry into the country provided they stay for one month at least from the date of the first entry.

/Khaleej Times/

No comments: